Borrowing a style of titles from DirtyC. Because I like to steal good ideas. With some new/different faces around, I want to discuss (yes, again) rain water vs RO water vs tap water.
About a year and a half ago, my curiosity was piqued by someone's post, and it ended up being a fascinating story about a guy named Brandon Tam.
Water Quality Questions
Then yesterday, estación seca made a comment on a thread, and started me thinking again: "My Phrag. QF Maria was eaten by rats. Before that it grew easily in semi/hydro and flowered a lot, even with my alkaline mineral-laden city water."
Which made me start thinking about water again, as I spent many summers close to the area where ES lives, and remember what that water tasted like. (No offense, ES). And how he was growing a phrag in that water, successfully. (other than pack rat invasion of course)
After I retired, 2016, I had more time to invest in taking care of my orchids and other stuff. I decided to try to start fertilizing more regularly (as opposed to a few times a year). I also took an RO system I'd had at the store and started watering my paphs, phrags, and a couple others with RO water. Then a couple years ago, started watering everything with RO water during the six months orchids are in the BatCave. The six months while outside, they get water pumped from my koi pond as they always have.
We're in the middle of 2020 now. I'm really not sure that overall I'm seeing that big of a difference one way or another. With a couple of phrags..."maybe." Or perhaps just because they've colonized for awhile, and they always look better that way.
I still find using RO water to be more troublesome than tap water, and still wonder if it's really worth it. My total TDS still runs around 300, total alkalinity around 100. The pH is usually a bit over 9. I do know that prior to fertilizing fairly regularly and using RO water, all the plants tended to get watered more often... much less procrastination. It's so easy to turn on a couple of water spigots.
I truly don't see the difference now vs four years ago, or vs 15 or so years ago. Or maybe I'm blind to changes. Am I jumping through unnecessary hoops? The only thing I know for sure is switching to semi-hydro, for me and my particular plant care philosophies overall, has become my best friend.
Your thoughts on what YOU do with YOUR plants where you can see worthwhile change for the hoops you do or don't jump through?
The Quality of Water: Beating My Dead Horse
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