Question
Hi, i was just wondering if it was okay to give my sarracenia purpurea water that has been filtrated through brita?

thanks

Answer
Hi Danny,

Yes and no.  Brita is a carbon filter, so it filters out only large molecules, such as chlorine, heavy metals, and organic material.  However, it doesn't remove trace minerals such as calcium and magnesium.  These minerals have an adverse effect with carnivorous plants.

Ideally the water should be 50 parts per million or less in dissolved minerals.  So if you know that the carbon filtered water is low in minerals then it'll be safe to use with your carnivorous plants.  You can test your water with water hardness test kits, which you can get at any aquarium supply store.

The only filtration methods that remove all minerals from water are distillation and reverse-osmosis.  These filtration methods can be expensive for the average grower, so we recommend getting it bottled.  Look for the phrase "distilled water" on the bottle and you should be fine.  Avoid spring water since they are technically not filtered water and may contain high levels of minerals.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin