A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 How do I Soften my Water for House Plants?

I have semi-hard water and need to know what is the best way to soften it?? I have read somewhat about this, but am unsure which kind of liquid or powdered softening agent to get and where to get it?? another option is a 2&1/2 gallon bucket of water with a suspended cloth sack filled with 1 lb. of peat moss (not sure where to get this either)in it, and the peat moss draws the calcium out of the water. i live in an extremely rural area, and need some advice?? also, do ALL houseplants like softened water??? thanks!!

Alaska Girl,
I've never heard of softening water for plants, and am not sure it's a good idea. Most of the minerals that make water "hard" are required by plants. The minerals being dissolved in water is how they absorb them. Unless you have a large surplus of some mineral in the soil, I wouldn't think it necessary or even beneficial. Most water softening equipment uses salt. Excess salt in the soil would be a bigger problem, and in some western states, it is a very big problem.
Rick

The best water would be rainwater or melted snow (one way you could benefit from yellow snow). The salts that remain in softened water can accumulate and kill your plants. Second best solution would be water from a nearby creek or stream.

Here I am being a big know-it-all, Again! I'm thinking, Alaska Girl, that you have alot of available "fertilizer"
It contains nitrogen of course and actually it contains more of that now than it has in the past because of acid rain. The content of nitrogen and sulphur and some other elements has increased over the last several decades and has been considered a problem in terms of acidification of soils. But, in soils that we use for gardens and lawns, usually there's a shortage of nitrogen and that input can be helpful.

I agree with Rick and Danaus that softened water by commercial process is not good for house plants or garden and lawns because of excessive sodium [salt] content.

Is your municipal water/tap water chlorinated or fluouridated? This is not good for houseplant either. You can eliminate chlorine but not fluoride from the tap water by letting the water sit for a while.

But, you can certainly use peat or sphagnum moss to soften your semi-hard water (by the method you described in your post above) to lower pH and reduce but not eliminate the calcium [not sure about magnesium] contents, however, in doing so, you will also get tannic acid in the process. Are your houseplants acid loving plants?

You can buy dried Peat or Sphagnum moss in most garden centers/lawn & garden shops; the moss may have a range of pH less than 4 or pH less than 5.

We seem to be in agreement that softening agents are harmful to plants.

Hard water is high in mineral content; too high for good plant health. The nutrients and minerals that plants need should be in the soil, not in the water.

The amount of fluoride in normal drinking water is not high enough to cause problems for plants. However, perlite and superphosphate fertilizers are both potent sources of fluoride that should be avoided with fluoride sensitive plants, especially Dracaenas, spider plants and peace lilies.

Chlorine is also not generally an issue for plants in concentrations used in most drinking water. Chlorinated swimming pool water would be a problem.

Acid rain is a problem in certain areas of the country that are downwind from industrial areas that emit smokestack pollutants. It is devasting to local forests. If it is not a problem in your area, then collecting rainwater is a good source of water for plants. Filtered and distiled water are also good options.

I just LOVE IT

Weezie

P.S. Danaus29 you too girl!!!