Water and TDS

[Lord Vader]

Good evening everyone. I am just curious what is the maximum amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water that carnivorous plants can grow in? Some literature sources says 50 ppm, other between 50 and a 100 ppm.

 

[BigBella]

Good evening everyone. I am just curious what is the maximum amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water that carnivorous plants can grow in? Some literature sources says 50 ppm, other between 50 and a 100 ppm.

There are endless threads dealing with TDS; but the rule of thumb is generally 50 ppm or less; though Nepenthes seem far more tolerant of hard water than, say, Venus flytraps. I also know growers who use hard water for their Sarracenia; but they remain constantly flushed; and I have never had their luck, while duplicating that method . . .

 

[Grey Moss]

It depends on a lot of things. Whether your pots are drained, they get flushed regularly with rainwater, how often you plant to repot, ect. There are no hard rules with plants really. You need to draw a conclusion based off your own conditions.

 

[Lord Vader]

In summer they get rain water but at the moment it is dry so they get normal municipal water. This water has a TDS of 103 ppm. The plants look fine and I have been doing this for at least 2 years. Luckily no scale has build up yet which is a good sign. Even in stuff like kettles etc one can see scale/lime very fast which I dont see by the way.