Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 11:27:29 -0700 From: Doug Burdic <dburdic@presys.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2492$foo@default> Subject: Re: CP rainwater runoff question
L235@aol.com wrote:
>
>
> Have been using rainwater runoff (from the roof of my house) for CP
> watering now for several (three) years. During that time I have heard
> occasional warnings about harmful elements from the asphalt shingles
> potentially leaching into that water, particularly copper (apparently
> used by certain shingle manufacturers to retard moss growth). Can
> anyone tell me what the specific concerns are, and what symptoms in my
> CP I should be looking for? In the last year I have noticed increased
> spotting among some plants (particularly S. minor and certain S. x
> catesbei specimens) (brown circular areas of damage surrounded by red
> tissue) oftentimes leading to the death of the affected pitcher (the
> damage eats through a stem, in certain extreme cases). This year,
> some plants have been exhibiting deformed pitcher formation (S. flava
> and S. minor). I have since switched to tap water filtered through
> charcoal and an ion-resin bed (thanks Michael Fantus for the
> suggestion!), and have noticed some apparent improvement. Am I
> imagining things? Should I be truly concerned and avoid runoff
> completely? Could I treat runoff water with aquarium chemicals
> designed to precipitate metals (like copper)?
>
> Any help from the assembled expertise would be appreciated.
>
> Jay Lechtman (L235@aol.com) Ashburn, VA, USA
========================================================================
Hi Jay,
Rainwater collected from runoff through my roof gutters is the only kind
of water I've used on my cp for almost 30 years now and I've lived in
houses with every conceivable type of shingle material without any
damage at all. The malformed pitcher development you described is
something that I've seen about every other year and usually is the
result of weather/temperature fluctuations from what I've read. The
spots sound like Cercospora or maybe Anthracnose damage and not anything
that would result from using collected rainwater. In the wild
populations of cp that I've seen in person, as well as in all the
pictures of them in their natural habitats, you can see the same type of
brown, necrotic areas surrounded by red tissue, so this is the result of
these natural pathogens that thrive in warm, humid areas. This type of
infection is especially prevalent in Darlingtonia stands that I've seen
in S. Oregon, as well as here on the Oregon Coastal bogs. So....what I'm
trying to say is that I think your rainwater is fine to use. :) Hope
this helps.
Take Care,
Doug
Doug Burdic
Florence,Oregon
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:34 PST