FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Can someone tell me the difference, if there is one! I am receiving my fly trap in the mail today and want to make sure what water will work .

Okay, then it shouldn't kill my trap?

dantt99 wrote:Okay, then it shouldn't kill my trap?

That depends on how much of the dissolved solids are removed by their process, and whether they add anything to the water afterward. When treated, "purified" water is used for bottled drinking water, some mineral salts are often added before bottling, "to improve taste."

Just read the label carefully and use your best judgment.

Okay, so where can I buy distilled water, any recommendations?

go to ebay and buy yourself a cheap TDS meter.
they can be had for about 20 bucks, delivered.

its really the only sure fire way of knowing if your waters good, and i give you a fine example i discovered.

i buy "demineralised water" with a reputable brand name on it, 004 tds (almost pure water)

i found another source of Distilled water in big 20L containers from an auto-store. this distilled water had a tds of about 340

my pura-tap (kitchen dual filter) gives water in the 340 range aswell

our tap water's tds is 380

conclusion:
clearly, the "distilled water" from an autostore is a complete scam and has had the most basic of filtering and hardly done anything.

yet the demineralised water from a reputable brand (diggers australia) was the purest water i've found.

rain water off my down pipe is about 015 tds
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without the tds meter, i would have poisoned my plants while thinking i was doing everything right.

that cheap TDS meter saved the day.

Okay I will look at tds meters...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-HM-TDS0-999 ... 5adafa6a59

thats the one i have, for what its worth..

Oblivion wrote:thats the one i have, for what its worth..

Looks like a good value, I will look into that!
Thanks

The TDS meter oblivion mentioned looks like a great value. Here's the one I bought, if you want to compare:

HM Digital TDS-EZ
http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ ... 002C0A7ZY/

Either would probably work great. A TDS meter is cheap and a great thing to have for peace of mind regarding water purity. It's also great for measuring progress when preparing coir (coconut husk pith) for use in a growing medium, since coir usually must be soaked and drained numerous times to remove the soluble minerals.

I think I will be buying a TDS meter! Thanks everybody, I like the Amazon one because I have Amazon Prime

i just use deer park water or ozarka they come from water sprnigs and have no other stuff

cat1560 wrote:i just use deer park water or ozarka they come from water sprnigs and have no other stuff

Any water from natural underground springs will have dissolved minerals in it. So you might consider buying a TDS meter to test that Deer Park and Ozarka water.

I've been just using rainwater because it has been pouring outside, I have been collecting it. I like the idea of a TDS meter, do any of you know anywhere they would sell them in stores so I don't have to ship it? If I buy distilled water, will it say added stuff or no added stuff. If the ingredients are simply 'water' is it fine, as long as it's distilled?

no, unfortunately unscrupulous companies are all too happy to take your hard earned greenback and give you nothing but bottled tap water.

TDS meter is the only sure fire way of knowing.

if you want to buy TDS meter locally you can try a garden centre but the price you pay will probably be a lot more than the $12 one's off ebay (including delivery)