Is distilled water okay all the time?

[Cinderella]

It has not rained for 10,000 years so I have been unable to collect any meaningful rainwater. Is it okay to use distilled water for Paphs and Phrags an extended period (with fertilizer)? I don't have a RO system.

 

[NYEric]

R.O. water is just an alternative to heat distilled water. That's all I use on my plants. If you have to buy distilled water it will be cheaper to get an R.O. system. [for me after about 4 weeks]

 

[goldenrose]

Nothing wrong using distilled with fertilizer, as far as I'm concerned. As Eric pointed out an R.O. system might be a consideration depending on how many plants you have.

 

[TheLorax]

I have an RO/DI system. I have disabled the DI phase because I really don't need it and it was creating far too much waste water. I collect rain water but have run out all too many times to count. We just don't seem to get enough rain to stock up and then when the skies do open and there's a deluge... seems as if I'm not around to capitalize on the event. I've resorted to using the RO system I have but I can't always count on it because I am on a well and one does need a decent amount of pressure to run an RO system. The water pressure of my well fluctuates and there have been times that I could not eek out but a gallon of RO water in a 24 hour period of time yet there have been other times that I was able to get 10 gallons of water in the same time frame. Lack of adequate water pressure has resulted in me having to lug not 5-10 gallons of distilled water home but 50 to 100 gallons of water often times wiping out the shelves at several big box stores. I'm not a big person and loading the car and then unloading the car and hauling the water in the house is a big pain in the rear for me. It gets old real quick and isn't exactly the type of physical workout I want. Collecting rain water diverted into a barrel from a downspout can help but the RO system is probably your best bet if you are on city water or if you have a well that has enough pressure for the equipment to run properly.

One thing about distilled water, be careful that what you are buying isn't calcium fortified or that fluoride hasn't been added. Why they do that to distilled water is beyond me.

 

[the jive turkey]

TheLorax = you can get a booster pump to raise the pressure like one here http://www.spectrapure.com/St_kits_p3.htm
(I don't use well water and so have no experience using those pumps..)

 

[TheLorax]

Yes, we've got a booster pump. When your water pressure is down around 35, not much helps. I think my husband mentioned that 65 and above was optimal for the RO to run effectively.

When I was really desperate, I used to take a 44 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck to work and hook up my RO to the janitor's sinks and I could get about 5 gallons to take home with me the following night.