It was Carly Simon who came up with the “Clouds in my coffee” line for “You’re so Vain” on a cross-country flight. I saw a quote from her that said “Clouds In My Coffee is that which you can’t see through, and yet seems alluring… until. Like a mirage that turns into a dry patch.” Recently we’ve had a “dry patch” so the intermittent rain showers this week have been a welcome occurrence. Do your plants prefer rain water better than irrigation? I know when it comes to your houseplants rainwater contains more oxygen than tap water so if it is a gentle rain with no wind they might enjoy it. Rainwater dissolves the salts and other minerals left in the pot from your use of tap water. Rainwater will clean off accumulated dust and clear out the stomata or respiratory pores on your plant’s leaves for better photosynthesis. Rainwater is soft water free of the salts, and treatment chemicals. Salts and chemicals build up in your soil over time and these residues are tough on plants. You can visually see it on the rim of potted plants where the accumulation is evident. Rainwater contains nitrate – the most bio-available form of nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of the three key macro-nutrients that plants need to be lush and green. Many forms of nitrogen are not actually absorbable by plants. Nitrates, which are made up of nitrogen and oxygen are a perfectly natural organic presence for uptake by your plants. Plants will absorb nitrates from the air and soil. Here is the photo I took on June 8, 2021, one of those days that there were “clouds in my coffee” and plenty of pop up showers.
