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Salty Thumb 12-05-2004 06:05 PM
de-acidify some soil? - definition of hard/soft water
 
uckoff (theoneflasehaddock) wrote in
:

Subject: de-acidify some soil?
From: gary davis
Date: 5/9/2004 10:18 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

On 5/9/04 3:23 PM, in article
, "Janet Baraclough.."
wrote:

The message
from zxcvbob contains these words:


I don't see being acid as a bad thing for potting soil; municipal
water is always alkaline and will neutralize the acid over time.

Is that *always* true of municipal water in the USA? it isn't here
in the UK.

Janet.
Hi Janet
I wouldn't think it could possibly be true. There are just two
many
areas with different water sources. Here in Fort Langley we had a well
and much of our copper pipes were eaten through. Not sure if it was
acidic water or electrolysis. But now they blend the well water with
mountain source water (which is soft). The ratio must vary as
sometimes the water is soft, sometimes it is hard and sometimes in
between.
I have never thought about our drinking water as being acidic or
alkaline? Just hard or soft.

Hard would be alkaline, soft, acidic, I believe. I might be mixed up,
though.


Hard water just means there are plenty calcium, magnesium or similar
elements in solution. Gradually, they can form hard deposits on your
plumbing (the same way stalactites and stalagmites form in caves - drip,
drip, deposit mineral, drip, drip). Naturally, the presence of calcium
etc ions will make the water alkaline, but soft water denotes the absence
of those ions, not acidity.

Janet Baraclough.. 12-05-2004 11:09 PM
de-acidify some soil? - definition of hard/soft water
 
The message
from Salty Thumb contains these words:

uckoff (theoneflasehaddock) wrote in
:

Hard would be alkaline, soft, acidic, I believe. I might be mixed up,
though.


Hard water just means there are plenty calcium, magnesium or similar
elements in solution. Gradually, they can form hard deposits on your
plumbing (the same way stalactites and stalagmites form in caves - drip,
drip, deposit mineral, drip, drip). Naturally, the presence of calcium
etc ions will make the water alkaline, but soft water denotes the absence
of those ions, not acidity.

In West Scotland, public water has usually run down mountains through
peat moors, so it's pretty acid. Glasgow's public water supply is
wonderfully "soft". It dissolves lead in old pipes :-(, but is great for
hairwashing and bubble baths, and you can safely use it to water your
azaleas.

Where I live (Arran) had a soft, acid public water supply from a peaty
hill loch, until a few years ago. It wasn't reliably sufficient for
modern needs so a new bore-hole was sunk in (limestone) rock;
consequently we now have hard, alkaline water.

Janet.


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