Date: Wed, 26 Mar 97 08:58:00 EST From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@ATSDHA1.EM.CDC.GOV> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1110$foo@default> Subject: RE: =Water=
> Where do you get large amounts of fresh water for CP? I am considering
>growing CP, but I know I must use water without a lot of miderals and
>chemicals in it. Should I have my tap-water tested for minerals? I
>understand I should let the water sit to let the chlorine evaporate, but
>for how long? The only other thing I could think of is to try to catch
>rain water, but I would worry that it might contain a lot of pollution.
Hi Kevin,
I remember from my aquarium books that chlorine will evaporate within 24
hours (or perhaps overnight). I use rainwater caught from drainage from my
roof. While it will contain PAHs and probably some other chemicals leaching
from roof material and will contain some pollutants from the atmosphere, I
wouldn't worry about it being a problem for your cps. Mine do just fine on
such water.
If you use municipal water, you can call your provider and request results
of water analysis. If you bring the results back to the list, I'm sure
someone here can tell you about its qualities. Another factor is that many
municipal water systems treat their water to raise pH to prevent leaching of
chemicals, particlarly lead, while being distributed to households.
If you're still concerned, a reverse osmosis system will give you excellent
water for cps. One can be purchased from Sears for about $300, although you
can probably find one cheaper by looking in orchid magazines or possibly the
ICPS magazine. Be certain to avoid purchasing a water softener, which will
exchange the minerals in your water with sodium, a deadly salt for your cps,
of course.
David
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