Does filtered city water = happy maples?

Discussion in 'Maples' started by JT1, Jun 4, 2013.

  1. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    Euclid, OH USA
    Last fall, my wife started to pay attention to all the stuff that's in city water, and it's more than just chlorine. Now the city and all the Government agencies assure us that the water is safe (In fact Cleveland has some pretty good water as far as city water is concerned). But it didn't stop her from looking at distilled water suppliers for home delivery. Before getting into all of that, I decided to do some extensive research and after all things considered, I thought it made sense to invest in a whole home filtration system. After two huge 20" big blue filter housings containing a 1 micron pleated filter and a .5 micron charcoal filter for the whole house, and a downstream dedicated filtration system that takes out pages and pages of stuff for a dedicated drinking water tap; we ended up with some great water.

    Now that we entered our first growing season with filtered water being used to water the landscape and bonsai, I have to say that things are growing very well. We started off with a dry Spring and the maples, conifers, etc. all seemed to get nice healthy growth. My bonsai are doing better than ever.

    In the past, I noticed city water would just maintain the landscape plants and bonsai, they never seemed to like it much, but it was better than drying up and dying.

    I feel rain water is probably best, but it only goes so far in a dry spell before your reserves run out. But I have to say my filtered water is a close second.

    Has anyone ever played around with water quality and its effect on plant growth and health? It's possible that the plants are doing better, just because, and the filtered water has nothing to do with it.

    What are your thoughts? Does filtered water, removing all Chlorine / chloramine* = happy maples, bonsai and landscape plants?

    *(Chloramines are derivatives of ammonia by substitution of one, two or three hydrogen atoms with chlorine atoms. Used by many water treatment facilities in water treatment)

    I must say that my skin feels much healthier now that it's removed from our water and all the plants seem healthier too.
     
  2. 17 Maples

    17 Maples Active Member

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    southern Oregon
    you've probably answered your question(s) already if you feel better that is a plus and the inclusion of better looking plantings. My bonsai's are treated with filtered water only. we have heavy chlorine in our cities water supply and do note when I overhead water during summer that there is water-stain/droplets on the leaves of the Maples in the landscape, so ............. ?

    E ~
     
  3. ironmiss

    ironmiss New Member

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    If it was practical for me to do so, I would only water my garden with pure mountatin spring water.
    Plants adapt, and as long as they get food and water, they will proceed like any other.
     
  4. cagreene

    cagreene Active Member

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    salt spring island,bc
    if i must use tap water, i leave it for 72 hrs to let the chlorine evaporate, then i add food grade hydrogen peroxide to oxygenate the water as well as kill any unwanted microbes(also keeps bugs off plants and kills their eggs in soil), waiting the recommended time before adding any additives or nutrients.
    i have ordered a 500gal rain container catcher thingy for my yard...hopefully it will provide me with enough clean water...if it ever gets here! lol! i use an orchid joint and bloom booster on some of my bonsai's to increase branching, works well on flowering plants too! i don't have any maples, most of my bonsai trees are fruiting trees, had over 40 flowers on both my lemon trees this spring, neither one has flowered before using the orchid joint and bloom booster...both are over 10 years old and reside outside all year long, so it could just be time for them to flower....but both grown from seeds...
     
  5. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    3 years later and we could not be happier with our filtered water.

    Before the filter leaf spots and scorching would be a problem during the hotest and driest part of the summer. Our dwarf perenials would suffer. The whole landscape would look stressed despite our normal watering schedule.

    Now we have a healthy stress free landscape through out the entire growing season. We have kept things healthy and growing despite extreme heat and a 12 week drought. The potted maples and bonsai do especially well with the filtered water. If you have chlorinated city water, I highly recommend filters as a backup to rain water. We love it and all our plants do too. Hands down one of the best investments for our health and our plants health too!

    We use:
    2-
    Pentek 150467 20-BB 3/4" Big Blue Filter Housing with Pressure Relief (check your pipe size, could be larger than 3/4")

    Pentek ECP1-20BB Pleated Cellulose Polyester Filter Cartridge, 20" x 4-1/2", 1 Micron
    Or
    Pentek DGD-2501-20 Spun Polypropylene Filter Cartridge, 20" x 4-1/2"(this is now our preferred pre-filter)

    And most importantly
    Pentek FloPlus-20BB Carbon Block Filter Cartridge, 20" x 4-5/8", 0.5 Micron (this is the best high flow low micron filter, nsf53, worth every penny as you get what you pay for when buying filters, lasts us 1 year)


     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2016

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