The social distancing we’ve all been forced to practice lately has made us find alternate activities to fill up our free time – and we’ve got a lot of it to fill.
Television watching, always a popular pastime, has risen dramatically. Ratings for news programs in particular are off the charts (CNN’s daytime viewership during the week of March 16 was up 132% over the same week last year; Fox News Channel saw a 77% jump). What’s more, streaming services like Netflix have provided consumers with a wide range of on-demand viewing to suit nearly every taste.
More people are cooking. Some have taken up new hobbies. The more industrious among us are tackling home improvement projects that have languished on “to do” lists for years.
Then there’s gardening. Believe it or not, there is a huge upswing in the number of people who have taken to creating new gardens or spending more time with existing ones. And why not? It allows you to be outdoors while still social distancing. There’s a sense of satisfaction gained from working with the earth and producing new life. And it’s a wonderful escape from the constant worry about the virus and its impact.
In an email to KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon, a spokesperson for the Oregon Association of Nurseries noted, “Fortunately, gardening is one of those hobbies that doesn’t need to be put on hold — warm weather is coming and people can garden while following all the social distancing practices.”
To slightly modify an old phrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough get growing.”
If you’re someone who has decided to put your green thumb to the test – or has already proven it – you need to think about what kind of water you’re going to use. Surely, you didn’t think that your plants are okay with the ordinary tap water you give them, did you?
The fact is, soils contain beneficial microorganisms that function to protect plant and tree roots. The microorganisms achieve this by keeping roots clean and healthy, promoting the maximum absorption of nutrients possible.
When plants are watered with chlorinated tap water, the chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria present in the soil, while also burning the plant’s delicate uptake roots. What’s more, excess minerals and heavy metals can block or saturate roots, prohibiting them from absorbing important nutrients. While some plants can thrive despite these additives and impurities, they are not conducive to strong growth.
The Clear2O® Garden and Pet Filter provides a convenient way to significantly reduce the amount of chlorine and sediments in the outdoor water supply. Working at the one-micron filtration level (the lower the micron level, the better the filtration), the CLEAR2O® Garden and Pet Filter uses a proprietary solid-block, carbon filter which reduces contaminants far more efficiently than traditional granulated carbon. This technology also reduces herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial wastes, and perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOA’s).
The Clear2O® Garden and Pet Filter promotes healthy plant nutrition and growth by returning the natural balance to soil, compost or mulch and maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem. The filter, which easily attaches directly to any standard water hose connection, not only protects the health of gardens and lawns but even beneficial insects. It is also ideal for hydroponic and aeroponic gardening systems.
As an added bonus, pets and even farm animals will also benefit from the cleaner, better-tasting water produced by the Clear2O® Garden and Pet Filter. Not only will it protect animals from the harmful contaminants found in tap water such as lead, rust, chlorine and other sediments, it also eliminates foul odor and taste.
Getting back to the earth, even if we weren’t going through this current pandemic, can be a highly rewarding endeavor. But nurturing plants, fruits and vegetables through the soil takes more than luck. It takes patience, knowledge and the right tools. And the Clear2O® Garden and Pet Filter should absolutely be one of those tools.
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