Is City or Well Water Safe to Use In The Garden? Which Type of Water is Best?
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- Опубліковано 28 жов 2024
- In today’s episode we cover water. We are covering which water is best, what are the affects of using them on the garden, which is my favorite, and how to reduce watering all together. Check out our new clothing line! http:www.freshpickedapparel.com
When my city sponsored a rain barrel making workshop one of the first things they told us is asphalt rooves are very toxic and to only use water from the rain barrel on plants we don't plan to eat. We gave our barrel away and will make another when we replace our roof with metal, our whole yard is edibles.
Think about it this way, when you use Colorado river water as we do here in Arizona, that water has fallen on crop and animal farm lands, flown into the river, in which other discharges have happened, such as mining etc, then transferred hundreds of miles, and before it gets to you it gets infused with several toxic chemicals, then goes through an aging plumbing system which contributes lots of its own toxins, until it finally comes out your spigot, or faucet. Now compare that to seconds of contact with your asphalt roof. Not to mention you can do first flush systems which divert the first bit of water to get rid of toxins and detritus built up on your roof in between rains.
And in my experience using rainwater makes a night and day difference in the health of my garden.
@Victoria Valley What are you talking about? Freedom of choice? Sure, you can have an unhealthy garden or a healthy one, an unhealthy body or a healthy one. There are opinions, then experience, then science. I rafted the Colorado river and I can tell you it's nasty.
You know you dont have to use your house roof to collect the rain you could have also built a separate catch to run the rain down to you rain barrel
@@soulseeker42388 Thank you! I will look at doing this.
Those kale plants behind you are crushing!
Blessed to be on a well. 🙏🙌 We lived in the city for years, the water was so horrible.
Here, also!
Be it, it’s hard water, but FULL of minerals.
Higher alkalinity, I do need to sometimes adjust in containers.
So what was your method to Get rid of the calcium bicarbonate
Use them all! No issues in 20 years.
I just found you ten minutes ago from a 2016 worm tea video. You casually mentioned fluoride there. I wanted to know more about city water and options, and you JUST posted this video 51 minutes ago. Awesome timing, great resource!! Thanks
I mulch really well in my garden, helps me not water so much, just got my seeds yesterday I was so happy, have a great day Luke!
Such a relief! Finally info on water & its contents! Ive delt with excessive iron. Been running a reverse osmosis system for ages. Waste water sucks but folks heavy metals can cause serious damage
Several of you have posted that rainwater from an asphalt roof is toxic. There are several studies showing that rainwater from an asphalt roof is very safe for watering edible gardens. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Ecology headquarters in Lacey, Washington, and University of Melbourne are just a few studies showing this.
I use a water filter on my hose. It wasn't very expensive. I tried a rain barrel last year . Only problem is . It did not rain enough to fill it up on a regular basis .I know its not cheap using city water but if you want your plants to grow you have to do something . I enjoy the channel Luke . Keep up the good work .
Great information that I find accurate from my person experiences. We have extremely high sodium and alkaline in our well water in rural ND. It took several years of struggling in the garden to learn more about this. Now, we use an under the sink RO system for drinking but for our large gardens we’ve done our best to beef up our rain water systems over the last couple of years. This is also a challenge as we have extended dry periods each summer. Thanks for sharing.
Similar issues here in western MN
@@bbtruth2161 That’s the side of the state we are on too. Many growing challenges, especially compared to the Red River Valley.
@@rivinius98 Been on ro for indoor plants for a while. Not much to be done out doors. Hoping I can set up a rain catching something. Lots of projects in the works so we will see. I would push it more, but most of my garden and orchards haven't been too impacted by it. Indoor plants and starts seem to have more issues with the ph. I think my ground soil has good humic content that helps to mitigate ph. Just a guess. Soil testing happening this year.
Fluoride is also a neurotoxin. As for heavy metals a healthy consumption of cilantro and malic acid will help. Good information on this one Luke. 😃
I just bought a home on a well this year. All the outdoor spigots were treated through the salt system and the chlorinator.
I had to Tee off the incoming water and re-route well water to all those spigots. It was a pain but necessary for gardening.
Yes we all need this knowledge. My city water has chloramine
Man, I love your energy.
