Rainwater!! ???

Ive heard rainwater is very good or even the best thing to water your plants with' and as i live in the uk where it's not always raining' but does rain quite often'.. like right now for instance which prompted me to post this'.. is it good' bad' clean even' ??????

in general rain water is clean and clear which is why some growers use it. It is usually ph neutral but doesn't always have to be. There are no minerals or trace elements in rain water which may or may not be a bad thing for you. Plants need things like copper and zinc just like people do, just not as much. Rain water does not have these things in there so as long as they are getting them somewhere else, then your ok. The reason people will use rain water is because they want more control over their crops and as such are willing to add back in any missing minerals. Are you willing to keep track of these things and add them back in as necessary? Rain water is like using distilled water.

When is rain water bad? If your near a large city then it's bad. All that smog and pollution sits in the air over cities. Then when the rain comes it gathers on the drops and alters the water. Acid rain is a common term used to describe bad rain water. It can be filed with lead, carbon, acids, anything that is emitted into the air can and will be collected into rain water. Well water is a better bet because it is filtered. Rain water needs to be filtered very well before using it.

I used rain water for a while too. Maybe it sat outside too long but it brought in tons of gnats. The tap water here is not the best (a bit hard) yet it still works fine. I personally would not use it (rain water) again so I'd have to advise against it too.

It only rains here when I don't have plants in the ground. The air is very clean where I'm at, but it only rains usually November- April.

I bet seedlings would like it.

Thanks for that bit of info' probably wont use rain water but as it rains a bit here figured id just ask'.. cheers

Is Rainwater Safe?

"Not so surprisingly there is a huge difference in hardness, calcium, and alkalinity between the well water and the rainwater. Well water typically drains from underground water tables and is normally stored in natural underground tanks; so it will slowly leach minerals and metals from the surrounding ground. Consequently, well water will generally have higher mineral and metal content depending on local soil conditions. In comparison, rain water will not have these issues, but may be adversely affected by local air pollution and debris in the rainwater catchment and conveyance areas (i.e. roof, gutters, downspouts, and pipes)."

Acid Rain
"Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles. About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition. The wind blows these acidic particles and gases onto buildings, cars, homes, and trees. Dry deposited gases and particles can also be washed from trees and other surfaces by rainstorms. When that happens, the runoff water adds those acids to the acid rain, making the combination more acidic than the falling rain alone."

very informative post. Thank you Rusty

I use evaporated hose water. Works just fine....