Is Chlorine and Chloramine in Tap Water Harmful to Plants?

[@senorjp21]

I'm an avid gardener 15 years and you cover many topics more thoroughly, and communicate more clearly than much of what I have read or found online. Much appreciated

[@jmichaelthomas]

Totally agree!!!

[@margarethairsine8648]

I have been growing cut flowers from seed for 3 years now and have always used tap water for watering my seedlings....until this year. I noticed all my seedlings were yellowing and did not look as lush as previous years. I started filling pails with tap water and letting it sit outside 24 hours or more before watering my seedlings in cell trays. All new growth is green and looks much better. I have not called my local water department to ask about what is used but I am now considering it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@williamslater-vf5ym]

Thank you for not trying to sell filtration system like every other gardener on KZbin. It gets annoying listening to people be alarmist about using city water when you know the truth.

[@jaybailleaux630]

City tap water keeps my plant alive but rain water makes them jump up and grow. I can see a big difference between tap and rain water.

[@corruptauthor]

That's becuase rain water absorbs nitrogen and gases from the air. The gases forms acids in the rain drops and the low ph releases nutrients in your soil like iron.

[@azdave1422]

I appreciate that you review the science and don't perpetuate mis-information. I had the same question about tap water chorine/chloramine content in my vegetable gardens, even though I water my yard and landscape plants with tap water daily. I checked my city water report that lists chlorine at 0.77 ppm. I'm glad I didn't waste money on a chlorine-reducing filter. Thank you for your explanations.

[@Bilal_A_K_Niazai]

After watching your videos, my work efficiency improved by 1000-fold. I can't thank God enough for introducing you to me. Being my teacher, you will always be in my prayers. Stay blessed! 💕

[@AquaponicandSoilGardens]

Ascorbic acid (vitamin c) can be used to break the ammonia and chlorine bond in chloramine. Ammonia gets processed by the bacteria and the chlorine evaporates.

[@sixmillionsilencedaccounts3517]

True. 1 gram of Ascorbic Acid is enough to treat 100 liters of water. It's also beneficial to plants when applied as a foilar at concentrations between 100-300 ppm. The same goes for Citric Acid (1000-2000 ppm) and Salicylic Acid (200-400ppm).

[@AquaponicandSoilGardens]

@@sixmillionsilencedaccounts3517 citric acid should not be used in aquaponics as it does have antibacterial properties. Probably not enough to really harm the system unless the systems already in trouble. We're people get in trouble using citric acid is a try to use it for changing pH.

[@AquaponicandSoilGardens]

Correct you shouldn't be using citric acid. ascorbic acid is just fine.

[@SkyeRiv]

Wow!!! One of the best explanations on this topic. 2 thumbs up

[@Liliarthan]

I love your videos! It’s such a great balance between scientific information (both breaking down the chemistry and looking into studies) and straight forward common sense. And you don’t yack on about philosophy or other filler stuff, so helpful for someone who is time poor and struggle with maintaining focus (ADHD). I really appreciate your content and wish I found it much sooner. Will be telling all of my gardener friends and family about your channel! Cheers from Australia 🪴

[@reneebaranoski9576]

Dr Elaine Ingham teaches us to use water that is not chlorinated when making compost. The study you referenced stated that the numbers of microbes are not significantly affected by the chlorine, but what about the type. If you want to establish a diverse complete soil food web 🕸️ you are going to need to use non chlorinated water in your compost.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Dr. Ingham is wrong about several things.

[@reneebaranoski9576]

😂😆, ya so are you. A soil microbe, isn't a soil microbe some are more desirable than others. Some soil microbes cause diseases on your crops some encourage growth, disease resistance and nutrient density.

[@DarusEifler]

Thank you for the the clear and concise information.

[@Mastadex]

Here in Waterloo, we have hard water and I have a softener in my basement as a result. I always wondered, how safe is this salted (softened) water for plants?

[@lori9423]

Wondering too

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

I'm in Guelph - same water. The salt from a water softener is toxic to plants. If you house is plumbed correctly, the cold water kitchen tap and all out outside taps bypass the softener.

