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Re:Open Source Farming Robot by Grimblewald on Sunday August 04, 2024 @01:09AM (#41151273)
Part of the problem is water composition. Water which contians fertilizers, surfactants etc is going to damage the protective waxy layer on leaves, while rain water will do so less. Next, when watering youre doing so as frequently as the plants can make use of, to encourage maximal growth rates. It would never rain that frequently. finally, the size of droplets is different. Rain drops tend to be big and fat and roll off the waxy leaves while smaller dropplets sit on / stick to the surface where they create a nice wet and likely to rot environment.
Re:Open Source Farming Robot by RobotToaster on Sunday August 04, 2024 @05:32AM (#41152231)
Why would you water your plants with surfactants/soap?

Genuine question, does it help the plants in some way?

Re:Open Source Farming Robot by HPsquared on Sunday August 04, 2024 @06:17AM (#41152454)
Reduced surface tension will soak into the soil better and improve capillary flow to the roots.
Re:Open Source Farming Robot by waldothedog on Sunday August 04, 2024 @01:06PM (#41154864)
I believe this is common for large scale irrigation and ferti-gation as it breaks surface tension and helps the water flow
Re:Open Source Farming Robot by ajuc on Sunday August 04, 2024 @01:14PM (#41154932)
It's a common traditional fix to aphids infestation.