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Rain vs Tap Water

15 years ago

So the past few years I have moved my pots in and out of the covered area of my porch to protect them from the afternoon rains. Sometimes two or three times a day. In the past when I have over-watered my plummies have rotted. With tap water that is. This year I'm not home as much and I have left my babies out in the open all day, and they are just as happy as can be. So, why is it that when one over waters with tap water they rot, but when they are left out and get rained on regularly they don't?

Lauri

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Comments (6)

lil_cali_gal
15 years ago
Lauri our tap water has LOTS of chemicals in it, some is hard, some is soft..... rain water is almost pure in comparison !! I refuse to drink the tap water here at my house or cook with it, it tastes & smells so nasty !! We even have traces of arsenic in ours here,I question taking a shower in it. There are so many chemicals in it to make it "safe" for consumption.

I wish we HAD SOME RAIN here.

Cali~
craftymama132001
15 years ago
Hi, Lauri, I use nothing but rain water on my plumies. In the winter time, people probably think I'm a fool because I'm putting snow in a big tub and letting it melt to keep my new seedlings watered throughout winter. lol We just got 4 1/2" of rain over the past 2 days, and none of my plumies outside are showing signs of stress. Can't explain it, but I know, like Cali, the chemicals in tap water can't be good for them. I don't drink our tap water either. I buy reverse osmosis water for drinking and cooking. Crafty
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Bringing in snow is a lot of work, because a huge heap of snow doesn't amount to much water. But, it does give you water, so I suppose you could do it. As for the pH of stored water, it stays the same. The carbonic acid that acidifies the water is bonded with the water molecules, keeping the pH low. Apparently this is an issue for some areas that filter & store rainwater for human consumption, because the pH is too low for constant use, assuming storage in a plastic tank. Metals will bring the pH back up, be it a metal storage tank, or copper pipes, etc. When it comes to nitrogen, I believe it is negligable to begin with, so it's not really something to stress over, because either way, you can't rely on the minute amount in rain water to do much of anything. As for getting a rain barrel, you're better off to get a 55g plastic barrel then to buy a "rain barrel". Check out classifieds or craigslist, because people have them all the time, usually selling them for 5 or 10 bucks. It's funny though how the eco-nuts want everyone to be green and use things like rain barrels, but then they just completely rip you off with the prices for the "green" things. I was at the Milwaukee Zoo yesterday and they were selling "rain barrels", which were nothing more than 55g drums from chemicals of some sort, for $50. These drums were from MMSD, which is the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. So they were basically selling used chemical barrels as rain barrels, and ripping people off with the price at the same time. So spends a little time looking around, because there are plastic 55g barrels available for cheap, or even free, all around. Joe
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TML, 1. Chlorine from water is not a problem. CL2 dissipates from tap water within a day and not harmful in the concentration in drinking water to plants. SWCs would be even less so. 2. Every foot of vertical height of water equals roughly 0.5 psi. So to push water 12 feet, you need 6 psi + 20%. Have the barrels raised on the 1st floor somehow. Otherwise a pump that produces 25 psi and what ever flow rate you need. Even rig up the pump to come on when the water level in the SWC gets to a certain level. JMHO Aloha
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Most rainwater is better for plants than public water. Kt
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Joe - I live in the same area as you and we aren't remotely near needing to water the lawns with all this rain. To answer your question, if it rains more than the recommended "deep and infrequent" then there's nothing you can do. If mother nature wants to try and sprout all your weed seeds with a lot of rain, all you can do is make sure you have thick, healthy grass and mow high. jc411 brought up an interesting point I hadn't considered about a year ago. He asked why it seems that grass responds better to rainwater than to water from the tap. The discussion lead to the idea that rainwater is saturated with nitrogen from the atmosphere, so it is like getting a little jolt of foliar nitrogen application with each rain.
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kevabear
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the info. I don't drink tap water either, ick. Usually do use it for cooking though, I figure what ever is in it will boil away. Maybe I should rethink that.
I have a rain barrel now and tend to use that when I water my plants. Haven't had it very long and the ones I rotted weren't from using that water. And Crafty, I think the snow in a tub is an excellent idea! We go months here without a drop of rain. Snow would be a nice option.
Arsenic in the water! I wonder why. Think I'd have to grab a bar of soap, strip down, and go jump in the ocean...
Lauri
wtay0001
15 years ago
I live in Malaysia. Our tape water is clean but I saw the difference btw rain and tape. During hot season, if you water using tape water, the grass is not lively. One the contrary, few hours of rain, the grass next day is both lively and grossy. I always believe rain is better.
pikeman
15 years ago
I'm in Central TX and have had no problem with any root-rot. I've made sure my soil is free from clay or anything that would hold water and have big drains in the containers. It gets so hot here that I've been watering regularly (2x a week)with city water. I use lots of Medina Hasta Grow in the water, so that helps.
I'd consider changing out your soil with some cactus mix so your roots don't get so wet.
We have not had any decent rain for going on four months now.
kevabear
Original Author
15 years ago
I do have a good mix of perlite, cactus, and potting soil, with lots of holes for drainage. Definitely no clay. It's very humid here, different than the dry heat in TX. I think that probably makes a difference. Thanks for the words of wisdom.
Lauri

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