Is it possible to water flowers with mineral water. Is it possible to water flowers with boiled water: benefits and harms, tips for caring for plants

Mineral water contains quite a large number of salts various elements and minerals necessary for a person to maintain health. So maybe they can also benefit plants, and should ordinary water used for irrigation be replaced with mineral water?

Consequences of using mineral water

Almost everyone, without exception, knows that the water for watering indoor plants must first be defended and the softer it is, the better the flowers feel. Mineral water is called mineral water because it contains increased content salts of various minerals, that is, inherently it is hard.

From a single watering with mineral water, flowers most likely will not get worse, unless such sensitive species as, for example, orchids. But if you use it constantly, then the soil in the pot begins to gradually become salted, and a white coating appears on its edges and the surface of the soil.
The calcium carbonates contained in mineral water can even be fatal for some plants. So, for example, widespread Anthuriums need to boil water for irrigation and then acidify it. Similar requirements for irrigation water for Azalea and Camellia, as well as for the entire Bromeliad family.

But there are also exceptions to this rule. For normal development certain types cacti require calcium. This element is necessary for them to form needles. They can occasionally be pampered with mineral water. But it should be used only well settled and without carbon dioxide.

What is the best water to use for irrigation

most water is better for watering domestic plants is considered thawed or rainwater. But often getting it in the city is very problematic. That is why tap water is mostly used. In principle, it is not so bad, but sometimes it has a rather high content of chlorine. And in large doses, it leads to poisoning of plants. You can correct the situation by settling or filtering.

Also, not mineral, but drinking water, which is very often sold in bottles of 5 liters, is very well suited for watering indoor plants. It is intended primarily for direct consumption or cooking, and therefore there are very few mineral salts in it.

But even better, according to connoisseurs, is to use water designed for use in office coolers. It is truly soft, as it is cleaned by osmosis or ion exchange resins.

Borjomi, in addition to all the useful properties, has one more - amazing. On the forums of indoor plant lovers, many flower growers advise to water their "pets" precisely Borjomi once a month.

We did a little research and here's what we found out (below are direct quotes from flower bloggers and prooflinks to source forums):

“I always water mineral water once a month, but natural, and not the one on baking soda in plastic bottles. And then you “pour it”, you won’t know why the leaves fall off. As they say expensive, but nice! So if you water it, then only Borjomi. I just trust her."

Olga. Forum « Practical Tips for flower care.

“Girls, I will not speak for everyone, I will speak for myself. When I water Borjomi (I agree, it’s expensive), it becomes clear that the plant seems to be coming out of hibernation (I first release gas from the water). But I don't water all the flowers. Only ficus, dracaena, cyperus, asparagus, syngonium and some types of ivy. Once, some of the leaves fell off my ficus Benjamin, and Borjomi was at home at that time. Well, I watered it - it turned out that the buds woke up and the flower somehow became more magnificent over time. I can’t say that this is from mineral water - but I water it just in case. ”

We continue to study opinions. Writes dannidaks:

“I wrote here a few posts ago about my drooping plant “fat woman” ... What I haven’t tried ... it’s withering ... the other day I asked my son to water the flowers, he was too lazy to get water and poured them with Borjomi mineral water ... The plant came to life. Now I’m thinking, why should I water Borjomi now?”

Forum "GARDENS AND GARDENS" ( prooflink:

Use water for watering plants only good quality. The acid-base composition must be neutral. It is desirable that the water does not contain such harmful impurities as chlorine, fluorine, salts. heavy metals. For example, pH drinking water varies from 6 to 9. The acidity of water or pH for watering flowers should be from 5.8 to 6.2. You can measure pH using special device. Increased either low acidity water can adversely affect the health of the flower and even lead to its death.

Low water hardness is another important indicator her qualities. Hardness is directly affected by the calcium and magnesium salts found in water. Do not use too hard water for irrigation. There are several ways to soften water. Firstly, before watering, it is desirable to defend the water for 1-2 days. Secondly, hard water should be boiled, then it will become softer. Thirdly, use melt or rain water for irrigation. Fourth, acidify the water with peat. In addition, you can acidify the water citric acid. Consumption: 4 grams per 10 liters of water. If funds allow, acidify the water with ascorbic acid. Fifth, water can be softened using various chemicals. Sixth, use a water filter that contains ion exchange resins or osmotic membranes.

There is an opinion that flowers should be watered with mineral water. It is erroneous. Mineral water contains carbon dioxide. But there is no more oxygen in it than in ordinary water. Need to buy not mineral water, and ordinary drinking water in five-liter bottles.

Some rules for watering flowers

If you don't know when to water your flowers, look at the surface of the soil. Dry soil indicates that the plant should be watered. Some plants grow well in dry soil. In this case, for irrigation, the earth must be dry, not only on the surface, but also somewhat deeper.

Water the flowers early in the morning or evening. Water plants more often in summer and less often in winter. Remember that each flower has an individual need for watering. For example, cyperus should grow in soil that is constantly waterlogged. And succulent plants, on the contrary, are practically not watered in winter.

