Ever since I started my vast collection of orchids, and maintaining my collection of houseplants, I have just been using the water that comes from our tap with fertilizer occasionally mixed in, to water all of my plants. After attending some Orchid Society meetings and talking with others, I decided to see how our water rated as far as PH, Hardness and minerals go.
As plant enthusiasts, we talk a lot about light, humidity and the perfect potting medium, but we rarely seem to think about the quality of our water and how it can affect our plants. We all think water is just water, right? That's what I thought for the longest time.
To give you a little background on my setup: when our house was originally built, it relied entirely on well water. Eventually, the municipal lines moved into our area, and we switched over to city water for our everyday use. However, we decided to keep the well active as a supplement. For a long time, the well was just "there," but as my collection grew, I started wondering if I was sitting on a hidden resource... or a hidden problem. This led me to my kitchen counter with a water testing kit and a mission to see which faucet my orchids actually preferred.
I went on Amazon and got a 16-1 testing kit: Varify 17in1 Complete Drinking Water Test Kit - 100 Strips + 2 Bacteria Tester Kits and decided to run a couple of tests on our water to see what the results would be.
I started the test with our tap water.
(As a side note: The colors on the test strips don't always convey accurately in the photos, but they were very distinct in person!)
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| Tap/City Water Only Results |
My tap water clocked in at 6.5, which is just slightly acidic. In the orchid world, this is the "sweet spot." If your water is too alkaline (high pH), the plant literally cannot "unlock" nutrients like iron or phosphorus. It doesn’t matter how much expensive fertilizer you buy, if the pH is off, the plant is essentially sitting at a banquet with its mouth taped shut. But the pH doesn't act alone, it’s heavily influenced by the Alkalinity, which is essentially the water’s "stubbornness" or its resistance to change. Because my tap water has a low alkalinity of around 40 ppm, it’s incredibly easy to work with. It doesn’t have a strong "buffer" to fight back when I add my MSU fertilizer. Since that fertilizer is naturally acidic, the water just steps aside and lets the pH slide down to that perfect 5.8 or 6.0 range where orchids really thrive.
This same easy-going nature extends to the Hardness of the water too. Since it’s sitting at a very soft 25 ppm, there aren't many dissolved minerals like calcium or magnesium hitching a ride. This is a huge win for my 54 orchids because "hard" water is what causes that crusty, white buildup you see on bark and terracotta pots over time. Without that mineral grit, the roots stay clean and porous, meaning they can actually breathe and soak up moisture instead of being slowly smothered by salt deposits.
When you look at all three together, this tap water acts as a "blank slate." Because it’s soft and lacks that stubborn alkalinity, it stays out of the way and lets the fertilizer do the heavy lifting, giving me a predictable, low-stress starting point for the whole collection.
The "Wild Card:" Well Water Results
This is where the story gets interesting and a little bit complicated. If my tap water was a "blank slate," the Well Water is a full-blown science experiment.
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| Well Water Only Results |
When I dipped the well strip, the colors didn't just change; they intensified. The first thing that jumped out at me was the pH, which dropped down to around 6.0. While that sounds great on paper because it’s slightly more acidic, it’s actually being driven by a much higher alkalinity. My well water is significantly more "stubborn" than the tap, meaning it has a much stronger buffer. It’s going to take a lot more effort (and more acidic fertilizer) to budge that pH if it’s not exactly where I want it.
But the real "villain" of the well water story is the hardness. The strip turned a deep, dark purple, indicating a jump from the tap's 25 ppm to somewhere north of 150-200 ppm. This is "hard" water in the truest sense, packed with dissolved calcium and magnesium. For my houseplants, this might just mean a bit of extra mineral nutrition, but for my orchids, it’s a red flag. That level of hardness is what creates those stony white deposits that suffocate roots and permanently stain terracotta pots.
The well water also showed some "character" in the other pads, specifically a slight bump in iron and copper. While trace amounts are fine, using this raw well water exclusively would be like putting my orchids on a high-mineral diet they never asked for. It’s a nutrient-rich source, sure, but it’s "heavy" in a way that can quickly lead to salt buildup and root burn if I'm not careful. It’s the polar opposite of the easy-going tap water, and it’s the reason why my 50/50 mixing strategy suddenly felt like a stroke of genius.
The "Goldilocks" Solution: Well/Tap Mix Results
This final strip, the mixed (W/T) water really brings the whole experiment together. It’s the "Goldilocks" solution that shows how we can take two imperfect water sources and create something much more balanced for our plants. While the tap water was a bit of an empty slate and the well water was a mineral-heavy "wild card," the mix lands right in that sweet spot where everyone is happy.
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| Well/Tap(City) water test results |
As I looked at the colors on this strip, it was clear that the "easy-going" tap water had successfully calmed down the "stubborn" well water. The pH sits comfortably around 6.5, but unlike the raw well water, the Alkalinity has been diluted down to a much more manageable level. This is huge for my fertilizing routine; it means the water still has enough mineral body to support my MSU Well Water formula, but it won't fight me when the fertilizer tries to pull that pH down into the ideal orchid feeding range.
The biggest win, though, is in the Hardness. By cutting the well water with tap, I’ve brought those dark purple minerals down to a moderate level, roughly 75 to 100 ppm. It’s still providing some of that natural calcium and magnesium my houseplants love, but it’s no longer at the "danger zone" levels that cause that suffocating white crust on my orchid roots.
Essentially, this mix gives me the best of both worlds. It has enough mineral "backbone" to keep the water stable, but it’s clean enough to keep my 54 orchids from feeling like they’re living in a salt mine. It turns out that the secret to my watering routine wasn't picking one source over the other, it was finding the balance where the chemistry of both works for me, instead of against me.
What’s Next?
Before you rush out to try a 50/50 mix, there’s one big caveat: water is local. The results I found on my kitchen counter are specific to my house and my city’s infrastructure. Your tap water might be pulled from a different aquifer, and well water can vary wildly from one mile to the next. If you’re serious about your collection, don’t take my numbers as gospel for your own plants. Spending a few dollars on a test kit is the only way to know for sure what you, your orchids (and houseplants) are actually drinking.
Final Pro Tips for Your Watering Routine
Once you know your numbers, here are a few "house rules" I’ve adopted for my orchid collection:
The Overnight Trick: If you use city water, try filling your cans the night before. This lets any chlorine dissipate and allows the water to reach room temperature. Orchids hate "cold feet," and a sudden blast of chilly water can shock their sensitive tropical roots.
Know Your "Divas": Not all orchids are created equal. While my Cattleyas are pretty tough, my Phragmipediums are notorious salt-snobs. For those sensitive "divas," I stick strictly to the soft tap water to avoid leaf-tip burn.
The Monthly Flush: Even with a perfect mix, minerals can still build up in the bark over time. Once a month, I give everyone a "clear water" day. I skip the fertilizer entirely and run plain tap water through the pots for a minute to wash away any residual salts.
The Fertilizer Match: Remember that fertilizers are tools. I use the MSU Well Water formula because it’s designed to work with the minerals in my well water. If you use 100% rainwater or distilled water, you’d actually need to switch to a "Pure Water" formula to ensure your plants aren't missing out on essential Calcium and Magnesium.
At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to do right by our plants. Whether you’ve got one Phalaenopsis on a windowsill or a dedicated room for 50+ specimens, understanding the "why" behind your watering can makes the hobby that much more rewarding.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you ever tested your water, or do you have a specific "cocktail" that your orchids swear by? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for my next update when I finally add the fertilizer to the mix!
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