FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

as it is summer time i have been filling a bottle with tap water and leaving it for a few days as i heard it dissolves all the dangerous chemicals and minerals. i have then used the water all my plants and they seem to be doing very well and have grew A LOT! one of my VFT's have even started flowering!! is it safe to carry on this process?

Well the mineral still remains in the water. I guess the amount of mineral in the water at your area is low.

No, it doesn't. Minerals are already dissolved in tap water. Too much dissolved minerals in water will harm your plants. If you still have not gotten any mineral burn, maybe the total dissolved solid (TDS) in your water is low. You should test it with a TDS meter. It should be under 50ppm.

Depending on your water's TDS concentration, it can take a while for enough minerals from it to accumulate in the soil to burn your plant's roots. That's why it's a good idea to flush the soil occasionally with pure water to rinse out any minerals that might be building up.

I tried to explain this to the lady at my local nursery when I bought my Nepenthes basket. She said she'd been taking good care of it by letting their tap water sit for a few days before watering it. I tried to explain to her that the minerals are dissolved in the water, so letting it sit only lets some of the *water* evaporate and concentrates the minerals in the remaining water even *more*. She never even batted an eye. Just said, "Yeah, but it does get rid of the chlorine smell." Thank god I rescued my Nep before she killed it.

Just throwing my two cents in here. Coming from an aquatic background with fresh and saltwater, the only thing it dissolves is chlorine. The rest of the minerals and chemicals will stay in the water. You *can* use chemicals to remove heavy metals but that's just plain dangerous for CPs >_>

In order to remove the minerals and chemicals you have to use a RO machine with multiple types of filters. Just to echo what everyone is saying use a TDS meter and check your water quality. Some people are lucky enough to have safe tap water on CPs.

By the way welcome to the forums!