Please help. Should I chlorinate my rain water?
Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
5 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (16)
arthurm2015
5 years agoJames _J
5 years agoRelated Discussions
rain barrel watering question - need help
Comments (28)Amazing statement, that the system is near free. Here is what I see at my site: 1) house has a footprint of about 1300 sqft, but two of the six gutters are devoted to ostrich fern, a high water perennial. So is half the detached garage (to hardy kiwi), which has no gutters anyway. I have 1000 sqft to conserve into 2200 sqft of garden. None of this water runs off, it all percolates into the ground and supports trees and the water table. 2) Need to replace gutter covers, because they stop leaves, but let in elm seeds. It is also a Cape Cod, with nooks and crannies in the roof where stuff congregates, decays and washes off. Things are much better now, since the ash trees died (also purveyors of small seeds), and I cut five spruce. No way to filter all that junk while tons of water are washing into the barrels. That will be quite a penny. Just to give you an idea, where my driveway empties into the lawn, I have to shovel elm seeds with a snow shovel in season. 3) The facility (18 barrels) weighs a lot more than the garage, probably half the house. It needs its own concrete foundation, and good retainment. I am guessing it needs 150 ft of 4X4 and 300 ft of 2X4, plus bolts, etc. I cannot build it near the house or the city will get me. In the back of the garage, I need a nice 5 inches pipe (at least, it has to collect all the rain of 1000 ft during a rainstorm) running 60 ft through the lawn, at a slope of 1 inch per foot, with some nice posts in the middle of the lawn which I will bless every time I have to mow. The barrels may be free (I never found them, and I have two, each of which I paid $10), but I still have to take delivery, or make nine car trips (plus all the trips for the wood). That is no money? My barrels come from 27 miles out. 4) The braising of the plastic barrels. I have no tools, and no one I know has them. They cost, and probably a couple of barrels will be lost. Now, to get into the 21 beds, I need 1500 ft of PVC, and probably 100 connectors and 100 elbows. If the system is to be done right, the end caps must be removable at the end of the season to flush the lines. I need valves in many places, because in August the tomatoes need zero water, and the celery, 2 inches a week. 5) we are left with the simple matter of drilling holes. Perhaps as few as 2000 (but in beds with carrots or lettuce, you need many more), but because they are drilled, their overall area exceeds the area of the PVC, unlike, say, in drip irrigation. That means the system loses pressure quickly, and the far beds get a lot less water. And all this to save water that is insufficient, irregular in its supply, and ecologically clean but technically dirty. It has the appeal of being in liquid form, but there is a lot more of it being lost to evaporation (and mulch really is free). It is water I would never put in my drip system, and a drip system, also, is something that truly saves water, and can be put in in a couple of days of work, and it saves water whether it rains or not....See MoreShould I water my melons or not?
Comments (9)Gamebird, Watermelons give subtle ripeness clues, although some varieties give better clues than others. The tendral that's closest on the vine to the watermelon turns brown and dries when the melon is ripe. The color on the underside of the melon that touches the ground turns a dull, creamy yellow color and, with some melons, it gets a slightly rough texture. Also, once you've grown a particular variety and know how large it tends to get in your soil and your conditions, then the size of the melon is also a clue because a melon is not likely to be ripe if it weights 15 lbs. and the standard melon for that plant is 25-30 lbs. Finally, when you thump a ripe melon, it makes more of a hollow, dull sound whereas an unripe melon makes a sharper, ringing sound. I don't pick a watermelon until it meets all 4 criteria--the size has to be right for that variety, the underside a creamy-yellow and often roughly textured, the tendral dried and the thumping sound. If a melon only meets 1 or 2 of the criteria, it is ripening but not fully ripe. However, if it meets all 4 criteria, it never fails to be ripe. With muskmelons (generally called cantaloupes in this country although they are not true cantaloupes), you have to check daily because they can go from "not quite ripe" to "ripe" overnight. With many of them, the aroma is a dead giveaway. Also, the abscission layer at the stem will crack and you can gently tug at the melon. Once the abscission layer is about 75% separated from the vine, the melon is ripe and separates from the vine with only the gentlest tug. If you use a more forecible