Greetings carless college co-ed,
The 24 hour turnaround is intended to rid the water of chlorine that
can kill aquarium fish. Most plants are unaffected by the chloride
content of municipal water supplies; what one ought to be more concerned
with is water hardness. Most Hoosier houseplants eventually succumb to
repeated waterings with lime tainted midwestern water which repeatedly
dries and leaves behind an ever increasing accumulation of calcium salts
(ever visit Mammoth cave or Carlsbad caverns?) Very beautiful
underground, but not a pretty sight encrusting a pot with what must
surely be the horticultural form of artirosclerosis. Plants are like
people in that some tolerate abuse better than others; unfortunatly most
native CP's come from acidic bogs in the Carolinas which are, to the best
of my cholesterol coated knowledge, low in both nutrients and lime,
therefore native CP's are intolerant of repeated doses of hard water.
Not to worry, though. Being a denzien of the university, you have a
potential source of soft water you never knew you had. Cultivate a few
friends in either the biology or, better yet, Chemistry departments.
Why? Well, the lab undoubtedly has distilled water on tap! Sort of like
having a herd of rainclouds you can milk whenever you need to. Just hand
your pal an empty milk jug and request a "fill up". Your Cp's will thank
you.
Roger L. Sieloff