On 24/06/2016 12:55, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 24/06/16 12:16, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Having just moved house, I have no immediate source of
rainwater for watering the orchids - apart from putting buckets
outside and hoping it will rain!
[It does not rain in Wales ]
I know that I should not use tap water, but what about bottled
water? Hopefully for only one or two waterings!
Thanks
I have very little experience other than with phalaenopsis. All I can
tell you is that for years I have been watering them with cooled water
from the hot water tap when rainwater wasn't available (which was fairly
often until a year ago). We are in an area of very hard water, and it
does not seem to have bothered them too much. I have one paphiopedilum,
and that similarly doesn't seem to mind too much.
I also use tepid water from the kitchen tap and also have had no
problems. You could always use a *tiny* drop of acid plant food just to
alter the ph, rather than as a feed, but I've never needed to. We also
have very hard water, so you may find you can manage.
--
Spider
On high ground in SE London
Gardening on heavy clay