rainwater, good or bad??

[pinhead666]

can anyone tell me if rainwater good or bad for the plants ? its PH 0 by natures right !!

pinhead666 Reviewed by pinhead666 on 08-23-2007. rainwater, good or bad?? can anyone tell me if rainwater good or bad for the plants ? its PH 0 by natures right !! Rating: 5

[ghosty]

unless you got acid rain your area, which can happen

[IThinkIamFeelingit]

We have acid rain everynight where I live. I just stick my tongue out and catch as many as I can.

[THClord]

rainwater is normally neutral which means it has a pH of 7

It is good, but since it is entirely pure, it will have no mineral contents. If your plants only get rainwater you'll have to add fertilizer.

Really you shouldn't worry if it's rainwater or tapwater. They're about the same. Just make sure it isn't overwatered or underwatered.


This is what any plant in nature needs:

1. Water (doesn't matter what water as long as it isn't poisined)
2. minerals (fertilizers are almost pure minerals)
3. carbon-dioxide (atmosphere usually has enough)
4. light (sunlight is the best, but good artificial lighting will do)

[Oneironaut]

Yeah, despite what the bottled water companies are trying to convince us, there's nothing wrong with tap water. The government invests a LOT of time and effort into making sure our drinking water is pure and has the right pH. If you don't believe me, just take a visit to your local water treatment center. I'm sure they'd be happy to explain to you everything about the process (the general public usually shows very little interest in this vital service for our communities). Be thankful that you live in an industrialized nation that has the kind of resources to ensure that the drinking water is pure and safe, and don't be afraid to take advantage of that.

[OLDE ENGLISH '800]

didnt you hear on the news not too long ago that major bottled water companies were using tap water

[Oneironaut]

Yeah, that's not news to me. I learned that years ago by watching this hilarious episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and I've been pointing it out to people ever since. It usually says right on the bottle what municipal water supply the bottled water comes from.
[YOUTUBE]XfPAjUvvnIc[/YOUTUBE]

[Narf!]

5 gallons of rainwater + 1 tsp lime + 1 multivitamin = good for your plants.

[the image reaper]

some bad info in this thread so far ... first, 'the government' does NOT adjust pH in tapwater ... I worked for a City Water Works for 3 years, we did NOT adjust pH, nor did it even concern us, our job was to prevent bacteria and contaminants ... my present city tapwater pH's at 4.5, VERY acidic ... and, it is made even MORE acidic, after passing thru my Reverse-Osmosis filters ... (RO removes the lime/calcium, further acidifying the water) ...
rainwater is basically distilled water, but picks up some pollutants, minerals etc on the way down ... rainwater will keep the plants alive, obviously, but there are better sources ... well-water tends to be the best, IF the pH is OK ... I found a natural spring a few miles away, pHs at 6.7, so I'm all set, finally ... if no other sources, just set your tapwater out for a couple days, so the chlorine will evaporate, and use that (chlorine doesn't hurt the plant, but it kills beneficial organisms in the soil) good growing :thumbsup: ... :jointsmile:

[CJP123THC]

they add chlorine in tap water from what i know and other things to keeps city water bacteria free i just collect rainwater or let tapwater sit out for a few days kuz i hear it naturally removes chlorine idk