Soil Microbe Health -
You might not be able to see them, but I promise that they're there, just lurking about in your soil. Okay, lurking might make them sound like criminals, but I assure you, they're the real heroes of the garden! Performing various tasks such as nutrient cycling, binding heavy meals and aiding with nutrient uptake, it's clear to see why soil microbe health is directly correlated with your garden's performance.
How to Dechlorinate Water Naturally -
When chlorinated tap water is fed to garden plants, the chlorine and/or chloramines present will destroy some of the beneficial soil microbes. Some or all of the processes mentioned above may slow due to lost microbe populations. As a direct result, plant growth may loose vigor. Luckily, there's an instant and natural way to dechlorinate water!
Materials Needed -
- 1000mg Tablets of Pure Ascorbic Acid (aka Vitamin C)
- Mortar & Pestle
Process -
- Carefully cut one Vitamin C tablet into quarters. From experimentation with alkaline water (pH 8.0), I've found one quarter tablet to efficiently declorinate five gallons of water without significantly impacting pH.
- With a mortar and pestle, grind the quarter tablet into a fine powder. If it's not a powder, you'll have a hard time dissolving it into the water.
- Add the ground tablet to five gallons of water and mix well. The neutralization of chlorine and chloramines is instant.
- Water plants as normal.
There you have it, a quick and easy way to dechlorinate your water for gardening! Even though ascorbic acid is only slightly acidic, if you're worried about pH, just test it before you feed. Thank you for reading this guide on dechlorinating water naturally. Remember, you're plants aren't truly happy until the soil microbes are! Please leave any questions or comments you have.