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Janet · 25-06-2016, 12:04 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

In article ,
lid says...

On Fri, 24 Jun 2016 16:39:40 +0100, Spider wrote:

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.

We use tap water, but here there is no chlorination of tap water.

Chlorinated water can be de-gassed by just letting it stand uncovered
for a few hours. There may still be other chemical additives in the
water.

Roger, do any of your new neighbours have a garden pond or a water
butt collecting rain? If so I'd beg a can-ful for the orchids; could be
a nice ice-breaker to meet other gardeners.

Janet.