Help new orchids with damaged leaves.

[marcomm]

I have a few phalaenopsis that I rescued from my mother´s garden. After she almost killed them by putting them in pots with garden soil. Some of them have severe damage to their roots and the biggest one has sun damage in his leaves, and now well, it's my time to save them lol . I rinse them and put them in some pots with water on the base (water culture technique). They are doing fine but I have some doubts.
The biggest has severely damaged leaves what should I do with them?
And I currently dose to their RO water 90 ppm of Potassium nitrate, 15 ppm of potassium phosphate and aproximately 20 ppm of flourish (seachem). Is this regime okay?

My tab water is
Ca++
105

Mg++
31.60

Na+
32.50

K+
4.58

HCO3-
389.73

SO4=
15.87

NO3-
11.07

Can I use it for watering my orchids or is too hard? Maybe dilute it with some water ?

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm afraid that I can't help with your water questions - hopefully some other members will be able to!

[3rdMaestro]

I don't know how phalaenopsis handle alkalinity, but comparing your tap water to my area's water, it seems your water is pretty hard. I don't think this will adversely affect the plants for now, but I recommend flushing with some pretty neutral water every once in awhile to clear out salts (just like you would to flush fertilizer). I also read a report on how fertilizer can negatively impact plants if the water its mixed with has high minerals. I can try and dig up that information if you need...

[Orchid Whisperer]

Not sure a bout the water quality for orchids, but the nitrate exceeds safe drinking water limits (10 ppm). I would not drink that water without further treatment. Maybe a RO unit intended for drinking water will improve the water quality sufficiently?

[estación seca]

Welcome!

Your water should be OK for the Phals. Your fertilizer regime will be fine.

How about collecting rain?

I would leave the burned area on the leaves until it resembles brown paper. Then cut it off.

[marcomm]

Thanks WhiteRabbit!

3rdMaestro Yeah I find it hard as well, thats why I use RO. But Maybe I could mix it?

Orchid Whisperer
I don't know if the parameters are exactly those but in a recent test(from a research paper) they were around that, I guess they do something about it before we drink it or at least I hope so lol. Any way we have a small RO unit at home which makes my water comes out in a 45 ppm thats what I currently use for the orchids. But I was wondering if Its would better to mix with some tab water?

estación seca
I do collect rain when possible(in the rain season).
Thanks I was worried that my fertilizing regime would be too much.


I attached a few pictures

[dounoharm]

if you use RO for other uses, why not water the orchids with it? I am in texas which has pretty awful hard water....it killed a lot of my orchids by leaving a hard white residue on their leaves and roots, effectively strangling them. it was a mess to clean up, and I did put in an RO system FOR THEM, NOT ME!! lol....they were much more important you see....if you have it, USE IT! don't worry about putting ANY of that hard water on them! use a fertilizer for pure water, MSU if you can get it....good luck!

[marcomm]

Thanks dounoharm, Ill guess I keep up with de RO and the ferts. I don't think I can get it but I probably manage to do something similar from scratc.

And attached another picture from the collection.