Although rainfall is sparse in desert areas, harvesting and using rainwater can give your plants a healthy drink while preserving the environment.
Rainwater normally has a pH value of 5.6, which means that it is slightly acidic. Water exposed to the atmosphere collects and dissolves carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide dissolved in water creates carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is what gives rainwater its slightly acidic content.
Rainwater, by and large, is pure, and drinkable.
And it’s great for plants. It’s clean and salt-free. It can wash out salts and other minerals from root zones. This in turn helps roots to grow stronger and healthier, take in more water, and further increases a plant’s tolerance to drought.
Some rainwater used to irrigate also percolates through the soil into the aquifer, replenishing ground water sources.
Other benefits of harvesting rainwater
Areas prone to erosion (as are many hillsides, washes and arroyos in the southwest) benefit greatly from rainwater harvesting. Collecting rainwater before it splashes to the ground prevents the water from washing away precious topsoil. And, that rainfall harvested from roof runoff can be considerable.
A rainwater harvesting movement in the southwest has let to many recent innovations in the process, and it is now possible for homes to operate almost exclusively on harvested rainwater.
Harvested rainwater is also being used for large scale landscapes like parks, schools, parking lots, and apartment complexes.
