Water houseplants with mineral water - what it really brings

Created: 12/25/2022, 9:00 am

By: Ines Alms

Tap water is often not ideal for indoor plants, so wouldn't mineral water be the best alternative?

It has its advantages, but it is also expensive.

For most plants, rainwater is the crowning glory of irrigation – but that is often not available, especially not without a garden.

If you only want the best for your houseplants, you might consider using mineral water instead, which contains valuable ingredients.

However, it is questionable whether these are as useful as they cost.

And does carbon dioxide possibly harm the plants?

Water houseplants with mineral water: no substitute for fertilizer

Indoor plants look forward to a splash of mineral water when watering.

©Panthermedia/Imago

In order to supply the indoor plants with nutrients, they are usually fertilized because the ingredients in the tap water are not sufficient.

In many areas of Germany with high water hardness, the latter contains a lot of lime, which many plants do not like.

Mineral water is an alternative here.

Mineral water contains magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium, which are well dissolved and therefore quickly available for the roots.

According to the

portal  , magnesium is beneficial for plant growth.

The potassium contained in the water makes the plants more resistant to drought, cold and diseases.

The calcium allows the roots to grow vigorously.

Substances such as sodium and chloride, on the other hand, increase the salt content of the irrigation water and, in excessive concentrations, prevent the roots from absorbing water, explains the

portal .

The minerals often also make the water harder, so that it is not necessarily better than tap water in this respect.

In addition, the plants need a lot of nitrogen and phosphate for growth and flowering, which is not sufficiently available in mineral water.

So it is not a substitute for fertilizer.

You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter of our partner 24garten.de.

Pour houseplants with mineral water: carbonic acid does no harm

However, whether you choose still or sparkling water does not make much difference to the well-being of the plants.

According to the portal

, the roots can absorb nutrients even better thanks to the carbonic acid.

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In short, mineral water leftovers can be used to water houseplants if you don't pour every residue straight into the flower pot - very few plants like too much water at once and certainly not waterlogging.

As the sole irrigation water, however, it is a luxury good.

If you want to save on fertilizer, you can use home remedies such as coffee grounds and black tea, which contain the valuable nutrients nitrogen, potassium and phosphate.