vandenberg
Elite Nomad
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Plant care question
A while back I asked a question about watering plants (house) with A/C condensation water. Never got a satisfying answer. For a long time we thought
there was something wrong with the soil and had our garden soil replaced 3 times. A good size job, involving a 4 yard dumptruck.
Every time the better half started a garden the seeds would sprout, grow vigorously for maybe a month and then the plants started to look sad and
eventually die. Houseplants,even with tender care ( sing and play music  ) would
just sit there, not dying, but also not growing. Although some showed signs of croaking in the near future.
Had a brainstorm, and decided to try watering with bottled water, and lo and behold, they showed drastic improvement.
Now, since we have gallons of water coming of our A/C's daily, my question is, does this water contain any salt, since it's condensed out of the
moisture in our very salty environment. With all the new Nomads joining lately, maybe there's one who has a similar experience.
I have more then a hundred houseplants bordering my upstairs back patio. A necessity to keep my almost blind 15 year old Lhasa of falling to the
concrete below, a feat he managed last year with no ill effects. A fall of 13 feet folks, a miracle indeed.
Any "knowledgable " answer appreciated.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by vandenberg
Any "knowledgable" answer appreciated. |
What do you mean, Ed? You arn't in the mood far any paraquat jokes?
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vandenberg
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by vandenberg
Any "knowledgable" answer appreciated. |
What do you mean, Ed? You arn't in the mood far any paraquat jokes? |
Dennis,
I had one clown on "BlurtIt", a help forum, suggest that if the water came from a dehumidifier, it may contain salt and other minerals, but since it
came off the A/C motor, of all things  , it would not contain salt.
Funny that I can't get a straight answer anywhere. Doesn't seem that complicated.
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bajaguy
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Seems to me your test results look like it's the water. Did you try putting a drop or two on your tongue????
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Mango
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I would think it would be free from salt. One way to tell for sure is to get some Ph test strips from a pool or farm supply store.
I looked for some "knowledgeable" scientific answer for you... but my brain started hurting after reading various papers about water vapor, etc...
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vandenberg
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Seems to me your test results look like it's the water. Did you try putting a drop or two on your tongue???? |
Tried that and also dry it on a glass plate.
Can't tell, which means probably that it's alright.
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vandenberg
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mango
I would think it would be free from salt. One way to tell for sure is to get some Ph test strips from a pool or farm supply store.
: |
Could you recommend one here in Loreto
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Bruce R Leech
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vandenberg go ahead and use the A.C. water for your plants they will do good on it. just dont drink the water your self.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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fulano
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The A/C condensate water should be fine for the plants. Your problem is the salt content in the public water supply. It builds up in the soil from
evaporation. Even where I live in San Diego County, there are certain plants we cannot grow. Avocados won't grow on city water because they are very
salt intolerant and the supply is mainly Colorado river water, which is high in salts.
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Woooosh
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All good points. Latent salt in the air attaches to plant leaves and inevitably ends up in the soil when you water. Distilled water (from
dehumidifiers and air conditioners) does not contain any trace elements and is not good for pets or plants (I just dump mine out into the pool). You
should look into a soil de-salting product as other posters have indicated. The one I use is "Plants Choice Soil Salt Remover" which I got at
Anderson's Nursery in San Diego. You mix with water and apply. You might also try sprinkling coffee grounds on the soil as a stopgap measure.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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