Softened water watering vs high iron content water watering

Hi everyone. I'm not too sure where I can post a question about water and watering, etc. as I haven't been able to find a forum related to irrigation. If it isn't okay to post here, could someone please direct me to the correct spot?

My question is quite brief.

I have a well and the iron content is fairly high.

I have a whole home softening system and have not set up a bypass to the outside water sources.

What would be worse to use to water all the gardens with....the softened water or the high iron content water?

I feel the salt content will hurt the gardens but the iron (rust) may clog the sprinkler heads!

Appreciate any suggestions!

Thanks for any help.

Hi 1588560! I too am on a well with high iron content, and soften the water with salts. Don't use the softened water for indoor plants, as salts will build up in the potting soil. I discovered this when the leaves of my houseplants started turning yellow. Since DH installed a bypass for me to water potted plants with untreated water, everything has been fine. I can't advise on softened water for outdoor watering, as I use pond water for that. By the way, the water from our well is always very cold coming from the faucet, so I let it stand in buckets to warm up to room temperature before using.

Hi June_Ontario!

Thanks for answering. I use my softened water to water my house plants and so far (2 years) there has not been a problem but I thought that it might hurt the shrubs and perennials as they will be receiving so much more watering.

I think my hubby will bypass the softener and install a filter for the outside connection as well so the iron doesn't build up and clog the sprinkler heads on the irrigation. (At least, I THINK that's the plan!)

Thanks again.