Never water plants cold water, but only room temperature. Otherwise, the plants will get sick, their roots will rot, the buds will fall off, and so on. Use a watering can with a narrow spout for watering. With the help of such a spout it is convenient to get to the very roots of the flower. During irrigation, the water jet should be directed downwards. The liquid should fill the entire distance between the edge of the pot and the level of the soil. After watering, water should seep into the pan. If this does not happen, repeat watering again. Empty the tray after 30 minutes.

If you spray the plant, make sure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. Drops of water on the leaves are like small lenses. They will certainly cause a burn to the plant.

1. What water to water? How to soften water? Available means? Can you boil it? And who uses filters, is there any benefit?

Answer: Can filter water with a filter containing ion exchange resins or osmotic membranes, the result is excellent. But the process is long, and when you need to filter 15-20 liters in order to water all the flowers, it is simply painful. Plus - you need to regularly buy new filter cassettes, which, with intensive use, become clogged in a month and a half.

Boil water is also effective and also dreary. In addition, when boiling, air is removed from the water, which is not good for plants (the amount of dissolved oxygen is so small that it does not have any effect on the plant, unless, of course, it is flooded). Good snow water watering, although, of course, it is also a chore: the volume of snow is large, but little water is obtained. In addition, in the city a lot of burning and dirt settles on the snow, it is better to collect in the forest away from the tracks, which in itself is not always feasible.

In stores you can find a "decalcifier", i.e. " special agent to neutralize water hardness. As they write in the abstract, "binds calcium and magnesium salts (causing water hardness), softening water for watering plants." 500 ml - 85 rubles Most likely, this is a solution of sodium salt of EDTA, in any case, EDTA (Trilon B) can be used on the farm as an antiscale, but calcium dissolves, passes into the complex, but does not disappear.

About watering cold" hot water» . AT hot water softeners and inhibitors are indeed often added from CHPPs and boiler houses. However, it, this water, circulates in a closed cycle and does not enter the water supply system. Through a heat exchanger, it heats ordinary cold tap water, which flows hot from the tap. Those. Hot tap water has the same chemical composition as cold water. But there are two differences.

First: hot tap water is most often softer and contains less dissolved gases, since the solubility of hardness salts and gases decreases with increasing temperature.

Second: the solubility of everything else increases with increasing temperature. So if the hot water supply system is very old or, on the contrary, completely new, then the hot water may be more "rusty" because it will dissolve the iron salts that are found in old and very new pipes. In addition, hot water can sometimes have an unpleasant taste, which it receives from the plastic and rubber parts of the plumbing system (in residential buildings this almost never happens). This flavor does not affect chemical composition water.

Conclusion: in the vast majority of cases, if you live in a normal residential building, and your hot water is not rusty, it is better to defend it for irrigation. Taste, if present, can be ignored.

freezing water in the freezer can give a positive result in softening water only if it is properly frozen. If you just freeze the water, then all the salts are part of the ice, and when thawed, they again fall into the water. To obtain melt water, you must first, by freezing water, follow the process. Water does not freeze immediately, a certain amount of water remains, which then also freezes, but it is this water that does not freeze right away that is saturated saline solution, which has more low temperature freezing. If you have time to drain this unfrozen solution, then the melted ice will give melted, soft water. Otherwise, freezing is meaningless. Another thing is that there are different cities and ecology too. If someone's city water canal is hacking, then it's not worth arguing, it will turn out pointlessly. Hot water is not chlorinated. This is meaningless, because. it undergoes intensive boiling in boiler rooms, on the walls of which, by the way, harmful magnesium and calcium salts remain.

The only reliable softener cold water is the addition of oxalic and some other acids in the control of acidity. But we still need to defend against chlorine.

5. Is it possible or not to water the plants with boiled water?

Answer: It is necessary to look at what this particular plant growing in this particular pot in this particular soil will do more harm - from watering with unboiled water (hard, chlorinated, etc.), or from watering boiled water (no air, hardness decreases, but maybe not quite, etc.). There are plants that are very sensitive to calcium salts. There are plants, on the contrary, loving calcium. There are other plants. There are other water softening methods. In general, hard water harms what? The fact that the soil quickly becomes saline. The same result can be "achieved" by too inept and frequent top dressing. Each grower has his own opinion on this subject, due to the fact that more is available to him. You have to watch how the plant reacts and act accordingly.

Breeding indoor plants is a real art. Have you noticed that for some, any flower grows and begins to bloom in just a few months, while for the other it sits for years without leaving the ground, gray, boring. The growth and development of indoor plants depend on many factors, soil moisture plays an important role. Today we’ll talk about whether it is possible to water flowers with boiled water, and also discuss other subtleties and secrets.

In the garden and in the pot

Water for indoor plants must have certain parameters. The fact is that in nature it goes through a series of natural filters. It evaporates and then falls out as rain. After that, it is filtered through a layer of sand, warmed up and absorbed by the roots of plants. When we talk about indoor pot, but here everything is quite different. The roots occupy almost completely free space, and the owner periodically pours a small amount of water, which ensures the dissolution of the microelements contained in the soil.

