You might think that water is water no matter where it comes from, and that if the water from the tap is fine for you, then it’s fine for your plants. That’s not necessarily the case. You see, most tap water has been treated with chemicals, usually chlorine, in order to kill microbes that are dangerous to humans. Your plants might be able to use this treated water, but they may not like it.
The next time it rains, keep an eye on how your outdoor plants react. Unless you’re subject to acid rain, you may just discover that your plants respond with vigorous growth right after a rain, much more than they would from a similar soaking with tap water. This is a good argument for installing a rain barrel or two at the outflows of your home’s rain gutter system, and using the water you capture for plant watering. It saves scarce water resources, too. Just be sure to treat the water with mosquito control dunks to keep the bugs away.
If rain barrels aren’t practical or rainwater is scarce, you can de-chlorinate your tap water by leaving it out in open containers for a few days. The chlorine gas will evaporate, leaving sweet, clean water your plants will love.
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