Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand March/April 2019 | Page 46

Hard or Soft:
KNOW YOUR GARDEN
WATER
by Bryan Traficante & Wiley Geren
Not all water is the same and what type of water — whether
hard or soft — is flowing through the pipes in your house might
be impacting how well or poorly your garden is doing.
o you know what type of water is flowing through your house and hose spigot? If you
don’t, it’s easy to figure out. Next time you take a shower, pay attention to how your skin
D
feels afterwards. Do you feel slippery, or do you feel squeaky? If you feel slippery, then you
have soft water. If you feel squeaky, then you have hard water. Does hard or soft water make
a difference to your garden plants? As part of a plant’s holy trinity — water, sun, soil — you
need to know what kind of water you are using. If you have been having a tough time getting
anything to grow in your garden and have checked your soil and sun, then the problem
could be your water. But what is the difference between hard water and soft water?
HARD WATER
No, hard water doesn’t mean it’s mixed with alcohol. Hard water is comprised
of dissolved minerals – the majority of which are calcium (Ca), magne-
sium (Mg), and lime. Unless you have a water softening system,
hard water (to varying degrees of hardness) is the standard
type that flows through public and private systems.
Once again, there is an easy way to tell if you have
hard water. If, over time, white/pink scum builds
up on your household fixtures (sinks, bathtubs,
toilets, etc.), then you have hard water. Those
buildups are caused by the minerals slowly
collecting. However, that does not mean
hard water is bad for you or your garden.
SOFT WATER
Soft water is treated, or softened, with
sodium which removes the minerals.
That’s why your skin feels slippery
after showering with soft water and
why glassware looks cleaner after
washing with it. The minerals that
build up on your skin have been
removed, so there’s nothing to
wipe off. To remove the minerals,
water is treated with sodium in
a system usually set up some-
where within your residence.
46
Maximum Yield