desertgirl
Garden Ornament
I have heard it is best to allow city water to sit for 24 hours so that the chlorine will settle out. My question-how do you the trasfer the water? I have visions of ladling gallons of water this summer...not appealing.
Settling city water
- Thread starter desertgirl
- Start date
obsessed
Deeply Rooted
I have no clue about settling city water. I have always just use the water and had a pretty successful garden with my water hose and city water. I would think that settling and laddleing would be more work than its worth.
digitS'
Garden Master
(not a chemist)
I understand that some communities have now had chlorinated water for over 100 years.
Irrigation systems are sometimes disinfected with chlorine. Since the food industry has had problems with contaminated water for food crops, chlorination is now being used as a solution to that problem. So, even farm irrigation water may be treated.
Recycled water from sewage treatment and urban runoff is being used for irrigating plants. That water is treated with chlorine. I hope it isn't going on any food crops buthere is a report on researchdone with ornamental nursery stock, relative to safe amounts of chlorine in the water.
Okay, the last couple of years, we have made some effort to collect rainwater off the carport roof to water the house plants. They seem to "enjoy" it but these plants are confined to pots and altho' chlorine is obviously water-soluble, maybe the long-term effects of using chlorinated water is more significant than if these plants were in the ground outdoors.
Chlorine is naturally in the soil, and in animals and plants.
Steve
I understand that some communities have now had chlorinated water for over 100 years.
Irrigation systems are sometimes disinfected with chlorine. Since the food industry has had problems with contaminated water for food crops, chlorination is now being used as a solution to that problem. So, even farm irrigation water may be treated.
Recycled water from sewage treatment and urban runoff is being used for irrigating plants. That water is treated with chlorine. I hope it isn't going on any food crops buthere is a report on researchdone with ornamental nursery stock, relative to safe amounts of chlorine in the water.
Okay, the last couple of years, we have made some effort to collect rainwater off the carport roof
to water the house plants. They seem to "enjoy" it but these plants are confined to pots and altho' chlorine is obviously water-soluble, maybe the long-term effects of using chlorinated water is more significant than if these plants were in the ground outdoors.Chlorine is naturally in the soil, and in animals and plants.
Steve
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
Chlorine doesn't so much settle out as "blow off", disappear into the air. Thus it happens faster the more air exposure your water has (for instance, faster in a shallow container than a very deep one, for a given volume of water)
Yes, chlorine is present naturally; however so is sodium but that doesn't mean that it is ok to water your garden with seawater :>
That said, IME municipally-chlorinated does not make SO much of a difference for a garden. There are some plants that are extra sensitive to it (certainly some houseplants do more poorly with chlorinated water, and I have had better growth of some veg seedlings with rainwater or distilled water than with municipal chlorinated water), but it is not like it's going to kill your garden. (Swimmingpool water is a different kettle of fish, as it is much more chlorinated)
The main situation where you want to make sure chlorine has blown off well is if there are fish involved, and a significant-percentage water change. Like if you have an ornamental pond/pool that you are taking off half the water, cleaning, and refilling. It can be hard on fish, sometimes to the point of killing them, to use water that has not had the chlorine be allowed to blow off.
To me the biggest reason to let tapwater sit for a day or so before using -- and I do this when possible with our wellwater too, which obviously ain't chlorinated -- is that it is COLD. Municipally piped water isn't AS cold as wellwater but it is still colder than the plants and their soil. They really seem to do better if it is let to warm up first. So I usually fill a big barrel (to tap off with a hose) or a buncha buckets (fortunately the cats "produce" lots of nice big kitty-litter buckets for me) and use the water the next morning.
But if you can't do that, it is unlikely IME to be a *big* problem.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
Yes, chlorine is present naturally; however so is sodium but that doesn't mean that it is ok to water your garden with seawater :>
That said, IME municipally-chlorinated does not make SO much of a difference for a garden. There are some plants that are extra sensitive to it (certainly some houseplants do more poorly with chlorinated water, and I have had better growth of some veg seedlings with rainwater or distilled water than with municipal chlorinated water), but it is not like it's going to kill your garden. (Swimmingpool water is a different kettle of fish, as it is much more chlorinated)
The main situation where you want to make sure chlorine has blown off well is if there are fish involved, and a significant-percentage water change. Like if you have an ornamental pond/pool that you are taking off half the water, cleaning, and refilling. It can be hard on fish, sometimes to the point of killing them, to use water that has not had the chlorine be allowed to blow off.
To me the biggest reason to let tapwater sit for a day or so before using -- and I do this when possible with our wellwater too, which obviously ain't chlorinated -- is that it is COLD. Municipally piped water isn't AS cold as wellwater but it is still colder than the plants and their soil. They really seem to do better if it is let to warm up first. So I usually fill a big barrel (to tap off with a hose) or a buncha buckets (fortunately the cats "produce" lots of nice big kitty-litter buckets for me) and use the water the next morning.
But if you can't do that, it is unlikely IME to be a *big* problem.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
- Thread starter
- #5
desertgirl
Garden Ornament
Thanks,all.