Someone told me not to use water off my roof because of the chemicals in the shingles... is this true? Would the chemical be in the water?
I loved the ending!! 🤣 👼
I was about to ask the same question
Depends on the material the shingles are made of and how old they are.
You might be OK with a metal roof but I would never use water from a roof with asphalt shingles in the garden!
you can collect after a heavy/long rain if you are worried about dirt and particles from the roof
Our city water Here in Holland Michigan can hit 9.8PH here in the summertime, causes many problems! City water kills the fish in our fishtanks, our houseplants, certain ones, will not tolerate any fluoride at all. We daisy chain two RV filters on our rubber hose and fill trash cans and let them sit.
However that does not get rid of the high PH issues. Michigan water has issues, rain water collection systems are best but you need a metal roof or rain water tarp collection system. You need space. However rainwater can contain aluminum and sulfur and near a big city the dust can make it alkaline.good luck blessings and aloha good video Luke happy 2021
Loads of great information there, Luke!💜
Itty-bitty soapbox: fluoride is a known carcinogen too.🤪
Years ago, I bought a huge watering trough that I covered with an old sheet to keep the mosquitoes and leaves out. It had a spigot at the bottom to fill the watering can. I put 5 gal. buckets under the drain spouts and then filled the 'cistern' with the rain water. Labor intensive but worked great! It got the garden through August when we usually get no rain. I had to get rid of it before I moved away for a few years.
Need to do that again.🤔
"The Sun's coming out so that means I'm getting blasted" 😆 me too
I needed to hear this. I am working hard on improved soil and would hate to see that be for moot due to water quality. Due to my spaces issues, I will invest in filters on my outdoor hoses. Thanks!
Yup, alkaline well water here. Still trying to figure out what to do about it. Hasn't really caused any harm that I can tell. I think high humic content is helping me mitigate ph issues, alkaline soil as well. In a good year of rain, I don't have to water often. I seem to have both good drainage and moisture retention. I do lots of mulching and organic amendments too. Last year was very dry, watered a lot from the well, and most everything seemed to do well. Part of my continuing infrastructure build is to work out some kind of rain capture storage. Putting in a number of raised beds this year, so I will need to devise some type of irrigation. Keep up the good work!
@Victoria Valley Peat works for a while till it decomposes, then it's pretty much like other organic material, which is a good thing. That's how I plant blueberries and I still have to use a bit of sulfur each year. Might try fulvic acid in a spot or two and see where that gets me. Thanks.
@Victoria Valley that's been my experience as well. Take care.
I have no other options since I am on county water and have an asphalt shingle roof so I do what I must. I use the county water for my chickens and raised bed gardens. I do have plenty of earthworms in my soil and my plants grow well and healthy so hopefully, at 66 I am just getting closer to Heaven ☠. LOL
Around here (southern end of Cumberland Plateau in TN) our area is a former coal mining area. Wells are contaminated, for the most part. (Yes, some people still drink out of them.) The city water is horrible; they have been trying to cure "problems" for the 15 years we have lived here. They keep trying different chemicals, but they all smell and taste like chlorine. One year I had about 700 lettuce seedlings just planted for a fall crop. Don't know what came through the water line, but they all died and had white lines in the leaf veins. (At $5/head, I wasn't happy.) They denied there was a problem, of course. Even worse, I was unable to grow anything in that plot for 2 years. Everything was severely stunted and died. We had to start using an RV water filter (available in Wal-Mart in the auto section) to water all our plants. ~ Kir in Tennessee
Love this topic! Thank you so much for doing this video. I never really thought of my city water not being okay for my plants. After hearing this I can definitely see the harm. Enjoyed the show. One of my video channels. Happy New Year as well!
I notice that behind you, at the corner of the house there is no rainwater tank. Unless there is some problem with the roofing material used, rain water is the cheapest and best option (apart from the cost of the rainwater tank itself). I use rain water for all my vegetable beds and (fortunately), because of the layout of my property, it is all gravity fed. No need for expensive pumps or electricity. I use dripper systems and electronic timers, so, apart from altering the timing and duration of the watering 2 or 3 times a year, my watering system is fully automatic
On city water. We’ll be putting in a rain barrel or two before this coming summer.
