Have you ever noticed any difference between rain water and a sprinkler system as far as rain water being better for the grass? Pretty dumb question huh? Well I was just wondering if anyone has noticed that when a lawn gets a good dose of rain water compared to a good dose of water from the sprinklers, the rain water always seems to bring back the grass to life much better than the sprinklers. Ever notice that?
1MajorTom
Yup. I dunno why, though. I think it maybe has to do with the conditions outside on a rainy day, as opposed to the conditions when the sprinklers go off. For example: when it rains, the sky is cloudy, the wind blows, and it generally gets cooler and stays cooler for a little while. The sprinklers can go off when its 110 outside, and the sun is beating down. Big difference.
Oh, come on now - the outside conditions of rain vs scheduled irrigation times?
You guys need to understand chemistry a wee bit better.
In a nutshell, the primary difference between rain water and either non or potable water has to do with the chemical composition of the non or potable water, the type structure and valiance at the turf site and current cultural practices in effect at time of the rain or ancillary watering.
Water other than rain has a completely different chemical composition in terms of both macro and micro nutrients, solids, bacterial content, total dissolved solid content and salt content - too name just a few of the differences. All of these factors combine in the ancillary water process to impose marked differences at the turf site as compared with rain.
Yes, I know in certain parts of the country pollution will adversely affect rain water yet as a whole, rain water is much more neutral than ancillary water.
You guys need to understand chemistry a wee bit better.
In a nutshell, the primary difference between rain water and either non or potable water has to do with the chemical composition of the non or potable water, the type structure and valiance at the turf site and current cultural practices in effect at time of the rain or ancillary watering.
Water other than rain has a completely different chemical composition in terms of both macro and micro nutrients, solids, bacterial content, total dissolved solid content and salt content - too name just a few of the differences. All of these factors combine in the ancillary water process to impose marked differences at the turf site as compared with rain.
Yes, I know in certain parts of the country pollution will adversely affect rain water yet as a whole, rain water is much more neutral than ancillary water.
I would think that it's more volume, and it penetrates the surface better. Sprinklers just mist about, and probably evaporates easily. A good rain can "soak" the lawn.
When you water the lawn, you want the bottom of the roots to get wet. Most irrigation systems go off a few times a week for a few minutes. Not long enough for the roots to get wet.
People with irrigations should water DEEP once a week, rather than those short intervals 2-3 times a week. Multiple light waterings also promote fungi.
Just my 2 cents.
When you water the lawn, you want the bottom of the roots to get wet. Most irrigation systems go off a few times a week for a few minutes. Not long enough for the roots to get wet.
People with irrigations should water DEEP once a week, rather than those short intervals 2-3 times a week. Multiple light waterings also promote fungi.
Just my 2 cents.
nitrogen, zinc, iron...
but it also brings those unwanted metals like sulfur, sodium, and chlorine
HAy guys, Out here in the Country, we have septics...
well a few years back, they introduced a system that will take some of the USED septic water and release it to a sprinkler head......
it's one that you can move around..... YOu talk about GREAT way to water your lawn.....
Just dont drink it, and you NEVER see childern playing in it....
well a few years back, they introduced a system that will take some of the USED septic water and release it to a sprinkler head......
it's one that you can move around..... YOu talk about GREAT way to water your lawn.....
Just dont drink it, and you NEVER see childern playing in it....
Rainwater has a neutral PH 7.0 and of course it has nitrogen. Ever notice how green a lawn looks the morning after a lightning storm during the night ?
The lightning activates the nitrates in the rain. I believe about 4 lbs. per acre fall during a normal rainfall.
Don't ask me what is a normal rainfall. What we have been getting the last couple weeks just ain't normal for Oklahoma.
Nosmo
The lightning activates the nitrates in the rain. I believe about 4 lbs. per acre fall during a normal rainfall.
Don't ask me what is a normal rainfall. What we have been getting the last couple weeks just ain't normal for Oklahoma.
Nosmo
Tap water (from City sources) - has chlorine (as in bleach) in it. Not good for plants, but quickly bound up on soil so may not have a major negative effect.
Tap water from wells - highly variable, but will contain minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, etc.)
Rain Water - under "normal" conditions, this is distilled water and contains NOTHING. Because it contains nothing, the pH can be affected by acidic emissions from coal fired powerplants (hence "acid" rain). I can't speak to lightning effects, but normally there is no available nitrogen in rainwater.
Since the air contains 70% nitrogen gas, rainwater will certainly contain a small amount of dissolved nitrogen gas, but plants can't use this. The nitrogen must be "fixed" (or converted to nitrite or nitrate) by bacteria. Maybe lightning can do it, but I would think that this is a big factor.
Dennis
Tap water from wells - highly variable, but will contain minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, etc.)
Rain Water - under "normal" conditions, this is distilled water and contains NOTHING. Because it contains nothing, the pH can be affected by acidic emissions from coal fired powerplants (hence "acid" rain). I can't speak to lightning effects, but normally there is no available nitrogen in rainwater.
Since the air contains 70% nitrogen gas, rainwater will certainly contain a small amount of dissolved nitrogen gas, but plants can't use this. The nitrogen must be "fixed" (or converted to nitrite or nitrate) by bacteria. Maybe lightning can do it, but I would think that this is a big factor.