[@swingbelly]

Good to know about the hook-up of the water softener. But, question. Auntie lives in Cambridge; daughter in Rockwood. Both have water softener systems installed. Yet, cold water from the tap has a noticeable salty taste and smell in both scenarios. Daughter also has a well water source. That water is good. Auntie only buys bottled spring water for drinking and cooking. So, from personal experience, don't water softener systems affect the entire household water supply, BOTH hot and cold? Thanks, Robert. I have learned so much about gardening and plants from your videos and books. Just love them microbes!! ❤ Scarborough.

[@hypexzombie7908]

I’m getting into growing citrus trees through grafting and this was a big thing for me because I do have fish tanks in which I use dechlorinator for my tap I put in them. So this helps out tons knowing I don’t need to do much for my watering.

[@RepurposeRenegade]

100% it has been harming my plants and orchids. Leaves spotting on the flower pedals. My water filter and automatic water jug filler have significantly reduced the damage.

[@sat_stacker]

love your hat and your videos and website too. Thank you.

[@jeromearimura184]

Great segment on chlorine! Would also address FLUORIDATION in tap water? It appears my bayleaf laurel has some difficulty with city tap water than rain water. I suspect it’s due to FLUORIDATION since you’ve given a compelling explanation concerning chlorination

[@BeepBeepImASheep1230]

I developed Hypothyroidism a few years ago from drinking city tap water. According to NCBI there's studies on how fluoride blocks the t receptors in the thyroid gland and makes it harder, sometimes impossible, to produce thyroid hormone naturally. Doctors will tell you to take synthetic hormones for the rest of your life. I prayed for GOD to help me and HE gave me the answers. I started researching and found those research articles. I stopped drinking the tap water and switched to purified bottled water and my problem went away completely after about 3 months of drinking purified water instead. The government is trying to kill us. ❤❤JESUS saves ❤❤

[@836dmar]

Can someone please post some of these studies?

[@arlen_95]

Thank you Mr. Pavlis! I was always afraid was harming to my potted plants with tap water. I greatly appreciate your science-based debunking of all the online gardening "tips". The myriad online gardening advice seems to contradict itself and just leaves me confused.

[@brianharris1581]

I don't water with my tap water because the PH is a 9. If my rain barrel is empty and I have to use tap water I put PH reducer in it.

[@iandstanley]

I would be interested in finding the effect on a swamp tea?

[@anthonymartin6348]

A Man who knows what he is talking about . I use tap water for pressure canning and You should see the salt residue on the lids when done ! As far as my Hydroponics of raised beds no noticeable difference.

[@axlcrush]

Excellent , answers the right questions.

[@helifynoe9930]

I used tap water for my 7 indoor plants. They were doing terrible. So as part of an investigation, I instead poured the tap water into a large container, and then left the open container sit for several days to allow any nasty chemicals to hopefully evaporate before using it to water the plants. For the first time in years, all the plants came back to full life almost immediately following this procedure. So on top of that, I fill a container with tap water, and then leave that in the fridge for several days with the top open, before I drink the water myself. And please, you don't have to tell me that I am not a plant.

[@factoryofwebsites]

Hello I am looking for information about Chlorine Dioxide, its effect on soil microorganisms and fish. I did not find anything or how to remove it from the water. Do you know anything about it? Best regards

[@pplusbthrust]

Were the studies sponsored by the chemical company's that produce the chlorine? So often we see much conflict of interest involving these studies.

[@tacticalcenter8658]

Exactly

[@johnlong1100]

As a gardener who has had many water ponds and aquariums, and who has worked in the water industry for decades, you did a nice job with this. For anyone still worried about residuals in their water, use a couple of drops of de-chlor that can be purchased at the aquarium shop or pet supply store. It is good for hydroponics, ponds, and watering cans. A little (literally drops) goes a long way. Vitamin C can also be used. Not much detail hear because I enjoy your channel and we can wait until your upcoming videos. I will share that if you are filling a pond, and your water is treated with chlorine not chloramine, you should spray the water onto the surface to aerate the water and remove most of the chlorine. This is why there are aerators on faucets. Thanks a lot for the great channel. I learn from each episode, and I’m an old dog. You are the best.