I live in the desert and I rent, so I don't have much choice, lol. But thank you for this video!
I do have some 5 gallon buckets I keep out for those rare times it DOES rain.
I tried an experiment, I buried cardboard or old material near my plants to hold water, I don't live in desert but it might help you, it really seemed to work, I also do cardboard gardening like Charles dowding. God bless
I have well and use rain water as much as possible. I also use the water from my humidifier. I save when its full and pour into a bucket. I container garden so it works for me.
Your rain barrel is the most contaminated source because it's coming of your roof shingles. Those roof chemicals are way worse than anything in your city water
This will be my second year gardening. I have a passion for hot peppers. It would be interesting to see a series of videos dedicated to starting and growing peppers.
I live in the city and it’s illegal to catch rain water. Gotta love Ca. 🥺
I live in a small town in Wis. and it's the same way. Illegal to collect rain water.
I use a 1000 liter IBC tank for rainwater, you can usually pick them up for around $50 in these parts.
One of the biggest salt mines in the USA is under lake Michigan near Chicago
Sev yrs ago when I tested soil, I also tested water. It had a pH of about 8.0. I add sulfur almost every spring before planting. I knew it was probably higher than "normal" because spots of white show up on our dark teal green sinks & counter tops.
Our town sends out a water testing information pamphlet every year. I noticed last year we had percentages of animal fecal matter. And they say at a certain percentage they say its fine ....gross right
For this subject I'm most curious about 2 things:
1) asphalt roofs; their impact on DIY rainwater catchment being utilized on food-grade plants and/or fish (potentially toxic?? Have read some bits about online and many others have commented/voiced concern about but I'm still uncertain how seriously this should be considered) and
2) info on what food-grade aquaponics (fish and plants utilized together in a recirculating system) water options there are. So far what I've read points to treating tap with food-grade vitamin C, but I'm still collecting details on that method. Supposedly if done correctly it will neutralize both chlorine and chloramine (either can kill fish).
I heard city water contents can change constantly over time as well depending on source, pipe cleanliness etc. And the chemicals definitely aren't a positive
I have harvest rainwater in barrels for 3 years now for my garden using 3 55 gal barrels collected off my roof
This concept never occurred to me!
Well explained great vid 👏 we have all that junk in our city water i bought the cartridge for the hose from a hydroponics store near us but I try to put water in big clear water jug leve sitting 24hours works great 👍
I have septic with water softener. Plants have no problems. Due to mosquitoes standing water isn’t allowed. There are things to put in rain water, but you didn’t mention it.
I'm here in Jacksonville Florida...I have a in ground well that pumps water and my plants love it🤷
What's the difference between mineral deposits in water and adding Azomite?
Where I live we get 6 months of rainforest and 6 months of desert. We have a well and last week we dug a pond 15m x 20m and 4m deep, no city water available. I was hoping to hit ground water so the pond will stay wet throughout the year but no luck.
As far as the well goes, I am a bit concerned since there are a lot of salt fields here. They dig out an area similar to rice a rice paddy and after it floods and dries the salt crystallizes on the surface to be harvested. I drink the water from time to time, doesn't taste salty but I do want to test the water. The only water tests I can find are for pools.
I'm on city water. One of the biggest water saving methods I use is growing in containers. My drainage holes are a couple inches from the bottom, so I have a reservoir that will wick up. I also do high intensity gardening and use mulch.
When I start my seeds, to off gas the chlorine, I fill up a couple 5 gallon buckets and just set outside overnight or the day before. If I know it's going to rain, I'll put out several buckets to collect the rainwater
Great idea Chris VH!
Tip - check the source of your city water. Not all municipal water has fluoride. Def. Not recommended though.
City water sitting in buckets in the Sun also gets rid of chlorine.
Chlorine will off-gas if left sitting out, but chloramine won’t, so be sure to check which one your locality uses. Sometimes they switch with different seasons, too.
@@JenandPaul09 Great tip 💜
I use a Berkey water filter for drinking water Is there a water filter you would recommend for “hose” water for outside watering? It’s dry here in California
Great video! Thank you! Have you any experience with the Back to Eden gardening? I was thinking of trying that next spring, I live in the North East.
