Guide to Sustainable Indoor Plants – Part 2: Water
In the first part of this series, we discussed soil and its environmental implications. In this blog, we will quickly take a look at water and what we can do to decrease our impact.
Water, particularly fresh drinkable water is becoming more and more scarce. The over-use and destruction of this resource is certainly not driven by indoor plant growers but that doesn’t mean we can’t change a few things and help lower the impact of our indoor jungle.
Water
I have heard it often said that you shouldn’t reuse water. It makes sense. Any disease or pathogens can spread easily and quickly throughout your plant collection. Or so we are told. But unless we are growing food or a whole bunch of the same kind of plant, this is less a worry than most would have you believe.
Certain plants are more susceptible to certain diseases than others and thus you aren’t likely to spread disease to everyone in the collection if you choose to reuse water. It is certainly something that CAN happen. But the rewards usually outweigh the risks.
I have been reusing water for years now and it has never caused me any issues. That is not to say it won’t at some point in the future. But rather than waste a bunch of fresh water for simple ornamental plants, I’m willing to risk it.
Besides, reusing water has another added environmentally friendly benefit. It helps reduce the need for fertilizers and nutrients. When excess water drains from our plants it carries with it water-soluble nutrients in a process called leeching. It’s one of the reasons organic fertilizers end up being not so great for the environment. Much of the fertilizer is washed away before it has time to be broken down into a form usable by the plants.
Thus, not only is much of the product literally washed down the drain, but all the energy used to produce it, as well as the carbon burned to deliver it to you is metaphorically washed down the drain too.
But if you reuse your water then some of the washed away nutrients end up in the next watered plant. Sure, some of those nutrients leech away but the continual use means rather than getting tossed they dissipate amongst your plants.
I reuse my water by setting up a series of buckets. One bucket serves as the main reservoir of water. Then I usually have one that is empty or near empty for filling and watering. Another that remains empty where the plant can drain freely and fully. Once the plant is finished and removed from the bucket this water is simply tossed into the water reservoir bucket.
But experiment and see what works best for you.
One more tip, if you can, is to collect rainwater. Contrary to what many will tell you, is illegal almost nowhere. A few places have some restrictions, but they are usually so loose that they won’t affect a small system.
Rainwater is softer than most tap water and will help prevent the slow build-up of minerals from ground and tap water. This buildup often leads to excessive calcium in the soil which can cause magnesium deficiencies.
Nice job on part 2!
Don't forget to check part 1, part 3 and part 4 of this Guide to Sustainable Indoor Plants and my ultimate plant care guide LEAVE IT THE FUCK ALONE Out Now!