[@meangreen7344]

Wow thanks info saved me a small fortune

[@peterkenyonjr]

Always wondered this. Thanks for the info.

[@homermtz]

i have compared rain water vs tap water on germinating seeds and rain water had maybe 95% germination vs 50% off my tap water, i think i have posted a video on it, I also compared tap water vs filtered water and had similar results but i didn't video tape those results. but only way to know is to do it yourself. and test stuff out. especially if the World Health Organization is involved i dont trust them at all

[@pawsitiveleader8710]

what about potted indoor plants? build up?

[@critthepoet9160]

Love this content

[@lostpony4885]

Heck yeah its bad five years in i discovered im not having deficiency but lockout. Chlorosis. Dragonfruit dies, tough things turn yellow, misdiagnosis brings more joy.

[@qplaylistlibrary4296]

You get a big fat 👍 and a🗣THANK YOU I’ve been looking for a simple answer for days sifting through long winded videos and articles with no definitive answer😂

[@larividj]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!

[@Hōkūleà-m5r]

Can I use Clorox chlorine ph up for rain water and will kill bacteria and pathogens?

[@fishtuationaqua]

I like your informative videos! Keep it coming.

[@Al-ng2wn]

What about fertigation? We consistently water the plant whole day non stop whole day without rest. Does the chorine kill off the microbes?

[@mungobaggins8197]

I used to have trouble with my air plants due to chloramine in my tap water. My solution was to add a vitamin c to the water. I then started doing it for my potted plants, because it was cheap and I wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

[@mercedesbenzs600bash]

What are air plants??

[@johnharvey5412]

​@@mercedesbenzs600bash in case you haven't found out by now, air plants are bromeliads that naturally grow with no need for soil, usually growing on things like tree trunks but adaptable to different surfaces. They grow slowly but require very little care. Spanish moss is one example of an air plant. Some of them produce attractive flowers, but mostly they're kinda bland looking.

[@mercedesbenzs600bash]

@@johnharvey5412 Much appreciated...

[@frankbooth2879]

how much vitamin c powder did you use?

[@mungobaggins8197]

@@frankbooth2879 it doesn’t take much. I’ve seen numbers from home beer brewers ranging from 1mg/liter to 40mg/gallon. It probably depends a little on how chlorinated your water is and whether it’s chlorine or chloramine. I used to eyeball it by crushing a pill and adding the smaller pieces to my watering container. I think the only harm it could do is lower the ph, but it’s such a tiny amount I don’t think it’s a problem. Rain water has a ph of 5-5.5 anyway. Here’s a some relevant quotes: “One gram of ascorbic acid will neutralize 1 milligram per liter of chlorine per 100 gallons of water. The reaction is very fast.” “Sodium ascorbate will also neutralize chlorine. It is pH neutral and will not change the pH of the treated water. Sodium ascorbate is preferable for neutralizing high concentrations of chlorine. If a large amount of treated water is going to be discharged to a small stream, the pH of the treated water and the stream should be within 0.2 to 0.5 units of the receiving stream…Approximately 2.8 parts of sodium ascorbate are required to neutralize 1 part chlorine. When vitamin C is oxidized, a weak acid called dehydroascorbic acid forms.” “Aquaculture and aquarium hobbyists use vitamin C in water to help keep fish healthy. They use levels up to 50 milligrams per liter of vitamin C to treat wounds in aquarium and farm-raised fish.” Source: Using Vitamin C To Neutralize Chlorine in Water Systems. By: Brenda Land, Sanitary Engineer, Project Leader, USDA Forest Service

[@rexcadral3468]

What about moss?

[@Smokinjzcafe]

Thanks for this, as far as KISS goes I'm feeling a bit stupid for the money I've spent on RO filtering products, my city does use chloramines and also fluoride. Do have any videos or info on the effects of fluoride on plant growth & consumption?

