Best Water For Plants
One of the facts of modern life is that we often don’t know what’s in our water. And some of the things we do know about, such as chlorine, are despised by plants.
Confined to pots, indoor plants have no way to escape tainted water, so it’s crucial to give them water that’s at least as good as the water you like to drink. If you filter your drinking water, filter the water you give your plants too. If you suspect that your tap water contains too much chlorine for plants, allow the water to sit out overnight, which gives chlorine and other chemicals time to escape as gas. If you make a habit of refilling the containers you use to water your plants each time you finish watering chores, gases will slowly escape and the water will be ready to use by the time your plants need watering again.
Some people like to collect rainwater for their plants, an ancient ritual worth repeating whenever it’s convenient. Or you can use melted snow, which often contains traces of beneficial micronutrients.
Most plants prefer “soft” water to “hard” water. Soft water contains very low amounts of calcium and magnesium salts, while hard water, which often flows through deposits of mineral-rich rock, contains high amounts of these elements. Many people who have very hard water utilize water softeners, which remove these mineral salts through filtration, magnetization, or a combination of processes. Water softened in these ways still contains high levels of salt, which leads to problems when it is used to water plants. In place of softened water, use water that is naturally soft, such as rainwater or bottled distilled water for your houseplants.
Regardless of its source, make sure water is at room temperature when you give it to your plants. Giving cold water to tropical plants chills their roots, which can cause them to rot.
June 12, 2007
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