You are here:
Carnivorous Plants/water!
Advertisement
Question
Hi, I have bought many plants from you guys over the last few years and I
now have quite a collection! But, water has always been a pain because I have
to buy it in 2.5 gallon containers at the store. My husband bought a
"Siemens" deionizer tank for washing his cars. It's huge. The guy who
installed it said we could get a filter from home depot that would remove
even more sediment and chlorine. What do you think? I live in so cal and the
water from the tap is deadly to my plants but I am wondering about the new
set up. What do you think? Is deionized water like distilled or purified?
Thank you for your time,
Jeni Mendes
Hi Jeni,
If this unit truly is a deionizer, and not a softener, it would be great water for your plants. Deionizers remove minerals from water, which are the big offenders when it comes to carnivorous plants. Chlorine and sediment are less of an issue. Calcium, magnesium and iron cause the most problems. The reason softeners don't work for cp is they just replace the hard water minerals with sodium (salt).
What you need to do is test the water to see what the unit has taken out. If the water is 50 parts per million (ppm) or less, it is fine for your plants. This can be done with a TDS meter or hardness test kits available at aquarium stores. You could also get "Zero Water" filter pitcher, which is also a deionizer. They include a TDS meter to test the water. Those are available at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each year.
|
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION: We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?). Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
Follow us on Youtube and Facebook!
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.