Just wondering what your water is picking up with asphalt shingles when collecting rain water? This question is why I am hesitant to collect rain water.
You can always make a separate catch to funnel rain into a rain barrel dont have to use your home roof to collect... it just has biggest surfaces on the property usually for collecting rain
Haha rain barrels aren’t an option when you live in the dry desert. We also live in an area that is known to have bad water, even well water (which is what we are on) can be known to have arsenic in our area because of the deposits in the soil. Pretty much no other option but getting a whole house filter.
I'd also like to add that heavy metals can also pertain to the lead that may be in your hose. Don't forget to use a lead-free hose to water your plants!
Yes, you can find hoses that are meant for drinking water (mine is blue) add an RV in line water filter and use the water right from the hose connection on your house. I've used that method for years and it works just fine!
@Victoria Valley Any time! Just make sure you read the instructions for the filter (you might need to flush it 1st etc..) and make sure the hose says something about made for or meant for drinking water.
I drink city water so I'm certainly not going to worry about watering my plants with it. Also, after looking this up, my city water is moderately hard so it has 61 to 120 mg/L amounts of calcium and magnesium which plants need.
I have a rain barrel and wonder how you take care of any algae buildup🤷🏼♀️ is it harmful to use?
I'm a fan of using water from my aquariums to water my garden.
Great video. Makes me wonder, what water should I be using for my body? I want to treat my body at least as well as my garden!
I have a man made lake that I connected the sprinklers for the grass and non edible plants . Is it safe for the vegetable garden?
Interesting topic, nicely done 👍🏼
I have a question, if we boiled the city water to get the impurities out & collected it that way, would that be good? I would use city water or just sit a bucket out & collect rain when I can. But I was just thinking of different ways for city water.
Colorado - The only state that it is completely illegal to harvest rainwater. Other than that each house is allowed up to 110 gallons of rain barrel storage
So happy that you shared this video! Today I was looking into water sources for my garden and I have a question for you.
Ollas, what are your thoughts on the submerged terra-cotta pots? I’ve read that you burry these and let them stay year round. I live in Minnesota, with the cold temps and I’m worried if I Inver at in these that the terra-cotta would just crack and it’s be a wasted investment.
I’m just looking for a betters way to water my cottage garden, which is all around my house. I have very little turf. I’ll accept any help. What would you recommend?
I love in Wyoming. Ollas work great, however, you must dig them back up before the ground freezes or the freezes break them. It works for me because I change where I plant and what I plant each season. For example tomatoes need more water but peppers don't....... Regardless of how you grow the Ollas must be removed for winter.
I have a well and the alkalinity is high according to my test. Capturing rain water for the garden isn’t a option. Anything I can do or will my garden just not work out well?
Have been on a well for 22 years, no problems.
my well water here in Montana has a PH of almost 9 it kills everything
Is the water safe to drink or does the water have been treated?
It is safe only full of calcium and other minerals. But hard as rocks lol
One method, that I used to dissipate the chlorine, is to pour tap water into clear 1 gallon jugs. Barring silly anti-water storage laws, I let it sit outside, and let the UV rays zap the chlorine!
How about the creek that runs through my property,is that ok to use on my organic vegetable garden?
Off topic...... I went to your page to buy seeds. I thought they were .99, but they say 2.00. Could you let me know if I’m going to the wrong link. Thanks😁
I'm looking for any info anyone might have on iron toxicity in plants. I have noticed the soil turning slightly orange from our well water and I need to know what to look for in my plants. They might be OK, but I lost a banana plant and I'm not sure if it turning into a slime almost was too much iron, too much water, or what. I kid you not, the leaves started to wilt and it turned into a puddle like its insides came out as the fibers wilted. So weird. All help is appreciated.
I live in south Texas and I have well water and since I have an aquarium I now that it’s very hard water and alkaline and I have no choice but to use the well water for my garden. Is there a way to safely and organically make it more acidic
I have a 1 acre pond I was planning on pumping water from it to water my garden do you have any thoughts on this idea think you in advance.
If you're worried about alkaline water you can buy litmus strips (ph tests) on Amazon.
Didn't discuss surface water from lakes, rivers, and streams.
Glad he didn't. No lakes, rivers, or streams around here.
