"Stephen Henning" wrote in message
news
"imbsysop" wrote:

wrote:
Anything you use in a softener will hurt your plants.
The chemicals used in them are all soluble salts, the same as
fertilizer.

Not all salts created by fertilizer are water soluble. And, what comes
out of a softener is not what you put in the softener. Water softeners
use ion exchange resins that take out calcium and magnesium ions and
replace them with sodium ions. The calcium and magnesium is combined
with the chlorine and discharged into a drain as calcium chloride and
magnesium chloride.

1) Softened water is not recommended for watering house plants, lawns
and gardens due to its sodium content;
2) water used in recharging a water softener may over load or reduce the
effectiveness of small septic or sewer systems;
3) there may be health risks from sodium intake;
4) softened water is not recommended for steam irons or evaporative
coolers. The best choice for such appliances is distilled water or water
from a reverse osmosis unit.

In potted plants, this is a serious problem since the sodium ions build
up and form salts which are toxic to many plants. It is best to use
naturally soft water for plants in containers.

When watering potted plants it is best to water from the top and to
discard the water that comes out the bottom drain hole.

This is all true, but it ignores my point about using potassium chloride
instead of sodium chloride. As far as I can tell, potassium is a required
nutrient for people and plants. People who have sodium sensitivities can
use potassium chloride in their softeners. My question is if the potassium
used in a softener would be beneficial, harmful, or neutral in relation to
the health of your plants.