If you have always wondered Is Distilled Water Good for Plants and can it be any better than normal, tap water, then you are at the right place! Let’s find out!
Being solvent, water dissolves everything into it, and this is the reason it doesn’t exist in its purest form. Purification removes impurities like harmful chemicals and minerals, making water absolutely healthy and safe for consumption for humans. But, Is Distilled Water Good for Plants too? Let’s find out!
Check out our article on carbonated water for plants here!
What is Distilled Water?
The process of distillation involves evaporation and condensation of water, where it is boiled and stored as condensed steam. This process removes impurities like colloidal particles and salts from water, though, it also eliminates some beneficial minerals.
Distilled water has several uses like filling batteries, humidifiers, steam irons, fish tanks, aquarium, watering plants, and sometimes for drinking.
How to Make Distilled Water at Home
- Take a pot of 4-5 gallons. Preferably stainless steel with a cover.
- Fill it half with tap water.
- Now, take a heatproof glass bowl and put it inside the pot, on a baking rack. The rack will ensure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the pot.
- Cover the pot with a stainless steel lid and put ice on it.
- Now, bring the water to boil and let it sit for 40-45 minutes. You will have to replace the ice many times in the process.
- The evaporated water inside the pan is going to hit the lid, and the cooled surface, because of the ice, is going to condense it, converting it back to the water, and it will drop back to the glass bowl as pure, distilled water.
Watering Plants with Distilled Water
If you’re a gardener, then you have heard about watering plants with distilled water as it is free from chemicals and minerals. This clean water is beneficial for all types of plants, mainly the indoor ones. However, distilled water is not inevitably excellent as compared to the normal water for the plant’s health.
Nowadays, due to widespread pollution, water mostly contains chemicals, pollutants, and other toxic impurities, though it also includes dissolved minerals, and many of them are useful for plants. The pollution is the main reason behind distillation.
Besides that, outdoor plants do not require distilled water unless the water is heavily polluted. To fight impurities, in most cases, regular plants have a defense mechanism. Therefore, they do not require distilled water.
In outdoor gardening, rain help in cleaning buildup impurities in the soil gathered from a tap or contaminated water. But in the case of indoor plants or greenhouse gardening, there is a considerable accumulation of contaminants that may harm the growth and yields. In such cases, the use of distilled or purified water is beneficial for plants’ health.
Check out our article on aquarium water for plants here!
Distilled Water for Hydroponics
In hydroponic culture, water is the main growing medium without any soil. The chances of chemical and mineral buildup increase rapidly. Using distilled water, in such conditions, can help your starved plants that are surviving in the absence of nutrients.
Also, check the pH level all the times, since hardness and pH affect the growth of hydroponic plants. The required pH range for hydroponics is between 5.8-6.4. Distilled water has a pH close to 7. Always check out the mineral content at the label before buying distilled water.
Have a look at some exciting Homemade Hydroponic Systems here!
Conclusion
Though you can water your plants using distilled water once a while, we don’t recommend using it on a regular basis as it is devoid of many necessary minerals. It is always a good idea to water your garden and plants using normal, tap water, for their best health!
