Hello

[AntC]

I am a complete newbie as far as Carnivorous Plants are concerned and looking forward to learning from you all.  I was hoping to start off with a conversion to my existing patio pond in a water trough, by growing some CPs in lava stone but fear that the hard water in Essex will be an insurmountable problem.  I should install a rainwater collection system, but if the summers are going to be like this one, rainwater will be in short supply just when it's needed most.  However, my investigations have introduced me to these fascinating plants that at 78 years old, and with an allotment that is getting a bit much to cope with, could be an absorbing hobby.

Cheers

Ant

[Paul Lintern]

I use one of these reverse osmosis systems (they also come with a higher flow rate). It connects to my outside tap and produces 5 litres in approx 45 minutes.

https://www.finerfilters.co.uk/finerfilters-aquarium-3-stage-reverse-osmosis-unit-for-tropical-fish-marine-discus-50-gpd.html

[pirks]

Hello and welcome,

it’s surprising how much water you can catch from a greenhouse and lots of waterbutts  but ensure they have lids on them or the water will green very quickly

[AntC]

On 8/21/2022 at 10:30 PM, Paul Lintern said:

I use one of these reverse osmosis systems (they also come with a higher flow rate). It connects to my outside tap and produces 5 litres in approx 45 minutes.

https://www.finerfilters.co.uk/finerfilters-aquarium-3-stage-reverse-osmosis-unit-for-tropical-fish-marine-discus-50-gpd.html

I've been looking at these and wondering whether they actually work - or not, so your reply was assuring!  Thanks

[AntC]

On 8/21/2022 at 10:50 PM, pirks said:

Hello and welcome,

it’s surprising how much water you can catch from a greenhouse and lots of waterbutts  but ensure they have lids on them or the water will green very quickly

Thanks for your reply.  More of a courtyard than a garden, so the small shed doesn't yield much and is soon gone watering the ericaceous plants in pots.  As I intended to have native pond plants sharing the tank, I am unsure how they would get sufficient nutrients to survive, so I think that RO might be the way to go but with a small half barrel filled with Droseras and Seracenias growing in the lava planters.  These would be supported so that the water level only came up sufficiently to keep the plants moist with, hopefully, moss growing on the tops of the stones.

[Tropfrog]

Most of your native pond plants likes and need quite a lot of nutrients. Also most of them prefere a little higher hardness and PH than the CPs. Combining them with CPs may be a delicate balance for both of them.

If you want them to appear like they grow in the same system. Just build yourself a barrel filter, just using 3/4 of it as filter, seal the upper part and use for CPs. Then you can provide the pond plants with the buffer they need and keep the CPs in rain or RO water.

Adding a photo for you on my pond plants in bog filter. This kind of growth cannot happen without quite a lot of nutrients.

 

[AntC]

Thanks.  Your set-up looks wonderful and......big!

Great advice though and some more to think about.  I might be making this too complicated and tricky to pull off a natural look.