The sun has disapeared behind cloudy grey skies in the UK.This has brought some much needed rain to very dry gardens in the South East and made me reflect again on how important rain is to our gardens.
Gardeners take rainwater for granted and often we squander this valuable resource. It is not only free but many plants actually prefer it to tap water.
Rainwater is slightly acidic and doesn’t contain high levels of lime,as is found in tap water throughout many parts of the the UK. Plants that like an acid oil much prefer rainwater - like blueberries, camellias and rhodedendrons. Container plants and houseplants also benefit from rainwater as the lime contained in tap water accumulates in their pots, making the compost become more akaline.
Another major benefit of rainwater is that it contains nitrogen, which makes plants have a flush bright green colour after a shower.
Use stored rainwater for any plant apart from seeds and seedlings as sometimes it contains fungal spores that affect growth.
The sun has disapeared behind cloudy grey skies in the UK.This has brought some much needed rain to very dry gardens in the South East and made me reflect again on how important rain is to our gardens.
Gardeners take rainwater for granted and often we squander this valuable resource. It is not only free but many plants actually prefer it to tap water.
Rainwater is slightly acidic and doesn’t contain high levels of lime,as is found in tap water throughout many parts of the the UK. Plants that like an acid oil much prefer rainwater - like blueberries, camellias and rhodedendrons. Container plants and houseplants also benefit from rainwater as the lime contained in tap water accumulates in their pots, making the compost become more akaline.
Another major benefit of rainwater is that it contains nitrogen, which makes plants have a flush bright green colour after a shower.
Use stored rainwater for any plant apart from seeds and seedlings as sometimes it contains fungal spores that affect
growth.