[@Datroothstr8100]

I’m prettt sure my tap water has an algae in it that causes root rot.I stopped using my berkey and now I am getting root rot no matter what I do. I ordered hygrozeme I think is the name to see if that works. Hydroguard isn’t working

[@billybass6419]

We once had an above-ground swimming pool that we stopped using and wanted to get rid of. It sat idle for a couple months and thought to myself that the chlorine would have been long gone, so I decided to water my garden with it rather than waste it by just dumping it. The next day all my plants were yellow and the next day they were all dead. Nothing grew there the rest of the year. The next spring I planted again. I remember in particular, my crookneck squash grew to about 3" tall and had perfect fruit that ripened at about 1/2" long. Everything was bonsai. I gave up and didn't garden for a couple years. After that it was okay again. I think there was something besides chlorine in the pool stuff.

[@emilala9049]

Cool story, Bro. I've had a pool for 42 years, I've used water from the pool when it was properly chlorinated to water my plants. Do you know what happened? My plants got watered, that's it. So, too bad your story is pure unadulterated BS. After not treating your pool for two months, you stunningly didn't mention how much algae there was in the pool. If your plants actually did die, the cause would most likely have been toxins related to the algae (meant species release toxins when they die), not anything related to chlorine. It often stuns me how little sense people have.

[@billybass6419]

@@emilala9049 The main ingredient in chlorine is salt.

[@emilala9049]

@@billybass6419 actually no chlorine is not a salt, It is one of two elements needed to create sodium chloride (table salt), but that's as close as chlorine comes to being a salt. I'm guessing you don't remember much from taking chemistry (if you ever even took chemistry). Sodium chloride is an ionic compound formed by the sodium ion and chlorine anion. The sodium ion is generated from the sodium metal by losing one valence electron from its outermost electronic configuration and the chlorine atom gains one electron to form chlorine ion. Sodium, and chlorine are both elements on the periodic table, but to create table salt, you have to create the above reaction with chlorine. So if chlorine were that dangerous, then simply salting your food would kill you. The amount of chlorine that is in tap water or even your swimming pool is in parts per million, it is not enough to harm your plants or you. It is enough to harm fish, frogs, toads, salamanders, and other similar creatures, because their skin is a permeable membrane, which means that they take in very high doses of chlorine (or chloramine) when they are immersed in it. A similar issue arising from a different product would be that you cannot cook using Teflon if you have a pet bird inside your house. The reason for that is that Teflon outgasses when you cook with it and birds have much more efficient lungs than we do, so when you cook with Teflon, it kills your bird, since they have a greater capacity to absorb the toxins, which while that will not immediately harm or kill you (to the point where we've been using Teflon since the 70's and it's only recently that the issues with it are being acknowledged). It will kill your bird rather quickly, sometimes requiring just one use of the pan. So if you want to worry about something, I would be far more concerned about Teflon and Scotchgard and waterproof coatings and anything that contains PFAS or PFOS, because unlike chlorine which your body can process out, it cannot process out PFAS and PFOS. Chlorine is eliminated from the body pretty quickly, those chemicals however, are never eliminated. They just build up in the body until you die. In order to find samples of blood from people who are not contaminated with PFAS and PFOS, they had to go all the way back to samples taken from soldiers during the Korean war and put into long term storage. That's how pervasive these chemicals are in our environment. They also cross the placental barrier, so every infant is born already contaminated with them. I always find it truly bizarre what people choose to worry about, there are genuinely things that have a reasonably high likelihood of making you sick or even killing you, but that's not the stuff people are worried about. Instead, they're worried about stuff that has an incredibly low probability of harming them or even their plants, It's just bizarre.

[@joanfrellburg4901]

Thanks, this is something I've always wondered about. Clicking the like button. :-)

[@GabrieleMemper-i2b]

The point of this video is not to that tap water is top notch, 1. Rather that it's not necessary to un chlorinate water for plants. I came here because some growers are stressing about chlorine and promoted the market for this unnecessary process

[@HaJoSchatz]

Activated carbon filters remove chlorine easily. So does agitating the water, just like a soda - shake it and it's flat. If you water by spraying then almost no chlorine enters the soil to start with. I drink from the tap and offgas the nasty smell by running the water hard into the glass.

[@reneebaranoski9576]

Brother that makes no sense

[@jamesmaclean5586]

Thank you for your videos which seem excellent to me! One question though, that is perhaps a little frivolous, what is up with that hat? Its very ominous looking too me, why not something that goes better with your other clothing? Anyway all the best to you in excellent future videos!

