How much water do plants really need – and above all: what water? Read here why tap water is not the best choice.
There are many tips and tricks to ensure that house and garden plants can grow well.
Proper care starts with proper watering. For example, it is better to water flowers etc. in high temperatures either in the morning or in the evening.
This means that the water evaporates more slowly than during the midday heat, leaving more for the plant.
Equally important is not just when, but what you water your plants with. Contrary to what many laypeople believe, conventional tap water is not sufficient for most plants and in most cases even causes them to die.
Instead, experts from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) recommend using rainwater. Not only is it free, but it has numerous other advantages.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, only very few plants common in Germany can tolerate tap water because it is too hard and contains lime.
The poisonous oleander is one of the exceptions; Flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons or geraniums would suffer considerable damage.
If sensitive plants are regularly watered with tap water, they can die if the lime content is too high, explains the Rhineland-Palatinate Garden Academy.
Iron and magnesium are held in the substrate (soil, growing media, etc.) and can therefore no longer be absorbed by the plant. You can usually recognize the affected plants by signs of deficiency, such as lightened leaves or a thin layer of lime that settles on the surface of the soil.
In addition, tap water often contains germicidal additives that harm plants.
The fact that rainwater is better applies not only to flowers, shrubs and trees that grow in the garden, but also to houseplants.
The best way to collect rainwater is to use a rain barrel. During showers or storms, the water collects in it and all you have to do is let it run through a small tap into a watering can.
You can find suitable products in every hardware store and plant specialist store.
To ensure that no leaves, beetles or objects end up in the bin, we also recommend an inexpensive collecting net that you simply stretch over the opening.
The original for this article “It’s not tap water! You should rather water your plants with it” comes from chip.de.
