Viewing post #981472 by DogsNDaylilies

sooby said:

Potassium being a plant nutrient it is usually said to be less of a problem when watering with potassium softened water, than from the sodium ones. I've read that the amount of sodium depends on the hardness of the water (and therefore how much salt is needed to soften it, which makes sense to me). Either way, the process takes out calcium and magnesium, which are also plant nutrients.

That's good to know! I wondered about the potassium...knowing that it's a little better than salt helps ease the frustration of having to pay more. I believe it's required because it's better for the environment, which makes it more worth it to me, too. I just wish it weren't $20+/bag.

sooby said:
I did have houseplant problems with our water softener but that was perhaps largely to do with its salt level being inadvertently set too high, enough that we could taste it. Using sodium softened water outdoors can be a problem over time also because an accumulation damages the soil structure. Of course you can have too much potassium as well but in general it's supposed to be less harmful for plants since plants nutritionally need more potassium than sodium. Plants do vary in their salt tolerance and since softeners vary in their salt levels depending how adjusted and how hard the water, it seems likely we would each have different experiences quite apart from there being different softening systems.

I'm pretty sure the potassium chloride comes in at a point after the juncture to the water spigot. I'm pretty sure the water coming out of the hose is the hard 'city water'.