Could we have a situation where the water system is going for the higher pH
to slow dissolution of lead in the solder joints, but have softened the
water with sodium or potassium replacement of the natural magnesium or
calcium cations? This is what is done in a standard household water
softener - lousy water for plants, but you your shampoo lathers and you
don't get those ugly hard water stains. At the other end of the pH spectrum
acetic acid found in vinegar is a standard way to leach out lead to look at
the solder joint structure.

I agree that to growth pines and some of the other plants that prefer lower
pH conditions will require either different water or adjusting the pH of
your current water. Rainwater is good if you can store it, distilled is
expensive and will require a fair bit of trace mineral attention, and
adjusting was covered a year or so ago - I believe the preferred acid was
nitric (might as well add a little nitrate while you are at it), but this is
very touchy business - commercial nitric acid is very dangerous and will
have to be diluted one the order of thousands:1 depending upon the actual
water composition. Unless you are trained chemist the other approaches are
safer to both yourself and your bonsai.

Regards - Marty


Gordon Williams wrote:
Hi,

Actually, I was told that the water was very soft here in Ottawa. They
have
the pH this low to prevent damage to the pipes. We have a problem with
lead
pipes and lead getting into the drinking water here and the change in pH
is
supposed to reduce that. I as told that if the water was harder, the
minerals coat the pipes and reduce the lead.

Anyway, I was surprised by the low value and was wondering if this was the
reason my pines were dying.

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