Pro tip: I tried using rainwater from my Tucson barrel on my jade plant for 6 months and it started growing these weird, thick leaves I've never seen before.

Turns out the mineral content was totally different from my tap water, which made me realize I should test the pH before assuming all water is the same for my succulents... has anyone else had a plant totally change on them because of water?

3 comments

3 Comments

alexk602mo ago

Oh man, that's a huge deal. Your tap water probably has a bunch of salts and chlorine that slowly build up in the soil. Rainwater is basically pure, so the plant can actually take in nutrients the right way. I had a similar shock with my spider plant. The tips kept browning with tap water, but switching to filtered stopped it cold. It makes you realize we're basically force-feeding them chemicals.

murphy.emery2mo ago

My friend in Phoenix had her aloe vera put out a crazy flower spike after she switched to well water. The calcium in it must have been just what the plant wanted. It really does show how much the little details matter.

roberts952mo ago

Honestly, it's wild we spend all this time worrying about light and soil and then the water is out here playing secret chemist. My tap water is so hard it could probably grow a shell on the poor things. I've been giving my plants the same stuff I drink, and now I'm wondering if I'm slowly pickling them. How are we supposed to know our water is running its own science experiment?