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Watering Hosueplant

You might be under the impression that water is water, and it’s all the same. You might be shocked when you consider how much water can vary. Even your houseplants would be surprised to know that certain types of untreated water can be dangerous, even deadly, to them. Follow along to learn more about the best water for your houseplants.

What is softened water?

Softened water is the result of a treatment process for water. A water softening system uses sodium or potassium to remove heavy minerals from hard water. Especially in areas where hard water is a major issue, people often opt for installing a water filtration system in their homes. These systems generally use sodium in their filtration systems. They work by removing minerals from water while leaving trace amounts of sodium in the resulting soft water.

Can I water my houseplants with softened water?

Watering indoor house plants

Generally, you can use any water to water your houseplants or garden. However, the type of water you use on your houseplants and garden could slowly harm your plants. 

Soft water is good for the lasting health of a house and your health and can be life-altering depending on the hard water condition in your area. However, for plants, soft water can have the opposite effect. Soft water removes minerals that cause scale and other buildups on plants, but soft water also contains sodium. 

Over time, watering houseplants with soft water containing sodium can harm or even kill your plants. Plants do not like any buildup of sodium, which will occur over time while watering with soft water.

How To Water Plants With Softened Water

While it’s not the best water to quench your houseplants’ thirst and maintain overall health, watering with soft water can be doable. If soft water is all that is at your disposal, here are a few methods for watering houseplants or your garden with softened water:

  • Dilute soft water with rain water: Collecting rainwater and mixing the rainwater with your softened water will significantly reduce the harmful sodium content of your softened water. If you live in an area with zero to minimal rainfall, mixing your softened water with store-bought distilled water will also work.
  • Add a non-soft water line: Another method to cut down the sodium content of your soft water is to add a spigot or access point for water. This access point for water will be a direct source from your water line that will not go through the softening process.

How To Remove Salt From Softened Water

Suppose you have a water filtration system in your home that uses sodium to soften your water. In that case, you may wonder how to remove salt from softened water. The tried and true process of desalinated water will be a filtration system that uses the method of reverse osmosis to filter your water. 

Reverse osmosis water results from a filtration process that forces water through membranes in a filtration system. When hard water is forced through these membranes that only water molecules are small enough to fit through, minerals, sodium ions, and other contaminants are left behind. On the other side of the filtration system, you will find pure, filtered water with almost zero traces of pollutants, salt, or minerals. The process of reverse osmosis removes impurities such as:

  • Sodium
  • Nitrates
  • Minerals and metal ions
  • Protozoa
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Perfluoroalkyl substances

Watering Houseplants With Reverse Osmosis Water

While there are many water options for your houseplants, there are very few contenders that are purer and loved by plants than reverse osmosis water. For plant enthusiasts, reverse osmosis water is one of the best kinds of water for any finicky or sensitive plant. Sensitive plants love reverse osmosis water because of how purely filtered the water is.

There is no better match when thinking of houseplants and reverse osmosis water. Houseplants require water and sunshine and a cocktail of minerals and other nutrition to thrive. While reverse osmosis removes contaminants, minerals, and metals, you can add specific positive additives to your water that will help your plants grow happily.

There are plenty of options when it comes to filtered water. There are pros and cons to hard water, soft water, natural water, rainwater, and even reverse osmosis water. The need for softened water may depend on the hard water available in your area, as some parts of the country have cleaner or more contaminated water. However, one thing is for sure. Using reverse osmosis water on your houseplants will have them thriving.

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