rainwater

Who uses rainwater? Ive been given one of the big green barrel type that hook up to a down spout. Can someone tell me more about harvesting, filtering, storage, and using it? Pros and cons? I currently jus keep a 5 gal bucket full of tap with an airstone bubbling at all times. My tap was up around 400-500 ppm i think last time i checked. Any input is appreciated.

IMO best water you can get if you don't live in down town Tokyo that is "acid" rain in a heavy polluted city can contain a lot of stuff you don't want in your plants, but beside that rain water is pure gold for plant`s if you ask me, clean (no micro nutrients to mess up your Ppm) and a neutral PH perfect to use with out PHing and it even contain a bit of O2 (oxygen) it getter as it pass through the atmosphere

Im planing on making a small DIY for my balcony (live in a apartment on the second floor) as I would like the option, my tap water is clean and every thing, but as its ground water it contain a lot of calcium, and come out with a PH on around 7,4-8 its useable, but I would like to be able to use rain water as it give you a pure base to start with

dont store it to long before use, keep a lit on it, keep it out of the sun I reckon, and I will filtrate it, when you use it try to keep it at around 18C (15-20C works) as to cold water can shock the root`s and to hot don't contain much oxygen

and now that it is "clean" to start with you would like a nute line that contain enough micro`s (etc. calcium/magnesium/iron aso)

How would someone filter it? What type of filtration? Im going to be collecting from the roof and don't think I really want all of the bird stuff in there.

Yea i do. Love it

I check the ph once in a while, then bottle it up into gallon jugs then store it till I'm ready to use it. I'll add 1/2 tsp cal-mag to every gallon before I water my plants. Once you go rain water you will never use anything else. It just imparts a taste and aroma that is unlike anything.

Main tip is to have neutral roofing material. If you do not, then the pure rain water will be tainted by your petrochemical roofing products. Metal is great. My neighbors use all rain collect off of their roof and wonder why their garden is all stunted year after year. I pulled up a clear glass full of their "pure" rain collection water and it looked nearly as dark as urine, no bueno! Their roofing material is obviously not suitable. No worries about the "bird stuff" just watch out for man made petrochemicals!

Nice write up Slipon.I use rainwater when I can.I have a tarp setup for collecting rainwater,it works great.We get a ten minute shower and I get 10g easy.I store it in my "grow closet" and it keeps for a couple weeks with no issues.One tip if your collecting it off your roof,Let it rain for a minute to wash the roof first and be prepared ahead of time.Watch the weather channel/news.....a couple tipspeace

rainwater is great you should always wait and let rain for a half hour before collecting ,I filter through a t-shirt ,glad I saw this thread need to get my rain barrel setup it just never rains where I'm at so I don't even think about.

if you collect in a big reservoir and don't separate it into smaller gallons I would run a air stone through it so it doesn't get stagnant