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Alkaline Water
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Posted by hardeng z9FL (matersammichman@gmail.com) on Tue, Aug 19, 08 at 9:03
I read an article (from a company that makes alkaline water machines, naturally) that said the use of alkaline water promotes the uptake of nutrients by plants.
Can anyone confirm or deny this statement?
What would happen if the plant was, let's say Blueberry- a plant that loves acidic soil.
How would that work, or would it? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Alkaline Water
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Hi
Not sure were you're located in florida but in my area alkaline water is no problemo,just turn on the tap lol
Obviously it would depend on the plant. Blueberry is a great example that one that would hate it lol. There are many others. I water most of my plants with rainwater particularly epiphytes. Some are notoriously finicky while others don't seem to mind. One water source is much easier to manage. Yard plants are watered from the tap though again in certain species you can see a difference.
If you want to grow acidic plants avoid alkaline sources gary |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| Hello.As far as I've understood it,de greatest nutrient uptake by plants happens at ph 6 to 7.This means a slightly acidic solution.Continuous watering with very alkaline water can lead to blockages of certain elements,notably Iron and Boron.This often means chlorosis(yellowing of leaves) or stunted or distorted growth.Just try watering unhappy potted plants with slightly acidified water.If the soil is fertile the results are often spectacular.(A handful of peatmoss (ph 4) in a bucket of hard water,left overnight,will lower the ph to about 6.Tunilla. |
RE: Alkaline Water
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Sounds like this company is trying to take someone's hard earned money !
Rain water is naturally slightly acidic . That's why you see such dramatic improvements in plants after a good rainfall .
I could not find any info to support the claim of the company you cited . Here is what little science based info I could find : Alkalinity or hardness is a measure of water's ability to neutralize acids while the pH of the water will indicate the actual acidic or basic nature of the water. Thus it is important to know not only the pH of your water but also the alkalinity in order to determine the influence irrigation water will have on changing media pH during the crop cycle. Alkalinity is generally presented as ppm hardness or as milliequivalents/liter calcium carbonate (meq CaCO3). Alkalinity levels of 2 to 4 meq CaCO3 (100 to 200 ppm) are considered normal. Lower levels may result in undesirable medium pH depression during the crop cycle and higher levels may result in media pH levels above desired levels (> pH 7). |
Here is a link that might be useful: Irrigation and Water Quality
RE: Alkaline Water
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| Out here in the high deserts of the mountain west the water is often quite alkaline. Using a aquarium dip stick test our city water is about pH8. Because water here is so expensive people don't grow a lot of stuff but I have never seen any obvious harm, or benefit, to plants attributable to the water. Some aquarium fish cannot handle it. My late in-laws grew berries of some sort. |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| Alkaline water?....Come here to Cornville AZ I will give you all you want. I'm on a private well and grew my garden the first year with compost, manure, and well water. The first year everything went well, the second year everything was stunted. Okra grew a whopping 8 inches tall, cukes were yellow and hard at 2 inches, and even Zuccinni which will grow everywhere, was hard and yellow even at a few inches long. They looked and felt like gourds. I did a pH test before first year planting, 7.1 at the end of second year 9.2. Left the ground fallow for 2 years and will try it again, with a filter |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| It all depends on your soil and its buffering capacity. If your soil pH is below 6, then using alkaline water may be helpful. If your pH is higher, it won't and may even be detrimental. AZ Native--what else is in your water? Just high pH shouldn't generate that kind of rise. Do you have high sodium also? getting a pH that high can indicate salting the soil out. You may need to flush the soil to get rid of the salt and if your water isn't too high in sodium and dissolved solids, use more water to irrigate to flush the ground on an annual basis to take the salts down and out. Talk to the guy in the home-made electric car that runs around town--he grows quite a garden too! |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| Yes beeone, my water has so much stuff in it I have to take the water supplies off every sink in the house every six months or so and clean them of the salts or they will leak at the threads. I was gardening in raised beds so the affected soil is contained. I will spread it across the yard and dig it in to 'dilute' the problem soil, and use regular rows for planting next year. With a filter on the soaker hose supply. Thx for your input |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| I contacted my water dept and found out my PH is very high(no measurable acid) and the alkalinity is very high as well. I add a teaspoon of acid per gallon of water (in a miracle grow hose end sprayer) and the plants have really changed for the better, very deep green, much higher bloom and growth rates. |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| Alkaline Water + Blueberry = slow dance of death , unless you treat the water with something to bring it back to PH7 or less. |
RE: Alkaline Water
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| "Water, Water every where" this is a common headline which we often hear, but we are unaware of the purity and safeness of our Drinking water.Tyent USA Water ionizer can provide you the best choice of obtaining an antioxidant alkaline water.Ionized Alkaline Water can help you stay healthy by cleansing the acidic waste from your body daily.Alkaline water ionizer is the best way one can get the purest form of alkaline water. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Water Ionizer
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