Steam water tested for salts

[jimscott]

I am considering creating a minibog in an area that is swamplike around the streamlet running behind our home as well as seeing if the water is safe to use directly on CP's. Mind you, I work in a lab and get alll the free deionized water I need. I keep nearly all of my plants at work for this reason.

I just had the water tested for Ca, Mg, K, and Na. The results are in PPM. Does anybody know the detection limits acceptable for CP's (in general)?

Na: 38
Ca: 85
K: 3.7
Mg: 23

I am also having the water tested for dissolved solids.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

TDS is what you need to know. If it is below 100ppm its fine for all CP's. Nepenthes can take it up to around 150ppm.

 

[Jason Wong]

Neps are tough, tehy usually live in soil where there are high conc.s of minerals or so I've heard, but don';t grow very well! Boil 100ml of water and see if there is any residual white stuff (If there is a mountain then obviously don't use it), but I think, like nep g, that under 100ppm should be OK (I don't have to worry, the water here is so clean that it could be drunk straight from de tap - 50ppm!!!)

 

[Jason Wong]

Wdon't you get a TDS measurer, found in hardware store/chemical factories/companies/store/places...

 

[jimscott]

We can do the TDS right here at the lab. Just to clarify, was it the TDS you were referring to as needing to be <100 ppm? Are the salt values acceptable or not necessarily relevant? I am looking to try Sarracenias, VFT's and Darlingtonia. Whaddya think? Oh, and feel free to correct my typos - please. Steam? I meant - stream.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

TDS needs to be well below 100 for Drosera species, but I have no clue as to individual cation concentrations.  CP in general hate lime, I can tell you that.  If the bog is non-draining issues of salt concentrations in water are critical.  Even if the TDS is low to begin with, expect a steady rise in nutrents over time as evaporation concentrates them in the bog.  Its really no different than the rules for container growing: long term salt accumulations will lead to problems in undrained scenarios where the container and substrate cannot be regualarly flushed.  I suggest you plan in advance and create some method where draining off the accumulated water is possible.  Draining the bog after a heavy rain carries away much mineral laden water.  I grew S. purpurea, D. rotundifolia and D. intermedia for 2 seasons in one of those plastic toboggan's kids use filled with moss.  I used only tap water (well above 150 PPM) and the plants did well.  The salts from the tap water were leached out by our frequent rains.  I could see the general health pick up in the days immediately following a heavy rain period.

 

[jimscott]

This is the ame water course that carried off my cobra lily, following a rain event. Oh yeah, it gets freshened!