Main settings

It is logical to assume that the requirements for water used for watering indoor plants are much more serious. It should be soft and slightly acidic, contain oxygen, macro- and microelements. There is the concept of hardness, which in everyday life usually means the concentration of magnesium and calcium ions. Of course, it is better to water the plants with salt-free water. It is known that boiling somewhat reduces the concentration of harmful substances. Therefore, the question arises as to whether it is possible to water the flowers with boiled water.

What are the advantages of the procedure

There is no unequivocal opinion among flower growers. Some believe that such a measure is fully justified. Others, on the contrary, say that boiling kills everything. beneficial features water. As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle. The main advantage is that during the boiling process, calcium and magnesium salts settle on the kettle. If the plant is very sensitive to them, then this procedure is recommended. But in most cases, speaking about whether it is possible to water the flowers with boiled water, agricultural technicians still answer in the negative. There are other ways that allow you to soften it, but at the same time retain all the benefits of life-giving moisture. In addition to magnesium and calcium salts, boiling neutralizes contaminants such as manganese and iron. Plants die from them pretty quickly. But the sensitivity of each individual plant will be different.

Minuses

Speaking about whether it is possible to water flowers with boiled water, we are faced with the need to evaluate the pros and cons of this procedure, as well as the individual needs of each plant. Boiling significantly softens the life-giving moisture, but impoverishes the content of trace elements. In addition, during the heating process, almost all oxygen evaporates. Therefore, you need to weigh well and think about what is more important for your plant.

Delicate violet

She is loved by many women. This is an amazing creature that willingly pleases us with its charming whisks. And how many varieties there are, they simply cannot be listed. She willingly forgives the housewives many miscalculations in care, but at the same time she is very demanding on the timely moistening of the soil. But speaking about whether it is possible to water violet flowers with boiled water, it is worth asking the opinions of experienced flower growers. Most of the recommendations are that it does not need to be boiled. Moreover, it negatively affects plant health. All useful trace elements are destroyed in it, and the flower will starve.

Perfect option

Tap water is bad choice. It contains impurities and salts of heavy metals. In addition, it contains a lot of volatile chlorine. To neutralize it, just pour water into a jar or bottle and let stand for a day. With calcium, magnesium and iron salts, this procedure will not do anything, however, the liquid will become quite acceptable for violets. There is one secret that will allow you to grow these flowers lush and beautiful. Do not pour water under the root or spray the plants. It is much better to take a pallet and lay it out with rounded pebbles. Now it remains to pour water into it - and the first part of the work is completed. You will need a fairly thick synthetic-backed rope so that it doesn't rot too quickly. Pass it through the drainage hole and pull it through the entire thickness of the soil. Leave the tail peeking out. He will be saturated with liquid from the pan.

Heaven's Gift

When you are faced with a dilemma, is it possible to water indoor flowers with boiled water, or is it better to use tap water, then you get a choice of two evils. Of course, it is best to choose less, but there is no definite answer here, it all depends on the particular plant and its needs. Therefore, you can simply choose the third option. This can be rain water. Collect it when it's raining for the second day in a row. This rule only applies to urban conditions, since on the first day all harmful substances that got into the clouds. Experienced Specialists note that when watered with rainwater, the quality and duration of flowering in begonias, pelargoniums, cyclamen and many others increase.

Melt water

Continuing to consider what water to water houseplants, it would be nice to recall another popular recommendation. Namely, to freeze water, after which it is divided into pure ice with a minimum of impurities and a concentrate of salts and chemical compounds. It is drained, and the ice is melted. It turns out a very soft and fairly clean liquid. Nature itself tells us this option. In fields where there is a lot of melt water, always better harvest. It can also be obtained in a conventional freezer, because we are talking about indoor plants, and not about a garden. Do not forget that, living in a large industrial center, you cannot count on complete cleansing water by simple freezing. The percentage of salt content will decrease, but it will still be high.

Filtered and settled

This is the best way for those who do not know what water to water indoor flowers in the city. Filters retain salts of heavy metals. This method has one drawback, you will have to change the cassettes quite often. Standard filter cassette home use enough for a month. That is, it will need to be changed after 3 weeks. As a result, we come to the conclusion that defending water will be the most simple option. To do this, you need to allocate 2-3 bottles or cans. Fill them with water and put them in a warm place. The chlorine will evaporate around the second day, and you will be able to water your houseplants. This is the most affordable and commonly used option.

Distilled water

It does not contain many trace elements necessary for plants. Therefore, it can only be used by diluting half with tap water. It is for this reason that it is taken quite rarely. But if the plant suffers greatly from hard water, then this option will be fully justified. Especially calcium and magnesium salts do not like orchids, bromeliads, anthurium, azalea and other beautiful flowering plants. But instead of distilled, you can use boiled water, you will not lose anything.

Instead of a conclusion

As you can see, it is very difficult to answer the question of what water to water indoor flowers, boiled or running. Neither method is perfect. You have to start from what given plant that grows in a particular pot will do less harm. From watering with hard and chlorinated water or boiled water, in which there is no oxygen. There are plants that love calcium salts, and vice versa, which do not tolerate it. You have to watch how the plant reacts.