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Experience with using (pure) rain water

O

OrganicLuv

New member
Dear friends!

Since I had some long time problems with my tap water (soil pH up) I just got inspired by reading about growers who praise using pure rain water.
Also there is a certain group of people who disadvice to do so.

Before I opened that thread I really searched for similar threads to avoid unnessecary conversations.
But all I found were those spongy pro and contra talks.

In this thread I'd like to ask all the organic growers who already had EXPERIENCE BY THEIR OWN.
Please don't feel offended if I ask you to NOT TELL US YOUR OPINION, but just if you did experience it.

1. What was the pH of the rain water?
2. EC?
3. Did you have lime/dolomite lime in your soil mix?
4. Did you mix tap water to the rain water?

I have saved some rain water for growing for the first time and I am really curious about the results.
If you are interested, I will publish the results here, when I am ready.

My rainwater(RW) pH ist around 7.7 with 0.0 EC

Since I got 11 seeds I will try:
- pure RW
- RW + TW(pH 7.3 & EC=0.6; high alcalinity) to get an EC around 0.2
- TW + RO, also to get an EC around 0.2

To all who don't know:
High pH and alcalinity does not mean the same.
you can find out your water alcalinity by checking out how fast the pH changes when mixing acid into it.
My rain water has a pH=7.7 but it will fall immediately when mixing acid into it while my TW (pH=7.3) will need much more acid to fall down. Means it buffers the pH much more.


THANKS for sharing your experience :)


O.Luv
 
O

OrganicLuv

New member
PS.
Please also give a short statement about the environment you living in (e.g. power plants, dirty environment, acidic rain...)
My environment is not the cleanest but not importantly dirty or polluted.
 
R

Ratzilla

Member
Veteran
Your English is better then most Americans.
LOL
I have been using rain water for years that runs off my roof and into a 55 gallon barrel.
I treat this water with some mosquito dunks (BTI) and run a air pump in it.
My rain pH @ 6.2 with a 0.0 EC
Being it is devoid of any minerals it's pH is easily moved.
I am not inclined to swing my rain pH.
I have a lot of calcium in my mix not so much Dolomite.
When I water with it I put a touch of a surfactant in it.
My choice is Yucca.
I don't mix tap with my rain water.
I live in a area that I think is pristine.
Ratz :tiphat:
 
O

OrganicLuv

New member
Ratzilla said:
Your English is better then most Americans.
LOL
I have been using rain water for years that runs off my roof and into a 55 gallon barrel.
I treat this water with some mosquito dunks (BTI) and run a air pump in it.
My rain pH @ 6.2 with a 0.0 EC
Being it is devoid of any minerals it's pH is easily moved.
I am not inclined to swing my rain pH.
I have a lot of calcium in my mix not so much Dolomite.
When I water with it I put a touch of a surfactant in it.
My choice is Yucca.
I don't mix tap with my rain water.
I live in a area that I think is pristine.
Ratz :tiphat:
Click to expand...


Hey Ratz!

THNX for your quick reply.
Did you have any bad experience BEFORE using surfactant, so that you got to notice that using it is a must?

I am sorry I don't know what you mean with "Yucca".
Just know this as a plant, the socalled Yucca plant.
How to use Yucca as a surfactant?

So Ratz, your results in the end are satisfying?
____

To all who might know:

Is there a difference between RW (EC 0) and RO ?
I just can't say why (chemically) but i guess there must be a hell of a difference.
I Think pure RO shocks the plants.
 
L

leet

Member
Rainwater is not 0 EC and so is not RO . There is something in both of them , rainwater because of environment and RO because of the RO membrane that can't produce 0 minerals., it needs to be packed with a DI. Generally and theoretically speaking, if the rainwater is pure and so is the RO+DI water they should be completely the same.

Why do you think RO shocks the plant and rainwater doesnt ?

OrganicLuv: Yucca is a plant where you can extract it and you get something like a gel which is the surfactant. I have used it also where in very dry areas the soil becomes hydrophobic and won't absorb the water anymore easily.
 
jammie

jammie

ganjatologist
Veteran
hey there organicluv- i used rainwater in my deep water culture/hydro grow for about 5 years till i got a new roof. then the ec shot up due to the chemicals they used in the shingles. before that i had a ph of 4.5-5.0 and a ppm of 40. you do have to clean your gutters because of the potential of molds and fungus getting into your water. it probably wouldn't matter much unless your doing hydroponics
 
SteadyDoesIt

SteadyDoesIt

Member
leet said:
Rainwater is not 0 EC and so is not RO . There is something in both of them , rainwater because of environment and RO because of the RO membrane that can't produce 0 minerals., it needs to be packed with a DI. Generally and theoretically speaking, if the rainwater is pure and so is the RO+DI water they should be completely the same.

Why do you think RO shocks the plant and rainwater doesnt ?

OrganicLuv: Yucca is a plant where you can extract it and you get something like a gel which is the surfactant. I have used it also where in very dry areas the soil becomes hydrophobic and won't absorb the water anymore easily.
Click to expand...


I use Ro water and rain water and see no difference.

Why spread false Information about Ro water ?
 
MJPassion

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I use RO+Tap in the winter & rain through the summer when I can collect it.

I had been avoiding using tap water due to the chlorine in it but I recently tested it & found my tap to be chlorine free. I don't think it's supposed to be but it is what it is. Yay for me. I mix tap 50/50 with RO to bring the TDS down to acceptable levels because I've got hard water.

I have not tested the rain water that I've used unless I make additions to it. The closest metropolitan area is about 300 miles downwind so I dont worry much about polution. I do experience dust storms occasionally so sometimes the rain collection barrel gets dirty & has a few extra colloidal minerals mixed in.
 
M

Magic M

New member
i have been using melted snow all winter. working great. i havent ph'd it but my plants are super happy & healthy.
 
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