Is Soft Water Bad For Plants?
Using occasional soft water on your plants is okay as long as the plants get plenty of rainwater. A plethora of soft water is not recommended, however. Let’s take a look at soft water and how it impacts plant growth.
What Is Soft Water?
Fist off, it is important to distinguish between softened water and soft water. Naturally soft water, deionized or reverse osmosis water, needs minerals, the universal solvent. Softened water, where ion exchange replaces hardness mineral ions with ions that are more soluble, will not be aggressively corrosive.
It’s also important to understand soft water is not the same as pure water. The TDS (total dissolved solids) of zero soft water is nearly the same as the unsoftened original supply.
Is Soft Water Bad For Your Plants?
If your plants receive a regular dose of rainwater, then some occasional soft water will not hurt. However, watering plants excessively with soft water is not recommended. The majority of water softeners will use sodium chloride, which can cause a gradual buildup of sodium in garden soil.
The use of soft water has the potential to cause plant growth issues. Instead of using soft water, use hard water or reverse osmosis for watering your plants.
Growing Plants With Reverse Osmosis Water
A reverse osmosis filter can greatly reduce contaminants overall. This is quite a popular choice for gardeners with a lot of plant diversity. The primary benefit is creating clean and consistent water. This means you can easily control the nutrients and fertilizer you add.
Gardeners with bacteria, chlorine, or iron problems appreciate the benefits of using reverse osmosis water. Additionally, the pH of reverse osmosis water can be changed easily. So plants with specific acid or alkaline requirements can benefit from the versatility of this water.
Conclusion
Overall, it is okay to use soft water on your plants, but this will not provide any benefits to your garden. Soft water should only be used occasionally on outdoor plants that receive natural rainwater. Otherwise, it’s recommended to use normal tap water for your indoor plants.
Reverse osmosis is considered the best water for serious gardeners. It allows precise control of the nutrient flow directly to your plants. Use this water if you take care of delicate plant life.
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