Water formed after the melting of snow is considered optimal for irrigating seedlings, as it has a reduced content of mineral salts, including hardness salts.
However, even such water can have a negative impact on seedlings. To ensure that irrigation with meltwater is beneficial for plants, certain rules must be followed when collecting it.
The first thing to consider when collecting snow is its origin — it must be gathered in ecologically clean areas.
It is prohibited to collect snow, for example, directly under the pipes of thermal power plants or near highways.
If your plot is located near a road, retreat at least 200 meters from it to avoid the ingress of salt and reagents used for road treatment onto the plants.
Additionally, do not forget that snow, passing through the atmosphere, accumulates acid-forming gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxide.
To eliminate these substances, add half a teaspoon of baking soda to a 10-liter bucket of snow water.
A small amount of sodium from the baking soda will not harm the plants; on the contrary, it will improve the quality of the meltwater and enhance its positive properties.