Dennis
I'm not entirely disagreeing with the chemical explanation, I think there is something to rain water in and of itself is better. But beyond that me thinks it's the amount, as in, raw gallons...
A sprinkler system in most cases does not replace rainfall, it is just a helper system. Most are set to 15-20 minutes, that's it, and half of them do a rotating dance. When it rains the entire yard catches water the whole time, and with the exception of those 10-minute t-storms and the silly sprinkles, the lawn gets a LOT more water when it rains. And a slow steady rain, omg!
There is absolutely no way a sprinkler system could come close to matching what rainfall drops on a lawn. Even if it's the same according to a measuring device, it's not the same thing, 3 water lines running at the same time only put out 18 gpm at the most, this in turn gets spread out over several thousand square feet... Thou it is more effective than watering via one hose and a sprinkler.
Then few sprinkler systems stop running just because of rain, so now you got two waterings instead of just one.
A sprinkler system in most cases does not replace rainfall, it is just a helper system. Most are set to 15-20 minutes, that's it, and half of them do a rotating dance. When it rains the entire yard catches water the whole time, and with the exception of those 10-minute t-storms and the silly sprinkles, the lawn gets a LOT more water when it rains. And a slow steady rain, omg!
There is absolutely no way a sprinkler system could come close to matching what rainfall drops on a lawn. Even if it's the same according to a measuring device, it's not the same thing, 3 water lines running at the same time only put out 18 gpm at the most, this in turn gets spread out over several thousand square feet... Thou it is more effective than watering via one hose and a sprinkler.
Then few sprinkler systems stop running just because of rain, so now you got two waterings instead of just one.
Rain water is very soft and grass absorbs it much better that is why when you wash a vehicle if you don't dry it down it will leave spots and streaks. There are more minerals in ground water which is good but city and county water which is treated has a great deal of the minor elements removed and is also chlorinated.
God created perfect water for all needs but with the pollution man is putting into the air even the rain water can become acidified. This is one reason the trees are dieing at an alarming rate in the mountains of NC.
Just let man stay on this earth long enough and he will eventually destroy the environment.
When you irrigate crops from a ground source of water they will not produce yields as high as with the correct amount of natural rain.
I think someone already had the patent on that process.
God created perfect water for all needs but with the pollution man is putting into the air even the rain water can become acidified. This is one reason the trees are dieing at an alarming rate in the mountains of NC.
Just let man stay on this earth long enough and he will eventually destroy the environment.
When you irrigate crops from a ground source of water they will not produce yields as high as with the correct amount of natural rain.
I think someone already had the patent on that process.
Then your systems aren't installed correctly.
My company works in one of the most harsh climatic regions of the country, not including how poor the parent soil is. Sustained high temperatures, excessive sunlight, poor soil - you name it we have it here.
We install upwards of thirty systems per year to a standard which will completely supplant the lack of rain fall during drought - although right now that isn't a problem.
The only difference as measured by routine and regulated soil sampling I have been able to has occurred after large amounts of sustained rainfall, in the soil analysis. Interestingly enough we have not lost turf due to the drought conditions which were common here as a result of our irrigation systems.
I believe the amount of chlorine in tap water is the main reason it's not nearly as beneficial as rain.
Part of an article quoted from this source:
http://depts.washington.edu/chemcrs/bulkdisk/chem162A_aut04/handout_Lecture_17.pdf
N2 is quite inert. To activate it requires substantial energy.
Three processes are responsible for most of the nitrogen fixation in the
biosphere:
- atmospheric fixation by lightning
- biological fixation by microbes
- industrial fixation (Haber process)
Atmospheric Fixation
• The enormous energy of lightning breaks nitrogen molecules and enables their
atoms to combine with oxygen in the air, forming nitrogen oxides.
• These dissolve in rain and are carried to the earth.
• Atmospheric nitrogen fixation probably contributes 5-8% of the total nitrogen
fixed.
http://depts.washington.edu/chemcrs/bulkdisk/chem162A_aut04/handout_Lecture_17.pdf
N2 is quite inert. To activate it requires substantial energy.
Three processes are responsible for most of the nitrogen fixation in the
biosphere:
- atmospheric fixation by lightning
- biological fixation by microbes
- industrial fixation (Haber process)
Atmospheric Fixation
• The enormous energy of lightning breaks nitrogen molecules and enables their
atoms to combine with oxygen in the air, forming nitrogen oxides.
• These dissolve in rain and are carried to the earth.
• Atmospheric nitrogen fixation probably contributes 5-8% of the total nitrogen
fixed.
Clover also is a nitrogen-fixing plant. Not that most people want that in their lawns tho....... but if they do that WILL be the greenest area.
there absolutely is available nitrogen in rain. true enough that as moisture evaporates into the atmosphere and condenses it has very littel to no nitrogen. however the atmosphere is about 78% N. When the electricity passes through the atmosphere, it combines with Oxygen and Hydrogen to form ammonium and nitrate molecules which are absorbed by the rain as it falls.
btw, it is not true that rainwater is naturally neutral. it is slightly acidic due to the CO2 in the atmosphere.
btw, it is not true that rainwater is naturally neutral. it is slightly acidic due to the CO2 in the atmosphere.
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