Hello! I have a question regarding watering my japanese maples. I hope some one living in a zone with hard alkaline water can give me some advises.... i live in bristol uk and tap water is hard... last year i managed to store some rain water but this year i didnt make it. I just read we can use vinegar ... To remove minerals from water add one tablespoon of white vinegar per five gallons of water and allow to sit overnight. The minerals will settle to the bottom of the bucket. Essence of the tree -- Growing Japanese Maples in Hard Water Areas Im not sure about this technique...does anyone know what can i do? It is getting really hot so i need to water more often my trees...I dont want to hurt the trees using vinegar Im trying to find a not expensive technique to water my trees.... any idea is more than welcome ! Ps. This is a guide of the type of water we have Clifton, Horfield, Redland and Kingsdown Dulce
Dulce,I live on the big chalk seam in SE England.I try to use rainwater when I've got it but invariably it runs out after just 2 waterings.Therefore most of the time I have to use the hard water,doesn't seem to cause any problems I'm aware of. I have used vinegar at 5times the strength you've said to lower ph,so I'm sure the weak mixture you propose will do no harm should you wish to use it.
If you want an ever ready supply of rain water move to Yorkshire , we always have more than what we need or use :) joking apart though i have never really tried using rain water just always use the tap, but bear in mind we have a very soft water course in the north. But as Houzi says i can't really see a problem feel sure plenty of people in the south with the odd JM in the garden use the tap all the time and never really give it a second thought? , just remember not to go overboard with the watering even though it's quite warm at the present time. None of mine have been watered since last Friday, but i will be checking tomorrow for sure. Also don't forget the site you are looking at is in the US they might have a completely different and more severve hard water effect on their maples more than what you are seeing in the Bristol area of the UK. Take notes water some with tap and the others with rain water, take pictures compare growth rates, colours, leaf scorch, stress, die back etc etc
And stop worrying :) Don't forget, as Confucious says, 'Man with nothing to worry about begins to worry about nothing' :)
Thankyou for your replies:) Houzi, I'm really glad to hear that tap water doesn't do any harm to your trees! I will do just like you and as Roebuk said, keep some notes. This year I'm trying to keep a good gardening diary so these notes and pics will be part of it. Thanks Roebuk for the remarks about overwatering and local advises. I think I'm always thirsty with this new weather and want to keep everyone drinking more and more.... :S Sam, that phrase makes so much sense to me.... I will keep it in mind! It is beautiful, thankyou for that .... Dulce
Just an other story about someone who have an alkaline soil. My Japanese maples are planted in an alkaline soil, (old marble quarry around my house) and doesn't seem to have any problem with that. I often read that Japanese maple need an acidic soil like for rhododendrons by there is no real such requirement for growing Japanese maples. So, don't worry about your hard water, the only problem I can see is the white powder that can stay on the leaves if you water the foliage.
I've kept maples for years in a hard water area, our water is sourced from boreholes into chalk and I've never had any problems watering with tap water. My container maples are on an auto water system from the tap. I've never had any issues and they all appear in fine health. John
Thankyou Onra and Jhon for your replies. I didn't know this and I have been doing crazy things to avoid lots of minerals in the water. I now feel a little silly (or obsessive) but I'm really glad I found this forum where I can get all this advises from you. I use to read a lot on internet about my japanese maples but never in a forum like this. Thanks a lot for writing and I will chill out with this and continue enjoying the beauty of my trees!!!! :) Dulce
They are our babies and I reckon we all obsess over their wellbeing. Well I know I do. My wife says we have a garden full of twigs in winter but the first spring leaves always make up for it and hen there's the bonus of Autumn. John
