While distilled water won't actually harm your plants, you will notice that your plants won't grow as quickly or as tall as plants watered with rainwater or bottled spring water. Some people have also suggested adding Epsom salts to grow plants faster, though there's no proof that this helps your plants either.
Distilled water is soft water without the trace amounts of sodium left by a mechanical softener. Using distilled water for indoor plants provides a safe and impurity-free source of irrigation that can prevent any toxicity from chemical or mineral buildup. It's also free of contaminants like bacteria.
Distilled water is healthy for your houseplants because it's free from chemicals, metals, and other impurities. But—distilled water also eliminates beneficial minerals, so your plants won't grow as quickly as with rainwater or filtered water.
Springwater is the best option for most plants. It's clean and doesn't contain any chemicals that the water from your tap has, but at the same time, it is enriched with minerals. However, springwater might be challenging to get, so that it might be substituted with rainwater.
Pro: Bottled water can be a great alternative to tap water, if the local water is not safe for plants. If bottled water is the easiest option for you, try to use bottled spring water as it contains natural minerals that help plants grow.
Bacterial growth occurs in noncarbonated natural mineral waters a few days after filling and storage at room temperature, a phenomenon known for more than 40 years.
Distilled water is wonderful for your plants, maybe even the best water for indoor plants, as this water is free of impurities. No impurities, no buildup. Plants that are sensitive to tap water will thrive with distilled water. You can purchase it in most stores or even make it at home.
Results: The rainwater and bottled spring water are great at helping plants grow, but the sugar water and salt water actually hurt growing plants. Tap water and distilled water may not hurt the plants, but you'll notice they don't grow as tall and proud as the plants that were fed rain and spring water.
While both water sources should allow the plants to grow, the findings should be that the bottled water will provide more nutrients to the plants than the tap water.
Run your sink into a watering can, cup, or bucket, and let it sit for a good 24 hours. This will allow chemicals like chlorine and fluoride the time to evaporate from the water. We like to have a full watering can ready to go with still water so that if our soil seems dry, we can water our plant without waiting a day.
As the theory goes, soaking banana peels releases nutrients like potassium and calcium into the water, which creates an inexpensive, homemade liquid fertilizer.
Best Water for Houseplants
Most tap water should be fine for houseplants unless it is softened because softened water contains salts that can build up in the soil over time and cause problems. Chlorinated water is also safe for most houseplants, but if you have a filtration system, that's much better for your plants.
Water Slowly
If the soil surface is dry, water may puddle or run off and not be absorbed. The solution is to start slowly and gradually build up to a thorough soak. Once the top few inches are moist, the water will be absorbed more easily.
Distilled water may lack the minerals and nutrients of spring and mineral water, but the distilling process can be used to remove toxic metals and chemicals from the water. While there are home distillers, it is best to go with industrially distilled water instead.
Distilled water is safe to drink. But you'll probably find it flat or bland. That's because it's stripped of important minerals like calcium, sodium, and magnesium that give tap water its familiar flavor. What's left is just hydrogen and oxygen and nothing else.
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt helps to encourage healthier, fuller leaves and keeps the plant green even when growing in water, as it has Oxygen, Magnesium, and Sulfur. Add a pinch of Epsom salt to your water plant jar once every few weeks for the best results.
Plants benefit from the natural minerals that spring water contains. They will grow faster and fare better. Likewise, distilled water will sustain and maintain your plants. But purified water, including distilled water and deionized water, doesn't have the nutrients that spring water contains.
The Venus flytrap must only be watered with distilled water or rainwater. DO NOT use tap water or regular bottled water. Keep the soil constantly moist.
Step 4: Water up to one-fourth or one-third of the volume of your planter. For planters without a drainage hole, be especially mindful of how much water you're using. For planters with a drainage hole, water until you see excess water drain out of the bottom of the planter.
In short, no, bottled water doesn't “go bad.” In fact, the FDA doesn't even require expiration dates on water bottles. Although water itself doesn't expire, the bottle it comes in can expire, in a sense.
All spring water is definitely not equal. Glaciar water for example should not be consumed at the bottom as it often contains small rock particles (talc), giardia and other parasites. It's also unwise to consume spring water from mountains nearby polluted cities or industries as it will be polluted by rain water.
By the time the spring reaches a collection point, it could have chemicals, bacteria, parasites and viruses in it that might make people sick. Waterborne organisms (Cryptosporidium, Giardia and E. coli) can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Using Distilled Water on Plants
The National Student Research Center did an experiment with plants watered with tap, salt, and distilled water. The plants that received distilled water had better growth and more leaves. While that sounds promising, many plants don't mind tap water.
Place the container in the water and let it sit for about 15 minutes so that the soil can soak up all the moisture it needs. Larger containers need to sit for a bit longer, and smaller containers for bit less time. Keep an eye on things. If the soil soaks up all of it during those 15 minutes, add more.