Re: CULT: Irrigation vs. rain

At 10:06 AM 97-11-10 -0700, Bill Shear wrote:
>Not only might chlorine be a direct factor, it might act by damaging or
>destroying good soil organisms that benefit plants.
>
>Here's another possibility.  Heavy rains often occur during rainstorms.
>Lightening discharges are powerful enough to convert some of the nitrogen
>gas in the air into soluble nitrates, which then dissolve in the rain and
>fertilize the plants.  So that sort of rain, at least, is a dilute
>fertilizer solution.
>
>Seriously, it is known that many tons of nitrate are added to soils
>world-wide in this way every year.
=====================================

Yes,that would be a factor, but I don't think it is the fundamental one in
this case since we do not get the number of thunder storms which occur in
the East. It was the micro-organisms in the soil which I was thinking of
but local "experts" tell me that chlorine is so volatile that it would all
be gassed off before the droplets hit the soil. I kind of doubt that.
During hot weather the application of chlorine is so heavy that it is very
irritating to your eyes when taking a shower. A lot of it must be entering
the soil and presumably even more from drip irrigation. 

Thanks also to Maureen. Oddly, the few orchids whichwe have do not seem to
mind it.

John Montgomery
monashee@junction.net
Vernon  BC
>
>Bill Shear
>Department of Biology
>Hampden-Sydney College
>Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
>(804)223-6172
>FAX (804)223-6374
>email<bills@hsc.edu>
>
>
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