For those who enjoy a healthy, thriving garden, hard water with its overabundance of calcium and magnesium could be hurting your plants and flowers.

The deposits of salts from these minerals build up, decreasing the effectiveness of water heating systems and restricting water flow. In addition, without water treatment, this problem can wreak havoc in your yard. Life in the garden can certainly suffer from the ill effects of hard water.

According to University of Connecticut professor of horticulture George Elliot, hard water “can have a significant effect on plants, especially those growing in containers.” He explains that calcium and magnesium are two of the elements in limestone. (more…)