WHY PLANTS LOVE THE RAIN: Do's and Don'ts of Storing Rainwater
Raindrops are falling on your roof. Do you collect and save rainwater for the sunny days? In the days when water was drawn from rivers, wells, and manually-operated pumps, the rainy season was a much awaited time of the year for farmers, gardeners and households. The installation of running water systems in both urban and rural areas have somehow minimized this excited anticipation. For farmers and gardeners however, collecting rain water in drums, buckets and through modern rain harvesting methods is an essential part of planting activity. BENEFITS OF RAINWATER TO PLANTS 1. Rainwater is a source of nitrogen. There are three primary minerals needed by plants to grow - Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium or NPK. If you have noted number codes written on fertilizer bottles such as 10-10-10 or 20-20-10, they represent the value of these minerals that they contain. For example, 10-10-10 means 10 Nitrogen, 10 Phosphorous and 10 Potassium. Nitrogen is a gas that c