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I have well water which is high in mineral content. The phals seem to do okay with it at least so far and I use an orchid fertilizer formulated for well water. In looking at paph requirements, hard water seems to be a negative thing. How can I deal with hard water without installing an expensive RO system or buying distilled water?
I wish I had a definitive answer for you. I used distilled which I can find at a good price at a local supermarket. I will eventually invest in an RO system but for now this will have to do. Maybe a water filter like the Brita filters? I am not sure if they remove calcium and magnesium salts but I know they do filter lead and other things.
I have the same issue. I have moved away from s/h until I can improve my water quality. I try to regularly flush the media to wash away the salts. I pick out the pieces with visible build-up too and replace it. Also, paphs don't mind being repotted every year, so that can help too.
Water quality is very important for many of paph species. higher the TDS would mean that the fertilizer dosage would have to be lower and anyways paphs don't like to be fertilized too often. If RO is not an option then using rain water (if you can collect) or use RO water available in super markets
Back when I was into fish tanks both salt and fresh water until I got a RO system I used a product they sell for taking all of these minerals out of the water, it was safe for both fish and plants so I don't know why it would not be safe for orchids, it might be worth a try on this orchid.