Which Water Is the Best for Your Plants?
Do you worry about under or overwatering your plants? What about the water that you give to your plants? Is tap water the best water for plants, or should you use distilled water instead?
Let us take a quick look at the various water options that you have. Knowing this is important because not all the types of water offer the same results. And some of them could even be harmful to your plants.
Are you aware that the components of the water impact your plants? Please go through this article and understand the best water for plants.
The article lets you differentiate between the waters based on their characteristics so that your plants stay healthy and look great.
10 Best Water For Plants
1. Tap Water
Tap water is fine for most plants. However, some plants are sensitive to tap water and get damaged because of their chemicals. Tap water contains chlorine and chloramine that could damage some plants easily if your plant is highly sensitive.
2. Distilled Water
So is distilled water the best water for plants? Before we talk about that, let us find out the process of manufacturing distilled water.
Water that is boiled and has all the contaminants from it removed and is called distilled water. The pure water is boiled and turns to steam, which is collected, and this becomes your distilled water.
Distillation removes heavy metals and contaminants from water. However, it also removes the healthy minerals from the water.
So yes, while distilled water does not contain the contaminants that could harm your plants’ it also removes the good minerals from water which is essential for growing a healthy plant.
This makes the distilled water unfit for the plant’s growth and can’t be named as the best water for plants.
3. Rainwater
Rainwater contains many minerals that are essential for the growth of plants. It makes your plants healthy and bigger. Be it your houseplants or wild plants; this natural water source does stand out to be the best water for plants.
4. Water from fish tank
Water from the aquarium also stands out as the best water for plants, even though it may not be as good as rainwater.
Fish tank water is your tap water from which you have removed the bad stuff and added some amount of animal waste, which acts as a fertilizer and then uses it in your plants. And do not worry, aquarium water does not smell bad.
5. Spring Water
Coming close to rainwater is spring water that stands second in the best water list for plants. Spring water has got from natural resources and is similar to rainwater, and thus it to do not contain any added chemicals.
Spring Water lets your plants to flourish. However, if you decide to use spring water, you get it from the natural sources only and not the bottled water variety.
6. R/O Water
Reverse osmosis or R/O is a technique that removes impurities and minerals from water. When water goes through the reverse osmosis process, this removes the heavy metals, salts, and chloramine from water.
This water is favored by many to water their plants. Some prefer it because it does not contain the chemicals that could react with the plant fertilizers.
However, since the water does not contain any nutrients, you would have to add fertilizers that make up for the water’s loss of nutrients.
7. R/O Wastewater
If you are thinking about using R/O wastewater to water your plants, stop right away. R/O wastewater contains the chemicals that are removed from your R/O water.
It is rich in heavy metals, salts, chloramine, and all the bad stuff, which plants do not prefer. Yes, it contains good chemicals, but these are concentrated and not the best water for plants.
8. Softened Water
The area that you stay in may have a supply of hard water. You may be tempted to add a water softener to it to use it to water your plants.
However, that is not the right approach so refrain from doing this. The salts added to soften the water are not suitable for your plants, which could hinder your plants’ growth and health.
Ensure that the water you use to water the plants is not chlorinated or hard because it would leave a residue on the leaves of your plant. It, in turn, causes fungal problems that could be fatal for your plant.
9. Water high on salt or sugar
Do not add water that is high in sugar or salt because it will only spoil your plant. If you notice a white crust built on the top of the soil, then this is a clear indication that the water you used for your plant is high on sodium.
This isn’t good for your plants. Sugar, too, is not good because it attracts bugs and makes your plant a breeding site for molds.
10. Temperature of Water
Is the temperature of the water right that you use for your plants? This doubt would linger in your mind. Do not spray water that is too hot or too cold on your plants.
The best water for plants is the water that is of room temperature. You can use a thermometer to check the water temperature. If the water is too hot, then it will cause the plant to stress.
Conclusion
Dousing your plant with any water does not work. To choose the best water for plants, you need to understand your plant and then select the water.
It would be best to put in the same effort you put into choosing the water you put on your body. If you want your plants to thrive and grow healthy, along with the right quantity of water, you need to be careful to understand the best water for plants.