HARD WATER ?

Hi all
Has anybody any ideas on how to prevent limescale build up on Nebari, Trunk buttress etc when watering with hard water.
In my part of the midlands the water is harder than Joe Calzaghe !, ordinarily not a problem but my water butt is now empty and i am having to refill it from the outside tap, even after leaving it for a few days i am still getting a LS build up.
I read WP's blog and he uses hard water without a problem allegedly, but i could not use his methods here as i would have to chisel the LS off !
I have tried filling the can and leaving it to settle overnight, but that doesn't seem to be working.
Anybody else in a similar predicament ? If so would you mind helping out.
Thank you

Maybe a tablespoon of vinegar per gallon of water?????

Could you get yourself a few water butts. I am a cheapskate who will not buy anything that I don't have to, but have still managed to acquire eight 50 gallon butts. These were from farmers, skips and an extra recycling bin that was mistakenly delivered to us. I have them all topped up for free every time it rains, so there is an extra joy in not having to water. Rain water is soft and (especially when it brings down Icelandic rock dust) contains mineral nutrients! Old hose pipes are pressed into reuse as syphon links between 4 butts that I have "daisy chained" off one downpipe from my car port.

This is also a good measure as it conserves treated drinking water which is an increasingly precious resource. We are likely to have hose pipe bans in the UK soon due to the unusually hot dry start to the year, so if it is possible you could be doing your bit for the environment.

so what is a water butt?
i have the same problem with hard water, my drinking water is softened with salt, and i shout it off to fill a 30 gallon can with the city hard water. i would love to see how ppl collect their water and what do ppl use to water with, a watering can? hose from the house? and what end they use to apply it to their trees if they use the hose.

So what is a water butt?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_tank

And he already has one, but it is empty (probably because of lack of rain).

Not tried it but did I not read somewhere that a small quantity of miracid in the hard tap water will tone it down well?

Mike

I have a well for my home and my plants. The water isn't too bad for our location. To water I use a Dramm Yellow Head on a 24 inch wand with a shut off. (A Dramm Red Head will also work) The use of the wand is obvious, the shut off allows me to regulate pressure so if the water is coming out too strong I can tone it down. (Wand and shut off also by Dramm, purchased at BWI in Apopka, FL (actually more like Zellwood) North 441

Cheers Mike
Will try Miracid, also been told today that Tea may work. How very English.
Will sure try both though

Hi Mike, We have hard water which left lime deposits on my trees (trunks, leaves, branches, soil) and pots. We also had constant crusting of salts on our faucets and sinks. I even had water puddles dry up on the benches; leaving a white spot after the water evaporated. The problem disappeared as soon as we installed a water softener. Our's uses salt pellets which we can buy at the local hardware store. It was a big improvement! The main incentive for us to get a water softener was that we were ingesting this same water. Who knows what the minerals were doing to our bodies?
Good luck! Salut, Todd

I would be concerned about using water treated with SALT on my trees. How long have you been doing this?

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:I would be concerned about using water treated with SALT on my trees. How long have you been doing this?

Hi Billy, I'm not sure how the system works, but I'm sure that the water doesn't become "salty". The term 'reverse osmosis' comes to mind. Perhaps there are some chemically-inclined people who could share their thoughts on this.
We have had the water softener for approx 28 months.
Salut, Todd

If you put salt pellets in your water softner and when you replace the salt pellets the volume is less than you put in, the salt is going into your water.

I'm a novice at bonsai but have filtered my own three stage RO water for both marine aquariums and personal consumption.

Don't use water that has been softened chemically/mechanically with salt tablets for your tree water! Don't use such water for any plant. Any salt addition to water will remain after the water evaporates. Water evaporates but salt stays behind just as calcium or any other mineral present before evaporation.

Water softening tablets can be great if you're lost in the woods and need to "purify" some stagnant creek water, in appliances to avoid lime buildup, saltwater vs. hard chlorine swimming pools etc.

Until you find a solution that works for you, use Distilled or RO water (filtered particle and carbon filtered) if you can't use softer 24 hour aged tap water in your area.

As an immediate and safe solution, use bottled water which will have hopefully been put through at least one or two stages of filtration.

Are you able to buy RO or Distilled water cheaply by the gallon at your local grocer?

Finally, this is not to say that certain plant/tree species can't "adapt" to the higher salt content but do you really need to subject it to such a condition?

Hardly see distilled in the UK retail market any longer; mostly all de-ionosed which for battery use is still fine. Would also make bonsai watering very expensive.

Mike

Oh how glad I am that we do not have this problem in the west of Scotland. I am adding nothing of note to this discussion - merely making y'all jealous of our soft water that my trees seem to adore and which gives the residents of the household the most delightful cool drinking water straight out of the tap (or "faucet" if you'd prefer it in Murrican)

Fiona would u have pictures of ur trees?
i love ur comments and ur knowledge of bonsai,
keep up the good work, thanx!

About 6 years ago, I had a water softener installed, based on salt. My plants don't seem to suffer. Some (not bonsai) are trying very hard to reach the ceiling!

Anne

Anne wrote:About 6 years ago, I had a water softener installed, based on salt. My plants don't seem to suffer. Some (not bonsai) are trying very hard to reach the ceiling!

Anne

do u use the soften water on ur bonsai as well?