Wine barrels question

 G'day All,

I have a couple of large wine barrels that I've connected up to catch
rain water off the garage roof. Works well, but at this stage the water
from them still smells strongly of red wine. I suppose that will wear
off when they've been filled/emptied/filled a few times.

My questions are: Will this wine-flavoured water, which I'm assuming is
pretty acidic, harm my native plants? Is it OK for the lemon tree? What
about vegies?

Any thoughts?

Mark.

 Mood morning Mark.  My wife has several orange & lemon trees potted and kept
in during the winter.  She has to put some acidic material on them a couple
times a year.

All good plants need the soil pH to be 6 or lower, depending upon the plants
(blueberries need 4 to 5.5, with 7 being neutral).  The only plants that I
know of, that will grow in soil with a pH higher than approx 9.5, is weeds.

I don't think you will have any problem.  If you have any doubts, take a pH
reading, and if it is too high, fill the barrel with water and add a box or
two of baking soda and let it stand for several days to neutralize any acid
left in the barrel.

Dwayne

 

This reminds me of a story I heard in my youth ... <wavy lines across
the screen as we travel back in time>

Apparently, in the Middle East of antiquity, there was a chap who worked
for a catering company, feeding large numbers of people at mountainside
prayer gatherings with fish and bread.

Same chap must have been moonlighting as a magician, because I remember
being told he also did a fabulous trick where he could change water into
wine.

What you need to do is find out how he performed this trick, then work
on reversing it with your wine barrels, thereby turning them into water
barrels, and eliminating the wine-smell.

It might be difficult; apparently the magical catering chappie was
Jewish, so there probably isn't much written about him. Perhaps try your
local library?


HTH  HAND  WTF

 Teh Most Revernd Bishop of Willesden wrote:

Apparently his father excelled in physics and it must have rubbed of
somewhat. It may be worthwhile to get in touch with him, rather than
the son, though a direct approach seems to be difficult due to many
misleading statements attributed by his so called followers in a book
which has been translated from many ancient languages.(Some of which
are the Dead Sea scrolls) These for some reason, cannot be released as
they may conflict with even more teachings.