Mounted water quality

[cakedaddy]

I have recently gotten some mounted plants that have probably never seen tap water. The grower suggest using ideal water only. Will soaking in tap and rinsing with pure immediately work?
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[Brutal_Dreamer]

Not to second guess the original grower, but unless your tap water is 'soft' water (soft water can introduce salts that can harm your orchid), I would just use it and see if there is a significant issue. I don't know if rinsing with a 'pure' water will make any difference, but, maybe like excess fertilizer can be 'rinsed' off, whatever negative that is found in your tap water can also be rinsed away. Good luck, Jason, and let us know how it goes.

cheers,
BD

[cakedaddy]

Thanks for your input Bruce...my assumption was that the grower suggests only ideal water to avoid salt buildup. They deal almost exclusively with mounted species plants, so drying out is almost guaranteed...(especially with me, being that I have no greenhouse or automated system). I think I will go for tap and rinsing...I am a chronic underfeeder anyway! I worry sometimes that I starve my babies, what with some in south facing windows being deprived of food and water! It's a small miracle that I don't panic over thoughts of virus when I see streaky or splotches on a Catt! These guys LOVE abuse it seems.
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[cdayinflorida]

Jason, I water all my mounted plants with tap water. I have several hundred vandas that I would consider mounted in some sort of form. I don't have any issues with the water quality and Florida is known for crappy water. I have a little bit of everything from Epi to zygos. The only plants that I water with RO is the Paphs that I recently acquired. And I was told that they HAD to be water as such.