high copper in water

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by fairybell, Feb 22, 2012.

  1. fairybell

    fairybell Member

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    Location:
    Aldergrove/Langley B.C.
    We have a very high concentrate of Copper in our well water this wintere.I alo have Aquariums that I use a product called Prime to detoxify the heavy metals in the water.What I was wondering can I use Prime in the water I use to water my houseplants & Orchids?
    My Orchids have not been producing any flowers but they have been producing new leaves.Is it because of the copper in the water?? They are in a cool spot in the basement with flourescent grow lights ..normally I have one in bloom most of the time.I have 22 Orchids & have even producted 2 Keikis which one has bloomed.I'm really worried about the copper in the water so any info would be much appreciated.

    Thank you
     
  2. Furballs

    Furballs Active Member

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    Mississauga, Ont. Canada, zone 6
    If you can drink that well water, it is not likely it has enough copper to affect most plants, unless you have been using a lot of copper based fungicides, perhaps, which I would doubt. Your orchids likely are just taking a break, or perhaps they want a bit higher temperature, if their usual spot has been colder than usual. But if you have been getting spikes and keikis, I would not think water is the problem. For aquaria it is quite different, as many water creatures are extremely sensitive to metals, copper in particular. Invertebrates can't tolerate it at all. If the plants are growing, and you say they are, I would not worry. Plants do vary in frequency of flowering and it's not that unusual for them to take a break from production. Do you feed them ? Most like to be fed, does not have to be special orchid fertilizer, any balanced formula will do, but make it half or quarter strength,because most labels tell you to make it a bit too strong. They want to sell more fertilizer, after all.
     
  3. fairybell

    fairybell Member

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    thank you I feel much better now.I will give them some Miracle-Gro..I was giving them Mir-Acid but was told as they are already in bark they probably don't need anymore acidity added so I'll just use the regular Miriacle-Gro.
     
  4. Furballs

    Furballs Active Member

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    Glad to help. I'm not aware of orchids needing acidic fertilizers.. but then, I'm far from being an expert on them. But I've attended a number of lectures on orchid culture and none said anything about acidic fertilizers being needed.I talked to a professional grower once and he told me it was a waste of money buying special orchid fertilizers, and that any balanced formula would do fine, so that's what I've used ever since. Usually Miracid is used for things like rhododendrons, and other acid loving garden plants. I just potted half a dozen Phals using something new.. it's a compressed brick of coconut husk fibre and shell chips. Similar to coir, but much coarser, and it is pretty close to being PH neutral. I will be interested to see how the plants do in it, but I honestly don't think it matters a great deal, at least not for most epiphytes. For terrestrials, it might matter a lot more. Good luck with your plants.. it sounds like you have a nice setup for them.
     
  5. fairybell

    fairybell Member

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    Miracid says on the box that it is for Orchids that's why I was using it,but I think I'll stick to just regular Miracle-Gro from now on.I'm having a hard time here finding growing medium for the Orchids...the moss here is horrible & as for the Orchid mix by Miracle-gro I don't like it at all.Most of the Orchid places around here have closed down so buying supplies is really limited.You can't find orchid pots anywhere so I've had to use my imagination with a few of my plants.I did find a couple pots from my Koi Dealer..they have worked pretty good but trying to find more is a little tough plus the size is a problem too.I'm always on the look out for them...kind of like a quest which can be fun.

    We have a lot & I mean a lot of moss in our lawn so I've thought I might try using it but the only thing I'm worried about is bringing in bugs.So I will have to think of a way to clean it first..then pick an Orchid to use as my victim.Like I said the moss you buy here is awful & not very clean as they sell it for the moss baskets so why not try my own which I know hasn't any chemicals in it.

    I'm feeling better about using our water now.I still don't like the idea that we have high Copper in our water but maybe with all the rain we get that it will get better with time...I hope!!

    Thanks for your help..
     
  6. Furballs

    Furballs Active Member

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    My box of Miracid must be truly ancient then, assuming it's even the same product.. it says it's for rhododendrons etc.... come to think, it's probably been around for more than 30 years.. cause i don't use it. Just sitting in the corner of the 'plant stuff' shelf. Probably a solid rock by now :-). Too bad about the moss situation, both the yard and the orchid kind. I guess one advantage of living in a large city, despite the polluted air, is that most things are available. Not always as close as you'd like, but that beats not being able to find things at all. If you grew bonsai at least you'd be able to find moss to dress the pots. I have to admit, I kind of like the way it looks, even though I know it's not exactly the best thing to have lots of. Friends of mine used to live in an ancient rented farm house, and the roof had huge clumps of moss growing on it, as did the yard, the tree trunks, even stone & bricks lying in the corner yard. It was oddly attractive in a damp, green way, but of course, the dampness was eating the roof too. They eventually managed to move, and the house has since collapsed and been taken away.
     
  7. Furballs

    Furballs Active Member

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    Umm, just a thought. If you wanted, and could afford it, I could easily mail you some packages of moss. I can get nice sphagnum moss here, no problem. I am not sure exactly of price, the last bag I got has no tag and I don't have the receipt, but I can check if you like. It doesn't weigh much, so shipping shouldn't be too ghastly high. Let me know, I'd be pleased to help out.
     
  8. fairybell

    fairybell Member

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    Thanks for the offer but I'm on a real limited budget so I think I'm going to try my own moss to see how that goes first.I might take you up on the offer later though.I'll give my moss a real good cleaning with plain water to get the dirt & bugs out...who knows it might work out great for me....maybe start my own business? LOL I could real clean up the lawns around here.
    Thanks again
    Sherry
     
  9. Furballs

    Furballs Active Member

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    No problem.. good luck !
     

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