Written and edited by Tammy 17th March 2023
Hands up who knows why we have such hard water here in the Limestone Coast? There's a little clue in that I'm going to share with you, but first I'm going to back track a little.
A few years ago now, my employer at the time, a mentor I have the utmost respect for, asked was I interested in studying a course in The Science of Gardening. My entire life I've loved gardening but at that point, I had no formal training or education in the industry. I thought to myself...."why not, I'll give it a go, I've got nothing to lose, and it might even help me in my new job". Who knew the passion and thirst for knowledge within the industry it would spark within me. Fast forward 6 years to now, my understanding and appreciation of Horticulture is so much more than I could have ever imagined. Thankyou Andew.
Now you ask what relevance does this have to hard water?? Well, that was the first module I studied in the science of gardening, and where it all began.
I mentioned there being a little clue; we live in the Limestone Coast. I'm not going to be specific about dates, or get too detailed, you can research further for yourself If that is what you desire, it's actually really interesting.....but millions of years ago the ocean covered Naracoorte and beyond, all the limestone beneath us formed and sea creatures inhabited the caves, their calcareous, fossilised remains can still be seen today.
Here's the part that becomes relevant to you and I as gardeners.
Rain falls from the sky, as it washes down through the layers of soil and limestone (the main components of limestone are calcium and magnesium) those minerals among others are carried on down into the underground aquifer. Water containing hard minerals equates to hard water. Where does our towns water supply come from? It's drawn up from bores that tap into that underground aquifer.
You may remember a couple of my earlier posts, I spoke of soil health, understanding soil pH and, the constraints of soil alkalinity. If not, perhaps refer back and have a read as it ties in and has relevance to this.
When watering our gardens, we think we're doing the right thing giving them a quick regular drink every day, were actually doing a huge injustice.
Giving them frequent short drinks allows those hard minerals, calcium and magnesium in the water to build up within the rootzone of the plants. This results in highly alkaline soil and consequently leads to nutrient lock up. Your plants can't derive nutrients from the soil as they become bound to the soil particles.
If you see crusting on top of your soil surrounding your plants or a white residue on the leaves then they proceed to yellow and burn, there's a pretty good chance hard water will be a major contributing factor.
So what can we do?
You can pick yourself up a TDS Meter for not a huge expense and test your water for yourself, or you could always send a sample off for a more extensive analysis.
A TDS meter is a simple small handheld device, that measures Total Dissolved Solids within your water in a measurement of PPM (parts per million).
500ppm is the maximum level recommended by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to be safe drinking water. Anything above 500 is deemed not potable drinking water, and understandably, your plants and gardens aren't going to like it either for the reasons I've just explained.
It really is crucial that you water your gardens less frequently but give long, slow deep soakings so each watering flushes the minerals down deeper through the soil profile.
If you're fortunate enough to have an ample supply of rainwater to use for your plants that would be the ideal, nothing beats rain from the sky, it's liquid gold.
Another option you could look into, though it might not suit everyone's budget is an 'Ion Exchange' water conditioner. Without getting too technical, it's a means of being able to deal with the calcium and magnesium in the water with a device fitted to your mains water supply.
In conclusion, we have always had issues throughout our region with hard water. The key is to understand it, acknowledge it, and try to find ways to deal with it so it doesn't hinder our efforts to have a beautiful garden.
If you are keen to investigate your options a little further, pop in to one of our local businesses such as Lawrences Irrigation and they should be able to give you some advice on your options.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your gardens. 😘🌸🪴
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