In eccentric you ’ve been subsist right smart up under the porch in a small scooped - out hole for the last many months like a ghastly cat , or Sylvia Plath , you ’re belike cognisant that in California , where I live , we’re in a drouth . A giant , far - reach , plant - killing drouth . The sort of drought where hoi polloi start taking all kinds of drastic measure to conserve water supply : setting uprain barrels , installing low - current crapper and showering with a pail so you’re able to save the weewee to make soup … that kind of drouth .
So , you may imagine the excitement that settled over my little corner when last calendar week bring an unexpected , substantial overnight rain . If I ’d been alert , I would have run out and danced around in it . But then there would be that whole neighbors / police / paperwork matter , so I guess it was all for the upright that I was sound numb in that deep , dreamy means that seems to go with rainwater in the night .
Now , when water myplants — my new veggie babies , my seeds , and my recurrent globe artichoke and berry plants — I had been judicious , using weewee husband from other sources whenever possible , but also generous , making certain every trivial fleeceable baby had ample moisture . I was being a honorable Plant Mom — I’m sure of it — which is why I was surprised when , after the rain , all my plants seemed to look so muchbetter . Likeseriouslybetter . Even our “ lawn , ” which really is n’t a lawn at all , just a gang ofgreen weedsthat we issue in the front yard , looked vibrant and worthy of a suburban trapping growth .
What was it ? Is rain really that much good for plants ? I start jab around the interwebbery , hold back out what the smart multitude have to say . Now , usually , when I ’m Gardoogling ( my term for google garden info ) , it does n’t take me long to find a consensus . But this prison term , belief were varied .
Some folks thought it was because rain water the entire region , and not just the prompt neighborhood of the works , keep wet in the origin . Others argued that because rainwater does n’t contain hard ions , like calcium and magnesium , the soil absorbs it more easily . Another faction claim that due to rainwater typically having a achromatic or slightly acidic pH and containing small amount of nitrate , it provide better support than our chlorinate , fluoridated , whatever - ated pat water system . And then there ’s the theme that when rainfall occurs , the skies are cloudy , so wet does n’t evaporate the elbow room it does when we irrigate on a sunny day .
Shoot . Who ’s right ? My supposition is d ) all the above . But while rainwater itself might be more beneficial than the hooey that runs out of the tap , I think even stored rainwater would n’t ticktock the falling - out - of - the - sky delivery arrangement that honest - to - Betsy rain has . There ’s just something about it that is plant trick . And allow ’s face it , although you might depict the same unwanted neighbors / police / local news program crew care , dancing under rainwater delivered from a hose just lack the pizazz of an improvisational performance under the soggy sky .
Read more of Cyn ’s narrative from the farm :
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