Pur Filtered water OK for Sarracenia?

17 years ago

Hi,

I've searched this forum and found mixed recommendations on using Brita filtered water for watering my sarracenia...I have a 'Pur Ultra' cartridge filtration system. Anyone have any experience with using this water for their Carnivorous plants? Is it the same concept?

Or, would I be better off using Arrowhead Spring or distilled water? (I have pond water as well, but have done a salt treatment recently, so probably not a good idea to use it on plants)

Thanks for any input!!! Here's how Pur filter claims to work:

-------------------------------

PURÂ® Water Filtration System

Fits all PURÂ® Faucet Systems and DELTAÂ® Simply PUR Faucets*.

It's our Ultimate in water filtration, Reduces Heavy metals (lead and Mercury), Chlorine (taste and odor), Benzene, MTBE and TTHMs to provide clean, healthy, great tasting water.

The 3 Stage Filter, our ultimate in filtration and a crisp, refreshing taste removes 99.99% microbial cysts, cryptosporidium and Giardia that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses such as diarrhea, vomiting, cramps.

How it Works:

Stage one: Added layer to trap sediment

Stage two: Contaminant removal by activated Carbon Microfilter

Stage three: filtered over natural minerals for a crisp, refreshing taste

Leaves beneficial fluoride in the water.

Great Value and Convenience - Easy-to-change replacement filter provides up to 100 gallons (approximately 2-3 months) of quality water right from your tap. PUR offers the quality of bottles water for a fraction of the cost.

30 day money back guarantee. At PUR we have a passion for clean, healthy, great tasting water. So, if you are not fully satisfied within 30 days, PUR will return your money, no questions asked.

NSF International, a nationally recognized not-for-profit agency for the certification of water filters, has tested and certified this product to reduce the following list of contaminants. Products with the NSF mark are certified to pass a series of stringent independent tests.

NSF Replacement Element Tested and Certified by NSF International against ANSI/NSF Standard 53 in model numbers FM-4010 L, FM-4200 L, FM-4500 L, FM-4600 B, FM-4800B, FM-4700 L, FM-4900 L and FM-4300 L for the reduction of 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Asbestos, Atrazine, Alachlor, Benzene, Carbofuran, Carbon Tetrachloride, Chlordane, Cysts, Endrin, Ethylbenzene, Heptachlor Epoxide, Lead, Lindane, Monochlorobenzene, MTBE, Methoxychlor, Mercury, O-dichlorobenzene, Tetrachloroethene, Trichloroethene, Trihalomethanes, Toluene, Toxaphene, Turbidity Simazine, and Styrene and Standard 42 for Chlorine Taste & Odor reduction, and Nominal Particulate Reduction Class I.

The contaminants or other substances removed or reduced by this water filter are not necessarily in all users' water.

For more information or questions regarding this product, call 1-800-PUR-LINE (1-800-787-5463

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pond

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Comments (8)

petiolaris
17 years ago
Spring water isn't CP safe, but distilled water definitely is. Given a choice, I would use that. Rain water should be fine, unless there is a specific problem in your area. What I don't see listed are metallic salts - Ca, K, Mg, Mn,...
Alyss
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Petiolaris, and thanks again for all of your ongoing information helpful input (to me, and on this forum) in the past!!!

P.S. I would love to use rainwater, but it hasn't rained much here this year!
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mutant_hybrid
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Yeah alyss, what petiolaris said. Those metallic particles are the hardness measurement in the water, so the filter is not so much removing them as covering up their taste it sounds like. The hardness is what is the killer for carnivorous plants.
jonocross
17 years ago
About the only filter system that gets the good cp housekeeping thumbs up is an RO system. I've been looking into one since I've been using 25+ gallons of water a month now. RO could cost ya in the neighborhood of a couple hundred dollars to set up, but concidering that I buy gallons of water for about 40 cents a gallon, it'll pay off for me given time. Maybe someday when I don't live with nighbors who would use a rain water catcher as a spitoon, I'll go that rout.

Here is a link that might be useful: aracknight's deadly delights
petiolaris
17 years ago
In a pinch, I have also used water from a stream. Now that is also a chancy thing to do, but the water was constantly flowing and I probably lucked out. I have a CP friend that comes from Burbank. She says that rainwater is unsafe for the plants, but her dad installed an RO filter (for tea!)and that she uses that.

Your post reminds me of an old Albert Hammond song - "It Never Rains In Southern California".

Do you have published results of what your pond water contains?
Alyss
Original Author
17 years ago
It actually RAINED here yesterday, about half an inch, and I missed it!!! By the time I got home, it was sunny again....I barely salvaged any rainwater for my poor CPs!

Petiolaris, regarding my pond water, it is man-made (actually, woman made, because I built it!...See photos at link below). So the water is conditioned tap water. Our water in this area is pretty alkaline...pH of 8. The most recent water report says that, in parts per million, our water has the following mineral levels: calcium = 85, magnesium = 14, potassiom = 3.2, sodium = 57, and hardness (ppm as CaC03)= 271.

I'm not at all sure what this means, especially in relation to what minerals are left behind or how hard it is after it has been filtered. I do know that acid-loving plants hate our water, probably due to the high pH.

Any additional thoughts?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pond
bugman
17 years ago
The CaCO3 is calcium carbonate, and with it at 271 ppm, you definitely don't want to give the plants this water. Anything 100 ppm or above is risking it. In the wild there is almost no minerals in the bogs that these plants live in so their roots are very sensitive to minerals. They obtain these minerals from the insects that they eat and not from the roots like most plants. Distilled water is the best way to go, or rain water, or RO (reverse osmosis)water. Hope this helps:)
P.S. Your pond is beautiful!
Alyss
Original Author
17 years ago
Very interesting! I always attempt to read the annual water quality report, but never really know how to interpret most of the data.

I just spent way too much time researching RO filters that could be installed under the sink. They are REALLY expensive...Over $600 for the top-rated brand!

So, I just bought 20 gallons of Arrowhead distilled water, and will work on a rain-barrel system to capture water on the off chance that it ever rains again!

p.s. Thanks for the compliment on the pond...This is my fourth and last expansion, which also includes a small stream...I can't go any bigger without tearing down my house!

Pur Filtered water OK for Sarracenia?

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Pur Filtered water OK for Sarracenia?

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