FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

sans wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 2:51 pm Ive been thinking of using rainwater collected from my roof, so im guessing thats okay? my roof is made with shingles

It might be ok. Different people have had different results. Different types of shingles produce different results. Let the first bit of water go to waste as it will have bird poop, windblown debris, asphalt oils, etc., in it. After a rinse period then start collecting. TDS meters are cheap and very handy tools to have on hand, especially if you're going to stick with carnivorous plants for any length of time. There are some experienced users on here that store and use rain water from their asphalt roofs...but, their roof isn't your roof. Your's is probably ok, but I would want to test its TDS.

I just received the 2022 annual water quality report from my rural water supplier. They have numerous wells scattered out and show TDS ranging from 176ppm to 446ppm. The area is roughly 25-60 miles south of Montgomery, AL, and sits over several limestone aquifers. I just tested my tap water with my trusty $15 meter and it's showing 336ppm.

I have no idea where that is, but I have no idea where I was the one time I went to/thru Oklahoma. I was a young kid going through one of those "moments in life" and was headed to see a friend stationed at Ft. Seale. Anyhow, it was either Oklahoma or Arkansas that my glass jar full of ice-water ran dry. Well, I saw a convenience store and pulled in. I whipped out my jar, filled it with some ice from the cooler and went over to an outside faucet and filled it up. I swished it around good with the ice to get it nice and cold. Man, I turned that jar up and took a big ol' drank of that "clear and cold" as a friend I used to work with called it. INSTANTLY my lips puckered up like Olive Oyl puckering up to kiss Popeye!!!! I spit and spit and spit!!!!! I went in the station and blurted out, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR WATER!!!". The guy behind the incredulously responded, "YOU DIDN'T DRINK THE WATER, DID YOU???!!!". Man, that was some of the worst *anything* I ever put in my mouth!!! I think if you were to stick a TDS meter down in that stuff smoke would come out of it!!!! Probably would read in the trillions of PPMs of TDS!!!!!! I have no idea why I shared that. But...thar it is!!!!

Yeah, that water was....BAD!!!! More like somebody had squeezed the juice out of 4,399,484,207,210, 209,001 green persimmons and piped the juice through the pipes!!!!!!!

ETA: Just thinking about it makes me want to spit!!!