Can you water your garden with softened water?

In this blog, you’ll find out whether rainwater, tap water or softened water is best for your garden, and whether you’re actually allowed to use softened water for watering. Do you have a water softener And are you wondering whether you can just carry on watering as you usually do, or whether you need to make any changes? You can find out below.

Is rainwater the best water for your garden?

In the wild, plants, shrubs and trees usually receive only rainwater, which they draw up from the soil through their roots. Rainwater contains virtually no salts or minerals, as these are left behind during evaporation. That is why it is often recommended to water pot plants with rainwater wherever possible, for example rainwater collected in a rain barrel.

So is softened tap water actually good for your plants?

No, and that is an obvious misunderstanding. Rainwater has a hardness of around 0dH, which is precisely the level a water softener aims to achieve. However, softened tap water is fundamentally different in composition to rainwater, and is therefore not a good alternative for watering your garden.

What changes in the water when you soften it?

During water softening, the minerals calcium and magnesium are removed from the water and replaced by the mineral sodium. One mineral is therefore exchanged for another, rather than the water simply becoming lower in mineral content, as is the case with rainwater. Watering with softened water therefore simply costs water softening salt, without it doing your plants any good.

How do you water your garden with untreated water?

Don’t have any rainwater to hand, but still don’t want to use softened water for watering? Every water softener from Mooiwater has a built-in bypass – a tap that allows you to temporarily bypass the softener. Turn the bypass a quarter turn, and you’ll immediately have your old, unsoftened tap water available again, without having to disconnect the water softener. Water your garden as usual, and then return the bypass to its original position. If you forget to do this, the rest of your house will also be supplied with hard water.