Q.Is My Well Water Acceptable To Use For Gardening?
My well water, before the softener, has a pH of about 8.3 and dissolved solids of about 330 ppm. The first year I watered with softened water water stupidly, and hope that is flushed now coming up on third spring.
My perennials are puny and do not flower very much. Assuming all other factors are being properly addressed, can this water be used to water perennial beds and straw-bail vegetable gardens?
Thank you for any insight in advance.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
The problem is that well water can have contaminants and should not be used on edibles. You can buy a kit to test the water quality. (You may have done that.) The pH is on the high side of alkaline and is above the preferred range for most plants and edibles. You are right not to use softened water for plants because of the high salt content.
It's OK to use the water on ornamentals, but even they can suffer if the quality is not good.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/watering/testing-water-for-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
