#gardening #rain #rainbarrel 🌧Notice how lush our garden looks after it rains? Been curious how inert atmospheric nitrogen can be transformed into a usable form. So, I did some research and ran into a few articles about benefits of rainwater, specifically thunderstorm rain. It was pretty interesting so I had to share it with you! Hope you enjoy and make sure to check out the rest of the information below. Thank you.☺️💚 Happy Gardening!🌱 Rainwater contains nitrate which is a bioavailable form of nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of the key essential macro-nutrients that plants need to grow and develop. Rainwater contains more oxygen than tap water. Rainwater is considered soft water, because it is free of minerals and it has not been treated with chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride. For this reason tap water is considered hard water as it is usually treated with chemicals and contains minerals and salts which are picked up from the ground. Most rainwater is slightly acidic with has a pH value of 5.0 to 5.6 can release nutrients that are locked up. Tap water has a pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. Alkaline soil can keep certain nutrients locked up which can cause nutrient deficiency in some plants. Sources: http://www.nue.okstate.edu/N_Fertilizers/nitrogen.pdf https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/why-does-thunderstorm-rain-contain-more-nitrogen-than-ordinary-rain/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/13/for-plants-rain-has-benefits-that-tap-water-simply-cant-deliver-9/ https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/drinking-water-regulations-and-contaminants Estepona Gardener Estepona Gardening