Just had a whole house water softener installed and a drinking spout that makes basically alkaline water. Is it ok to use either of these for watering soil plants? I know the alkaline will need to be ph balanced for sure but wasn't sure if I'd have issues with either of these for watering.
Yeah I've been MIA for a bit but hoping to get back here more often in the next few weeks when I start growing again...
Yeah I've been MIA for a bit but hoping to get back here more often in the next few weeks when I start growing again...
Cheers Witchy luv, good thing you did!
DCAT-- let's make double sure, mate... is this the ion exchange type softener that Itisi mentioned? As in the type you need all that salt for? If so, then that water is not good for any plant... What happens is, the ion exchange beads preferentially bind the CaCO3 to themselves, but in doing so, release an Na+ ion from the bead surface in exchange,... this results in technically softer water (lower mineral content), but adds that damn Na+ into it instead! Too much Na+ is toxic to plants, and will build up and kill them eventually,... The salt is used to make a strong brine solution which is washed over the beads during the recharge process; under those conditions, this reverses the binding preference by brute force of concentration, stripping off the CaCO3 and binding the Na+ again,... then when regular water goes through again, the softening process continues...
