Hello: We have recently added a 144 square foot hobby greenhouse on to our kitchen. Before we finish the plumbing we must decide about which water to use. We live in Regina so the hard water has chlorine and floride. I have the following options for watering the plants: 1. Cold hard water (has chlorine and floride) 2. Water softened with Sodium Chloride (all house water at present except drinking water). 3. Water softened with Potassium Chloride (switch from Sodium Chloride). 4. Add another Reverse Osmosis storage tank (run from the kitchen). My options are in order of simplicity but reverse order of cost. However, I'd like to know which option would be best for my plants.
I would recommend another option! Capture rainwater. It is kind of a nuisance but will save heartbreak later. I have very hard water and am amazed how much better my greenhouse has thrived since I switched to rainwater. Bill
Yes, that is what I have been doing up to now but the rain water gets kinda hard/white here from November through March.
I am sure the plants would like the filtered water the best. Most plants are not too fond of chlorine or salts. I don't know about the fluoride, but this link (apparently from the future) says it is bad for plants, but generally binds with calcium in the soil and is not taken up. By letting the chlorinated water rest in an open container for a day or so, the chlorine will evaporate and should no longer be a problem. This would certainly be cheaper. The sensitivity of plants varies, so it depends on what you plan to grow. I was thinking rainwater as well. I am not sure what would make the rainwater white/hard if it is collected directly from the roof. Is there a lot of dust that gets into the collection? Perhaps the white is not harmful. Maybe have the rainwater tested to see what is getting into it.
I'm sorry. I was joking. The rainwater gets hard because it freezes here and snows instead of raining from November through March. We have to empty our rain barrels and turn them upside down for the winter so they don't break. Thank you for your help.
Oh, duh, yes of course. So used to living in places that don't freeze over for the winter, that that did not even occur to me.
A 2 gallon pail of snow WILL melt if brought inside. Precipation collection IMHO is actually easier in the winter than in summer. You could bring one of the rain barrels inside for the winter. If that's not practical, I would take Option 4, then 1 but never 2 & 3.
Doesn't matter much if you can't collect snow that easily anyway, as when the ground is frozen, plants don't use much water. Just put the water barrels up again when the thaw starts in March, to collect all the melting snow off the roof; they'll soon be full again for the summer watering season.
