Marguerite wrote > Thanks to all of you who offered thoughts on this topic. I was actually > researching for two places: my brother whose (desert location) well is > alkaline and who has a number of gorgeous camelias, begonias and a few > epiphyllums. He's the one who will be adding the filter system to the > line going into his shadehouse. Oh! I haven't grown camellias, but begonias and epiphyllum hybrids aren't that particular about desert water and soils. There may be some tip burn on some of the Rex type begonias but the epis aren't bothered by hard/alkaline water. The problem is the summer temperatures. I wouldn't spend the money filtering the water for those plants - I'd spend it on a cooling system for summer nights. Leo Martin Phoenix Arizona USA