Is rainwater better for my garden than soft or hard tap water?

In the wild, plants, shrubs and trees usually obtain their water solely from rainwater, which they draw up from the soil through their roots. If the vegetation is situated near a stream, a spring or, for example, the sea, it can also obtain its water in other ways.

As most vegetation depends on rainwater, it stands to reason that this is the best water a tree, shrub or plant can receive. It is not without good reason that it is recommended to water your pot plants with rainwater wherever possible, for example by collecting it in a rain barrel. In principle, rainwater contains no salts or minerals, as these are left behind during evaporation. Its hardness is close to a dH value of 0. You might now think that this means softened water is also perfect for your garden. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

During the water-softening process, the minerals magnesium and calcium are removed from the water and the mineral sodium is added. One mineral has therefore been replaced by another, and the composition of softened water is thus fundamentally different from that of rainwater. Watering with softened water therefore costs water softening salt and it doesn’t do any good. If you don’t have any rainwater to hand, just water the plants with tap water that hasn’t been softened.

Water softener on the bypass

With Mooiwater water softeners, you can simply turn the bypass valve a quarter turn and you’ll immediately have your old (unsoftened) tap water available. After watering, turn the bypass valve back a quarter turn. It’s a piece of cake.

See also: How does the water softener’s bypass work?