It’s that time of year when homeowners begin standing outside with hoses, anxious to bring their lawns back to life after the brutal winter conditions.
We get frantic and do everything, fertilize, aerate, and even murmur a prayer to the lawn gods, but nothing works. At this point, even watering becomes a contributing factor to your lawn’s misery.
Your hunch might be valid. Water could be the source of your distress. You recently put a water softening unit on your property because you were sick of all the problems that hard water was throwing you.
But have you ever thought, “Will the water softener water damage the grass?” We’ll go over all there is to know about softened water on lawns in this article.
Contents
About soft water
To be honest, we don’t spend much time thinking about the underlying differences in water since water is water for most of us.
However, knowing water will be the key to unlocking its full potential when it comes to watering your grass. You’ve probably heard of soft water but never really understood it.
Water softening is the technique of removing minerals from hard water and replacing them with sodium ions. As a result, softened water contains only one nutrient, salt.
Hard water is bad for indoors use because its minerals block your shower head and sink, causing your equipment to perform less efficiently. However, minerals are removed from hard water by using a water softener.
Will the water softener water damage the grass?
Now that we know what softened water is let us see if it affects our lawn. Softened water is a lifesaver for many homeowners, especially those who live in areas with a high concentration of ‘hard water.’
It is shown to be more useful indoors, sparing us the stress of using more soap and detergents to clean things, and in times of drought, most of us use it on our lawns.
Some will say that rainwater is likewise soft water and is the best for your lawn; however, they fail to recognize the distinction between soft water and softened water. Rainwater, unlike softened water, contains no salt residues.
Because of the salt, the softened water is undesirable for your lawn. Salt may accumulate in your soil bed, preventing nutrients and water from reaching your grass root systems.
However, employing water softener on your lawn necessitates a thorough study of your soil, determining your grass types and weather.
Clay soil is the most vulnerable to softened water since the salts break down the soil structure, creating dryness in the soil quality and rendering it incapable of supporting your lawn. On the other hand, well-drained soil can handle some softening water.
Learn about your grass; some types of lawn grass are more resistant to salt than others, and when you limit watering your lawn with softened water to infrequent watering to aid your grass survive the dry season, no harm will come to your lawn; the sodium ions will not harm your lawn.
In locations with regular rainfall, utilizing softened water will not harm your grass because the rain will “rinse” the salt in the soil.
Having this in mind, note that too much sodium for your lawn is dangerous. I know you’re frightened now, wondering what you should do if the damage has already been done.
See also: Does watering in the sun scorch grass?
Correcting a lawn damaged with softened water
Suppose you’ve been using softened water for a while and are now noticing damage to your lawn. There is a technique to reverse the consequences, so not all hope is lost. When your plants become dehydrated due to much salt, you should first stop watering them with softened water.
Get the correct type of water for your grass; rainwater is ideal. It will aid in the recovery of your lawn’s health, but it may take some time for your grass to recover from the harm, so be patient. Continue to water your grass with rainwater to wash out the sodium concentration in the soil while ensuring appropriate drainage.
See also: How long does it take for grass to grow after rain
The goal is to dissolve as much salt as possible. You can also achieve this by applying potassium-based fertilizer to your lawn. Potassium will mitigate the impacts of sodium ions while improving the overall health of your lawn.
Homemade dandelion killer that won’t kill grass
Is there an alternative for softened water?
There are other ways to get your lawn a proper refreshment. You don’t have to worry about using softened water on your lawn, even if you have a water softener installed in your household.
Purchase a salt-free water softener
This softener is long-lasting, environmentally friendly, and will save you money on your utility bill as you continue to use the softened water on your lawns.
Meanwhile, another option for softened water is dechlorinated tap water. Tap water contains a high concentration of chlorine, which is obvious from the strong smell of chlorine. So, the best option is to let your tap water dechlorinate for a few days.
Alternatively, the best thing to do is keep water out of the softener. Because you want to avoid softening water, you should think about adding a bypass valve. The valve ensures that the water does not bypass the softening treatment. Get a professional to connect this valve to an outside tap, but don’t drink the water.
Rainwater is an excellent option for watering your grass. Kudos for being able to store rainwater. Rainwater is naturally soft water that is ideal for growing plants. For a healthy lawn in the future, store it in a plastic bucket.
Water is a key ingredient to a healthy lawn. Water is not merely water; providing your grass with proper water puts you closer to the lawn of your desires. Many homeowners have installed water softening systems in their houses, which is beneficial since the water is safe to use indoors.
Most people don’t realize that using too much soft water might harm your lawn. Hopefully, this post has answered the question, “Will the water softener water damage the grass?” Grasp that ‘troubled waters’ is bad for your lawn
