Extreme Hard Water (2770 ppm) Kills Carnivorous Plants – Even RO May Not Save Them

A West Texas grower using RO-filtered water (source: 2770 ppm!) still saw blackening traps on VFTs and pitchers on Sarracenia. The math: **90-98% removal still leaves 55-277 ppm** – far above the 50 ppm safe limit.

Immediate Solutions

• Switch to **bottled distilled water** (grocery store refill stations are cheapest).
• Test filtered water – if >50 ppm TDS, RO isn't enough.
• Repot all plants in fresh, fertilizer-free peat/perlite.

Why It Matters

Mineral buildup mimics fertilizer burn: blackening new growth, dead pitchers, root death. Tannins from peat can skew TDS readings, but 2770 ppm source water is a definitive hazard.

Don't guess – test your output water or buy distilled.