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You now recognize me!

[@jamesmaclean5586]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 😁

[@safari173]

Good information thanku

[@mrstacyj9496]

thanks

[@mercedesbenzs600bash]

How do i know if my 5 gallon container is really dry and if i think it is will 2 gallons of water be to much???

[@growman88-hz3de]

Best rule of thumb is to provide 5-10% water based on how many gallons of soil. Your 5 gallon container if really dry should get about a 1/2 gallon of water. Spaying using a wetting agent for maximum absorption is best.

[@WeKeepItNatural]

Experienced gardeners preach about the benefits of using rain water, for good reason. The fact that chlorine kills microbes is essential. Telling people not to worry; soil life will bounce back or soil having an abundance of soil life anyways, is careless and goes against the work of renowned soil biologist Elaine Ingham. Chlorine can easily be removed from tap water by letting it sit a day or two. Chloramine is more harmful to soil life and is a tad trickier to be removed. One cheap option is to use a water conditioner for aquariums. Add a few drops and you can water your plants. Ironically enough, most water conditioners use ingredients that are actually beneficial to plants. Lastly, as others have mentioned: research claiming that a substance is safe and no reason for concern when your gut tells otherwise, raises red flags. Tilling was supposedly good for the soil, fertilizers and pesticides improved crop yield, epsom salt is a miracle drug for the plants, and Roundup was safe to use. The moment people get a better understanding of soil life, the whole NPK industry will become redundant.

[@isitlaw2919]

It is my assumption that if you start your seeds out for germination with chlorinated water , that the plants will never be the same even if you plant them in organic soil....am I correct ?

[@bss104]

Thank you for this info. I‘ve mostly heard warnings of using tap water when trying to germinate seeds. I go to considerable lengths to use distilled or de-chlorinated water when germinating my seeds. Is tthis a myth you can also bust?

[@dmacseain]

Yes, I have same question. I was taught to temper water (24 hrs in pail) for bottom watering seeds/seedlings.... to reduce chlorine AND to warm up cold tap water. What do you think, Robert?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Treating seed with chlorine is a standard procedure: "To Clorox treat seed, prepare a solution with 10,000 ppm available chlorine." Note the 10,000 ppm compared to tap wat at 4 ppm.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

The water warms up fast once applied to potting media and even faster using my baggy method. Cold tap water is fine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mprVq2ONfrKEn5I

[@cyhomer]

I water my seedlings every year with chlorinated city water…no issues ever..🤷🏽‍♀️

[@racebiketuner]

Thanks.

[@patkonelectric]

What about fluoride in water?

[@NaomiHed]

I've learned/seen that sometimes salts can build up on the surface of soils and reach higher salt concentration than the tap water originally had (especially for potted plants). Can that make tap water harmful? Also, I thought salt was a cation plus an anion, so if the anion is chlorine then where does the cation come from (to make those salt buildups)? Is there also sodium and such in tap water? Thanks a bunch! Love your videos.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

If you water from above, the salts don't accumulate as much on the surface. If you see that you can scrape them off once in a while. Deposited salts are usually calcium and magnesium. Sodium is too soluble and usually washes away. Calcium and magnesium salts are much less soluble, especially when joined with calcium.

[@DavidMFChapman]

On the flip side, is there any benefit to collecting rainwater for watering the garden (I do).

[@homermtz]

david, i have compared rain water vs tap water on germinating seeds and rain water had maybe 95% germination vs 50% off my tap water, try it!

[@someguy5927]

I can smell the chlorine in my water. I was always curious about this. But I've been watering them for years now and they're still alive so 🤷‍♂️

[@Aswaguespack]

My municipal water source is the Mississippi River and Chlorine is used in treating our water. We recently received a Water Quality “Report Card” from the State giving our local Water Quality an “A” rating. Our tap water is suitable for general gardening use at this time. Although the Mississippi River does have some rather concerning levels of unnatural chemical content our Water Treatment System does a good job at keeping those unwanted substances well below Federal Standards. For now. Oh it tastes just fine too 😂

[@MyFocusVaries]

Do you sometimes feel frustrated that it seems that people who comment apparently haven't actually listened to the video? 😂

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

YES - very much so.

