Discover the secrets of rain water
As long as you live in an area that isn't subject to extremely acidic rain, rainwater is preferable because it's missing things like excessive minerals or disinfectant chemicals.
After the recent downpour of rain – where the plants didn’t get washed away or drown – it’s noticeable that our gardens and the whole town is looking hellish beautiful.
Many wonder what factors play a role in this. Is it the temperature of rain water, or is it the pressure at which it falls? Or it could even be the content of the rain water, has it got a secret ingredient tap water simply lacks?
Your tap water will have particular properties depending on where you live, the source of your water, and whether you have some sort of filtering system.
Rain water has a neutral pH. Tap water from the public system is generally considered ‘hard’ because it has a high mineral (calcium and/or magnesium) content. Rain water, in comparison, is softer than tap water and soaks in the ground deeper than a hose watering as people don’t water long enough to equal the soak of a good rain.
On top of that, there are particles picked up in the atmosphere by rain which supplies nutrients to the soil that tap water does not have.
It has been noted by avid gardeners, that continuous use of tap water on certain plants leads to the formation of white rings of calcium deposits sitting on the soil surface; this can change the chemical properties – such as the pH of the soil which can affect plant growth.
As long as you live in an area that isn’t subject to extremely acidic rain, rainwater is preferable because it’s missing things like excessive minerals or disinfectant chemicals.
Information sourced here.
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