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dehumidifier water?

Ok, so I have to run a dehumidifier in the basement, and I have to empty it every couple of days, since I'm lazy and haven't gotten to installing it properly with a drain...

...and I came up with the idea of using the water that I'm grabbing out of the air and using it for my CP's.

Now, I'm wondering if anyone else has considered this, and whether or not it's going to be bad in the long run. They've been on dehumidifier water since I took them out of the fridge (valentine's day), and every one of them is coming back - the leaves all died off in hibernation, and each one has at least two new leaves that are about to spread traps. (The drosera is also doing better than before.)

I noticed that the inside of the dehumidifier tank gets gunked up occasionally, but I always assumed it was dust, since we don't have a mildew problem, and since the dehumidifier intake gets dusty, too. I do clean it regularly.

This was the first time I've put them in dormancy, so I don't know if this is a function of the water I'm using, but there are two problems. One is that two smaller plants, both in the same pot, have really broad leaves - broader than I've seen for the size they are now - and really tiny traps on the end.

The other problem is that most of them are growing algae. I keep 'em pretty moist, and I know it's not fungus because I drenched them with Banrot before I put them in the fridge, and was keeping them wet with fungicide water during dormacy - so I'm pretty sure I can assume it's algae.

Is algae bad for them? I haven't heard of a CP-enthusiast-accepted algaecide that I could use on it. Moreover, I don't really believe any harmful minerals (or algaes) could be taken out of the air, but does someone know if I'm wrong there?

Thanks!

-Beatnik
 
Hi Beatnik -

I used dehumidifier water all last summer when I ran out of rain and it worked fine. If the water gets dusty or dirty you can always run it through a coffee filter in a funnel or Brita type pitcher.

WildBill
 
The broad leaf/ small trap thing sounds like a photsynthesis thing like its trying to receive more light by creating more surface area to collect it. I dont know about the dehumid water but algae isn't harmful to any plant that I know of although it does use some of the nutrient.

Joe
 
I heard of people using the water from their air conditioners. Like a dehumidifier, an air conditioner condenses moisture. The only thing I noticed is that that water smells weird. So I haven't tried using water from an air conditioner or a dehumidifier.
 
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