[@joanies6778]

The chlorine in our water is so strong, I can smell it and refuse to drink it unfiltered. I use an inline water filter on my hose to water my vegetables. If I won't drink it, my plants don't.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

And now you know you don't need to filter the outside water.

[@juniorperez366]

I do hydroponics is all good 😅

[@martyspence8590]

The best water for plants is rain water! It’s pure and doesn’t cost anything. Set out a bucket and catch it.

[@georgiabelle3717]

We have chloramine. I know because I cannot dissipate, nor boil, the smell and taste out of the water. It’s awful.

[@DDGLJ]

The fact that in America we use treated tap water outside at all just boggles the mind. When we moved to our new place, we purposely didn’t put in underground sprinklers even though we’re on a well and technically have “free” water. We don’t treat it, either. It’s about as pure as water can be, although it is “hard”, but not bad enough to do anything about it. I have used almost all native plants for landscaping, including grass. We get about 25” of rain annually, so I do have a couple of rain barrels for vegetable gardening- the plants seem to thrive on rainwater. So it is possible to not use tap water at all, but it really takes a paradigm shift regarding what kind of gardening you are aiming for. I will say my new system has saved us a lot of money, and though it takes work in the beginning, is much easier in the long run and uses far fewer chemicals of all kinds.

[@dannydawson701]

The question here though was whether the chemical additives to tap water harm the plants. Actual studies at far higher levels than found in tap water found no effects. I'm not sure why it would boggle your mind to use tap water.

[@ttb1513]

@@dannydawson701 think the point was that gardens and yards do not require the treated tap water. To countries that struggle to have treated, clean tap water safe for human consumption, using treated water on yards and gardens could seem like a waste.

[@odimarbatista3976]

Does it make sense to use potable water in outside spigots? If you pay a water bill, yes. Pay for water you are going to wash your car with, or water the lawn? I collect rain water and have installed pumps that I run on an 8” x 10” solar panel so that I can water my lawn and vegetables and wash the car w it and don’t have to pay for it. The 5 60 gallon barrels I pad for have more than paid for themselves and save me money every year.

[@odimarbatista3976]

I menat if you pay I water bill then no it makes no sense.

[@DDGLJ]

@@odimarbatista3976 That’s a nice set-up you have. There seem to be quite a few different ways to use less tap water, depending on one’s climate and needs. It’s not that hard to do.

[@Der_Gewagte]

Im from Germany, and tap water is good to drink but bad for plants...

[@gailmaterialsquotedepartme8710]

Chlorides in the soils is typically not an issue until your get over 800 ppm providing your dS/m is less than 3. It's an anion and needs a cation to attach to. Low total salinity means chlorides are easily flushed. Typical Chlorides is your soil are 1.3 times the amount in the irrigation water. In SoCal reclaimed is used and chlorine can be around 250 ppm. I constantly fight with a lab our here that wants less than 150 ppm in the soil which is virtually impossible

[@eyeonart6865]

No way i will ever believe this. I will filter.

[@TheAegis1000]

My city uses Chloramine ... the level of which was deadly for my collection of indoor plants, particularly my African Violets and Peace Lilies.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

the amount in municipal water is not high enough to harm plants.

[@TheAegis1000]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 My experience says otherwise ...

[@JS-jh4cy]

Yes dangerous

[@kriskulczynski8957]

You can’t put fish in a pond that had its chemicals taken out. You really have no clue about anything

[@tacticalcenter8658]

Dont trust cdc or who

[@happyoutside2558]

Yeah, the last three years ruined all trust.

[@ivahihopeful]

I agree.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Your right! Trust someone you don't know on the internet instead?

[@tacticalcenter8658]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 I never said that. But you should know why you should never trust the CDC and the who... Especially the lies they've been telling us the last 3 years and the corruption their involved in.

[@ivahihopeful]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 trust grandpa.

[@alexl5660]

Liar

[@SkyeRiv]

Wow!!! One of the best explanations on this topic. 2 thumbs up