Hey dude, I was looking at a costly whole home filter to handle the water for the garden, and then I did a search or two found a youtuber (I don't have his channel name) and he showed the Boogie Blue Plus, its an external fitler for your hose. For me, its $50. Could you check it out and review it, its a godsend from a cost perspective. It filters chlorine, chloramine and flouride.
I buy a water filter every 6 months for my outside hoses.
6996katmom would you mind sharing which one works for you? I’ve decided this is something I need to do this year.
Chlorine is an acid? I used to clean with it and used vinegar to neutralize it on my hands
BLEACH is a base... This makes more sense
Migardener I’ve been watching yer channel for some time now and I really dig the core gardening. What’s yer thoughts on core gardening in containers?
How about a filter on the garden hose?
When I lived in CA, the chlorine was higher in my drinking water then I kept my 25,000 gal swimming pool. I don't know what it is in my new state
The comment by Michael, about his ph.......when you test well water let your container air for twenty four hours before testing. Immediate testing gives incorrect readings. Hope this helps.
Can you use salt water on weeds in cracks ?
Luke, what can we do with city water to make the city water garden friendly? Your video failed to address this critical question! You simply missed this issue! Some say let your city water sit for 24 hours before use. Does that help? Inquiring minds want to know!!!
Allowing city water to sit open to air for 24 hrs will allow the chlorine to escape into the air. I do not know about fluoride. I would imagine there is reliable information somewhere on the internet.
Informational videos on UA-cam also state adding 1/4 teaspoon of powdered vitamin C also helps remove tap water contaminates. Luke, what say you?
I run 5 gallon buckets full and let it set for 24 to 48 hours. I was told this will allow the flouride to dissolve.
What do you mean?
@@dianelevy2286 if I use city water I run 5 Gallon buckets let them set out side for 24 to 48 hours,Uncovered so the flouride evaporates. Then I use it on my garden.
Ahh yes, I know chlorine evaporates but not so sure for fluoride. It’s some sticky stuff! I’ve heard borax can help it dissolve but surely it would also make the water alkaline so probably not great for plant water in large amounts. Happy gardening!
Well water is the best water ive tasted
Very helpful!
Living in NorCal rain is a luxury (Dec-March IF it rains). So city water is only choice.
fluoride is also a neurotoxin
Well water is the best.
Silver nitrate from rain seeding??
I use heavy well water with a PH between 8-8.5 very alkaline I use PH down to drop it to 6.5 ish my stuff grows pretty good but a problem I keep having is magnesium deficiency with everything I’ve tried to grow it’s an easily fixed issue just give an extra dose of cal mag to everything but I am curious why it’s like something in my water is neutralizing the magnesium anyone have a clue
Water stored in copper pot's make a difference? Peace/blessing's
Hydrolyzed apatite toothpaste is a lot better for your teeth than fluoride toothpaste. Japan makes Apagard, which is available on Amazon. Any natural toothpaste is good, honestly.
How about instead of collecting rainwater off the roof, collect it from a barrel that is out in the yard and has a collection surface above it rather than a gutter.
Depending on where you live collecting rain water isn't allowed.
I know that you can let city water sit in a container for a day and the chlorine is gone but does anyone know what happens with the flouride?
Detroit has one of the biggest salt mines...the more you know....
What does that mean. I always loved the taste of Detroit water ,but this last year. Not satisfied. Just not tasting good. . I think your wrong on florideo
@@ruthannmarie7119 some cities have banned floride in their shared wells for consumption and some add it to calsify your 3rd eye. You can always get it tested via a 3rd party...
We moved to a home from city to well water. This has been actually on my mind!
I several states it is against the law to collect rain water.
Does anyone have a link to the migardener i beileve it was a recap where half of the video was lofi music he made? I really enjoyed the music but didn’t get to see the video and cant find it now.
We have a artesian well love it 😍 and live by a lake
You can drop a bit of any kind of cooking oil, cheap is fine, on stored water. The oil makes a film on top of the water which prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs, and prevents larvae from escaping from the water.
Sorry, you have just now revealed your water barrel. I would suggest that you have something at least 20 times that size.
They might live in Flint.
I prefer bottled water only