tug to yank a melon off the vine when the abscission layer is only about 50% cracked, the melon will not be as good as if you left it on the vine until it is at full slip (75% to almost 100% cracked). Other melons like true cantaloupes and inodorus (like canary, casaba and crenshaw melons) are harder to judge. With some of them, there is a color change that is very obvious although it is hard to know what to look for the first time you grow a particular melon. Collective Farm Woman is a very dark green as it grows, for example, but turns a deep golden yellow as it ripens. Different melons may exhibit more subtle changes as the primary color takes on a hue that changes from a gray or greenish color to one that is more brown or yellow. Melons that are in the reticulatas family and have a more netted appearance will get increasing amounts of netting as they ripen. The more coarse the netting and the more widespread it is on the melon, the better the flavor. Most netted melons get softer as they get riper too. Among the hardest to judge in terms of ripeness are the melons of the inodorus type like crenshaw, canary and casaba melons. They also tend to have a very long DTM. These melons don't have any netting to judge them by, they lack smell until after they've been cut open, they don't get softer, etc. With them, you'll have to go more by the DTM and very subtle clues like the most subtle of color changes and the appearance of tiny cracks in the rind. Hope this info helps. Dawn...See Morehelp ! first fill and dirty well water ? please plese please help
Comments (8)tilleys26, Jack's magic will work well to keep the iron in solution. I would suggest that you use a filter aid in your sand filter. This will help the filter hold the fine particles that it is unable to catch. Don't worry about the chlorine until you get the water cleared up. Sand filters work fine once the water is clear. DE filters work much more quickly to clear the water. Go to a pool store and ask about a filter aid to add to your sand filter. Be patient and continue to filter 20+ hours a day until it is clear. Water trucks generally have iron tanks. You may have traded one iron source for another. As the water starts to clear you can start raising the alkalinity and calcium hardness. Good luck....See MoreHow should I cut or prune my Shefflera? please help
Comments (6)You have a lot of options to consider, but IS getting pretty late to chop it back hard or do any serious pruning. I mean, you really don't want to remove all the plant's food-making factories (leaves) just as it's about to take a break for the winter. Where you live has an impact on what your realistic present time options are, so maybe we should find that out at this point & then figure out what to do/ what you can do. Adding your zone and state or city/state to your user info will help others give you the most specific advice, so you might consider that option. Al...See Moretsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
5 years agosuzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
5 years agoPaul MI
5 years agowestoh Z6
5 years agodbarron
5 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agowestoh Z6
5 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
5 years ago
Related Stories
GREEN BUILDINGJust Add Water: Rain Barrel Magic
Take your rainwater storage from practical to beautiful with a new breed of design-friendly rain barrels
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES8 Unthirsty Plants Help You Save Water in Style
Spend less effort and money on your landscape with drought-tolerant and native plants that liven up your yard
Full StoryENTRYWAYSHelp! What Color Should I Paint My Front Door?
We come to the rescue of three Houzzers, offering color palette options for the front door, trim and siding
Full StoryFUN HOUZZEverything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey
Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5
Full StoryFEEL-GOOD HOMEFeel-Good Home: Water, Water, Everywhere
You can mindfully introduce water features into your landscape no matter the size of your yard
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Silphium Perfoliatum Pleases Wildlife
Cup plant provides structure, cover, food and water to help attract and sustain wildlife in the eastern North American garden
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGModern Design Captures Valuable Rain
Instead of letting a precious natural resource trickle away, these architectural features make the most of it
Full StoryDISASTER PREP & RECOVERYRemodeling After Water Damage: Tips From a Homeowner Who Did It
Learn the crucial steps and coping mechanisms that can help when flooding strikes your home
Full StoryCONTAINER GARDENSContainer Garden Basics: How and When to Water Potted Plants
Confused about soil moisture, the best time to water and what watering device to use? This guide can help
Full Story
dbarron