If you’re like most people, you probably think of Brita filtered water as a way to drink healthier, cleaner water. But did you know that it’s also great for your plants?
Brita filter water is generally good for plants because it removes chlorine and other harsh chemicals that may stress them. Brita filters also remove heavy metals, such as mercury or lead, that are toxic to plants. Providing clean water to your plants makes it easier for them to absorb and use it.
This article discusses if Brita filter water is good for plants and also explores how the water is good for plants. We also explore how you can water your plants with a Brita water filter, and the nutrients a plant needs.
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Table of Contents
What Are the Harmful Elements That Brita Filter Removes?
Brita water filters remove chemicals and heavy metals that may be present in your tap water. These chemicals may include chlorine or hydrogen sulfide. The heavy metals that Brita removes include mercury, lead, and arsenic. As a result, you get healthier, better-tasting water.
Brita filters are a lifesaver. They come in small packages, but they do an amazing job of cleansing your water. It removes many chemicals as well as heavy metals. The contaminants in your water may make it taste bad, or they could even poison you.
Heavy Metals: Brita water filters help to remove excessive heavy metals that may be present in your water. In fact, if your water tastes metallic, it may be a sign that your water may have high levels of metals.
Common metal elements in the pipe and municipal water supply include manganese, zinc, lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and copper. These metals may come from water pipes and storage tanks, or the water was contaminated by rusted pipes.
Brita’s filters remove these metallic contents using activated carbon and ion exchange resin. The activated carbon and resin act like a magnet, attracting the metallic content from the water. This process eventually removes the metal from your water.
Chemicals: Brita water filters remove chemicals that may cause your water to taste and smell off, such as chlorine and hydrogen sulfide.
Chlorine is regularly added to disinfect drinking water in municipal plants. However, they may sometimes cause your water to smell and taste a little odd. One of the signs of high chlorine content in your water is if the taste reminds you of a swimming pool.
If your water has the smell of rotten eggs, you may have hydrogen sulfide in it. The gas may have dissolved in the water and somehow made its way to you. If your stomach is not used to water with hydrogen sulfide, you may likely get diarrhea if you drink the water.
With Brita filters, chemicals are removed using activated carbon filters. These filters are usually made of coconut shell activated carbon. They can help remove a large number of chemicals from your water.
For the complete list of contaminants that Brita filters remove, read my article.
What Nutrients Do Plants Need?
Plants need a range of micro and macronutrients to thrive, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, and calcium. Different species of plants may need different levels of these nutrients to thrive.
Generally, plants need a combination of micro and macronutrients to thrive and do well. However, different plants may need different nutrients at different levels.
The following list is a general guide for all plants.
Nitrogen: Plants can’t use nitrogen gas directly, but they can use nitrate, which is a derivative of nitrogen gas. It helps the plants to grow great, beautiful leaves. Nitrate not only assists the plant in producing chlorophyll but also allows for better photosynthesis which overall leads to a healthier plant.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is responsible for helping plants grow strong roots and flowers. This, in turn, helps plants to withstand harsh weather such as storms and winter. Intense flowering may also help with pollination.
Potassium: Potassium adds strength to plants. It also helps the plants to grow earlier and retain water. A high potassium level protects plants from succumbing to diseases and insect pests.
Magnesium: Magnesium helps plants to produce chlorophyll, which gives your plant intense, green color. High chlorophyll means better photosynthesis and a strong, thriving plant.
Sulfur: Sulfur helps plants to fight diseases, grow well, and produce strong seeds.
Calcium: Calcium helps in the growth and development of cell walls. Good cell walls help plants to resist disease. It also helps plants to have good metabolism, growth, and nitrogen uptake.
Is Brita Filter Water Good for Plants?
Brita filter water is good for plants because it removes toxic metals and chemicals while allowing many essential nutrients to pass through. This lightens the burden of your plants to filter these toxic materials and prevents them from being exposed to toxic chemicals and metals.
There are three reasons to trust that Brita filtered water is good for your plants.
- It removes toxic chemicals.
- It removes heavy metals that may poison the plants.
- Brita filters do not strip all of the healthy nutrients your plants need to grow.
1 – Removes toxic chemicals
Brita filter water is good for plants because it removes many of the chemicals that may be toxic to your plant. Chlorine in tap water can harm your plants, as it kills the bacteria and good microorganisms your plants need. Chlorine also may damage your plant’s roots.
Brita’s water filter is designed to remove most of the chlorine in your tap water. This means if you water your plants with Brita water, your plants will be protected from chlorine and other toxic chemicals.
2 – Removes heavy metals
Brita water filter is also good for your plants because it removes many heavy metals that may poison them or inhibit their metabolic activity. Heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, or cadmium are poisonous to plants.
Brita water filter uses ion exchange technology to attract these metals and separate them from your water. By watering your plants with Brita filtered water, you can avoid exposing them to heavy metals.
3 – Allows nutrients to pass through
Brita water filters are specially designed to remove heavy metals and toxic chemicals from your water, leaving you with cleaner, healthier drinking water. However, they do not remove many dissolved minerals from the water. The dissolved minerals that are present in water are generally healthy for us and good for plants.
These dissolved minerals and nutrients include phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and many more. They are essential for plant growth and can help plants grow more leaves, have stronger roots, and resist disease.
This means if you water your plants with Brita filter water, you will be able to provide cleaner water with good nutrients for your plant. This ensures your plant will grow well and thrive.
How to Water Your Plants with Brita Filter Water?
When watering your plants with Brita filter water, start by deep watering the soil about several inches deep. You also want to ensure the water is at room temperature to avoid shocking the plant. Finally, consider watering in the morning to help the plant absorb the moisture before the sun comes out.
You can water your plants according to your usual schedule when using Brita-filtered water. If your plant does not need a lot of water, you can water less frequently. If your plant is thirsty, water more.
To tell if your plant needs water, push your finger into the soil around your plant, about 1 – 2 inches deep. If the soil feels dry, you need to water the plant. If not, you may consider watering lightly or not at all.
When watering your plants, make sure to drench the soil so that the water will reach a few inches deep. This gives the plant more time and space to absorb the moisture. Deep watering also helps plants grow deep roots, making them stronger against disease and pests.
It is best to avoid using cold or hot water filtered through a Brita when watering your plants – instead, use water that is room temperature. Cold water may shock and stunt the plant’s growth. Hot water may scald and damage the roots.
Lastly, consider watering the plant in the morning. This allows the plants to absorb the water and prepare to face the sun when it comes out later.
Not to mention, the sun will also get rid of any left-over moisture in the ground, keeping it drier. If the ground is dry, there is less of a chance for your plant to develop an infection from bacteria or fungi.
Final Take
To sum it up, Brita filter water is good for plants because it cleans the water of chlorine and heavy metals. The filter technology used in their filters does not remove the nutrients that are present in your water. These nutrients are essential for plant growth. When watering your plants with Brita filtered water, make sure to deep water the soil and avoid using cold or hot water.