Re: CULT: Irrigation vs. rain

John Montgomery wrote:
> [snip]
 
> Now I have a question. I am certain that the plants grow much better  
> after a heavy rain than they do following a similar amount of         
> irrigation water being applied. Am I imagining this or have others    
> noticed a similar result? For what it is worth, our irrigation and    
> domestic water are delivered in the same pipe and during the hot part 
> of the summer it is very heavily chlorinated - to the extent that we  
> buy bottled water for drinking. Can this have anything to do with it?

I've been aware of this phenom & always assumed that it's due to my own 
miserly ways when watering with a hose. Thing is, my water comes from 
our well -- no chlorine. The well water is very hard tho -- the local 
wit has always advised 'chew your water well'.

Bill Shear's mention of lightning converting nitrogen in the air into 
soluble nitrates intrigued me as we get a great deal of lightning along 
the Front Range in Colo., so much that there's some kind of national 
weather group that studies it here. Maybe this does contribute to plants 
showing more liveliness following natural rainfall than they ever do 
from being irrigated -- interesting!

'Nother thing -- garden writers often tell us not to wet the leaves of 
certain plants when watering as it's detrimental to good health yet 
these same plants seem to thrive after a good rain-drenching, even if 
the leaves do get mud-splashed. Odd.

Marte in the mtns	Zone 4/Sunset 1  Colorado     Snowstorm Sunday, 
4-5", soaking into the ground now that the sun's out again. Still have a 
few bedraggled Colchicums in bloom, everything else asleep out there.
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