FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I got my TDS meter and just checked my tap water....390ppm!!!!! Then, I checked my old faithful PURE pitcher filter....200ppm (I really do need to change the filter, but still....). I then checked some distilled water....4ppm. Sheesh. But, at least the tap water is supposed to be in a good range for humans. I can see, though, that if I'm going to have many CPs that I'll need to be catching rainwater...of course, it needs to rain for this to happen.

zero water should work more than a month or 2 with 390 ppm. But that's for me who is making 1/2 gallons per day.

We actually got a rain this afternoon...0.84"!!! I managed to put up 7 gallons, strained through some cotton material. It looks pretty good. I just set a cooler up under the drip line of our roof and let it catch what it could. I also sat a little kiddie pool out in the yard...the water in the pool was naturally *much* cleaner that the water in the cooler, but there was not as much of it and it was harder to dip out. I'm at the edge of a terraced field so I think next time I'll put the pool on the slope of a terrace so the water will collect to one side making it deeper and easier to dip.

I checked checked the rainwater with my TDS meter and it read 5 ppm. The traps were outside and got a soaking. I had to empty out the trays....the little rescues in the tiny black pots were dog-paddling like crazy!!!! The tray I have the small pots in is too tall for the small pots...the water was halfway up the pots' sides. If I don't re-pot those soon I think I'll drill a few weep holes in the side of the tray about 1/2" above the bottom...I may be off somewhere one day when we get a good rain and they'd really be soggy for a while!

Anyhow, I should be in good shape for a while in regards to water. I've got 2 gallons of unopened distilled water I can set back for emergencies. Now...off to check the TDS in the dehumidifier water!

The dehumidifier water measured 12 ppm so it'll be good if I need it, too!

Welcome aboard, @AryaHu! Thanks for the feedback on the filter. Yes, it's well regarded by a lot of growers. It probably wouldn't work for my situation due to our tap water's TDS. I'm thinking of getting one for myself, though!<g> I think as long as the rains come, the dehumidifier keeps working, and there's a dollar store close by for distilled water I'll be good to go. I think I'm going to use the distilled water for growing from seed (at least for now) so to not introduce any more spores or wild seeds than I have to. With the maturing fly traps the rainwater will do them good.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:12 pm Welcome aboard, @AryaHu! Thanks for the feedback on the filter. Yes, it's well regarded by a lot of growers. It probably wouldn't work for my situation due to our tap water's TDS. I'm thinking of getting one for myself, though!<g> I think as long as the rains come, the dehumidifier keeps working, and there's a dollar store close by for distilled water I'll be good to go. I think I'm going to use the distilled water for growing from seed (at least for now) so to not introduce any more spores or wild seeds than I have to. With the maturing fly traps the rainwater will do them good.

Just FYI, I suspect that is a spammer.

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:24 pm Just FYI, I suspect that is a spammer.

Possibly, but his response is on-topic in this case.

Shadowtski wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:27 pm

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:24 pm Just FYI, I suspect that is a spammer.

Possibly, but his response is on-topic in this case.

I've seen spammers do that sometimes. In this case the spammer's signature advertises for the product.

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:24 pm

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:12 pm Welcome aboard, @AryaHu! Thanks for the feedback on the filter. Yes, it's well regarded by a lot of growers. It probably wouldn't work for my situation due to our tap water's TDS. I'm thinking of getting one for myself, though!<g> I think as long as the rains come, the dehumidifier keeps working, and there's a dollar store close by for distilled water I'll be good to go. I think I'm going to use the distilled water for growing from seed (at least for now) so to not introduce any more spores or wild seeds than I have to. With the maturing fly traps the rainwater will do them good.

Just FYI, I suspect that is a spammer.

Ah, yes. I do believe you are correct. I checked his link out and it had nothing to do with Zerowater except that it was about filters...apparently the one that he/she/it is pushing. Even the signature line reads "SPAM". Thanks for bringing me back to reality. I wonder if his/her/its filters do as well as my roof?

Shadowtski wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:27 pm

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:24 pm Just FYI, I suspect that is a spammer.

Possibly, but his response is on-topic in this case.

Yep. He colored within the lines, I would say. His day job is probably being a politician...or a used car salesman (it is hard to differentiate between the two).

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:58 pm
Yep. He colored within the lines, I would say. His day job is probably being a politician...or a used car salesman (it is hard to differentiate between the two).

It wouldn't make sense to advertise for adidas shoes while we're talking about water filters, would it?

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 3:01 pm

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue May 17, 2022 2:58 pm
Yep. He colored within the lines, I would say. His day job is probably being a politician...or a used car salesman (it is hard to differentiate between the two).

It wouldn't make sense to advertise for adidas shoes while we're talking about water filters, would it?

Nope, but I've seen similar things done many, many times.

I've got four rescues still in their little black rescue pots. I've been pondering/wondering/ciphering/etc about what to re-pot them into. They are little things. I'm thinking of planting all four in a single pot. I've also been reading that depth is really important. Would a 12x12x12-inch pot be too much overkill for these four little traps? For watering reasons, would it be better to pot the four in a smaller pot...maybe an 8" diameter that's a bit shallower, say 7" deep? I'm thinking of this summer when it gets so hot that letting a taller pot stand in a tray of water might be worth dealing with the larger/deeper pot. Plus, more growing mix would help insulate the roots better. Thoughts?

Well the bigger the pot, the more you need to water it. I think you should go with the 8" diameter and 7" depth.