STOP Killing Your Plants With Tap Water

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#wateringplants #houseplantcaretips #houseplantcare

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Get exclusive bonus content at www.patreon.com/sheffieldmadeplants

[@israelfleming3159]

I rock with 4 4fts fish tanks and 2 2ft tanks through my days learning how to maintain them. Chlorine and chloramine need to be removed from the water, ideally you can by a chlorine/chloramine remover but i also found out that you can do it by dosing the water with vitamin c powder. Some studies show it also removing heavy metals in small amounts so perhaps all you need is to treat your water with vitamin c. Water carries more then just lead so purifying it completely is a lose of minerals to the plant, ideally know what minerals is in ur pots they'll be used up over time, repot with fresh minerals or by leaving low doses of minerals in the water you can reintroduce them into the soil. it's excessive minerals that cause the block ups inside the cells. Get a proper water test and and proper soil test so you get an idea on how much is missing or in overabundance to correct it before applying. c: But yeah vitamin c give it a crack it doesn't take much to treat the water and its easier and cheaper then chlorine remover.

[@Fairadez2008]

You can use water you use to boil vegetables or eggs too. Adds lots of good yumyum to the plant!

[@madisonmckeel6480]

After using tap water for an extended period of time and then switching to rain water do plants eventually get back on track and not have the brown and yellow spots? I am worried that my plants will never be the same.

[@israelfleming3159]

@@madisonmckeel6480 it’ll take time for em build enough minerals up but keep in my mind ur plants don’t need much when it comes to minerals and if a small amount gets added ur plant may take it up straight away. You should be able to buy micronutrients in a bottle, and they’re introduced in a larger volume of minerals. You’ll only add it once a season or twice if it’s completely missing the minerals. Pre warning be careful and don’t over dose if you try it. Does ur soil have humic acid? You could just be missing that puzzle piece for the transport of ur minerals. The browning and yellowing can be cause by a number of factors without a soil test to tell you if it is a mineral issue or not but just by working out the problem they should bounce back

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@madisonmckeel6480 existing brown leaves won't turn back but new ones should be good

[@jeffjenks2533]

I'm a public water supply engineer and I used to run the Maine State Drinking Water Program, the health agency responsible for the regulation of Public Water Supplies in Maine. When I was in graduate school my classmates researched how common disinfectants, such as chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide, and ozone killed off bacteria, viruses, and cysts. The relationship between the percentage of inactivated organisms and water temperature, pH, disinfectant concentration, and time were discovered in their research. EPA requires a 3-log reduction of the most difficult-to-inactivate organism. In other words, if 1,000 Giardia Lamblia cysts are treated, 999 would be inactivated and only one would remain viable. You can't get to zero. So chlorine is added to water and allowed a specific contact time to acheive or exceed the 3-log 'kill'. At the end of the required contact period ammonia is added which ties up the free chlorine and makes chloramines. Chloramine is a very weak but persistent disinfectant. It continues to suppress any bacteriologic regrowth. It is used in very large water distribution systems where it may take days to reach the ends of the system, especially where there are warmer temperatures and bacteriologic regrowth is a problem.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for the info

[@jelly8594]

Meaning? Don't use tap water? Do use it. Don't drink it? What?

[@CowneloAlvaroid]

​@@jelly8594 😂RIGHT! OP wrote paragraphs YET failed to answer the question 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@alanmalin6161]

Is this a desperate attempt to make yourself look smart?

[@bouncerchef]

So most tap water has a little excess Cl-, is that what you mean?

[@sopranogirl13]

I have always used a rain barrel under the spout in the back of the house. My grandmother had a cistern in the basement, she used that water in the winter and rain water when it got warm, she had an amazing green thumb, I am so fortunate to have inherited her Hoya Hindu rope plant that’s over 50yrs old and several other plants around the same age.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Wow great effort 👍

[@funonvancouverisland]

Rainwater is great but you have to take into account where it is being harvested. It may be washing bird droppings, rodent droppings and urine into the water source. Not always bad for the plants but dangerous for us. Happy watering 😁

[@arcticjelsa]

@@funonvancouverisland is it safe to use tap water if I let it sit for 24 hours before watering my plants?

[@funonvancouverisland]

@@arcticjelsa it's always worked for me 😃

[@VictorPoulin]

Same here. So many of my plants were effected from my tap water. I recently put an RO system under my kitchen sink. My plants are soooooo much more healthy.

[@meganwalker27]

Rain water collection people who are new to the gig should be taught to always put a screen or mesh of some kind over their collection barrels, totes, vessels... Any life forms that get into it will drown and die so please be cautious!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sound advice

[@virginiaschabacker5712]

Excellent video, thoroughly covering the topic. Another option can be to water every other time with distilled or collected water, which will flush out excess chemicals, salts, and other minerals while helping to stretch the water supply and minimize any damage to the plants.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks Virginia 👍

[@stangcobra592]

I grow THAT plant and what I do is 4 gallons of rainwater to 1 gallon of tap in a bucket. Bad thing about RO and rainwater by itself is they have no TDS and it's hard to get a solid ph reading.. Tap will help stabilize ph.

[@mevoydecasa]

Something I have noticed when it rains. Applies to vegetables, garden and house plants. I store rain water to use out and in, but plants grow faster when it rains. Using a water can won't have the same effect. I check the weather beforehand, and rush to get all my house plants out before it rains. Also I applied seaweed to water for all my plants in the growing season every Thursday. It stopped my bell peppers rotting. Big overall boost! I was in Spain and observed spider plants in public gardens. My spiders Even when the stay most of the year outdoors now. Even when they are killed by frost they make a comeback once temperature improves. great videos, thanks.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Makes sense thanks 👍

[@amherst88]

Rainwater apparently has nutrients for plant growth.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@amherst88 good old nitrogen

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

It's hard to replicate outdoor conditions indoors, even for tropical plants. The breezy air and high humidity not only cleans and rejuvenates plants, but may well induce a growth response to the change in conditions. Also, fertilizer salts can build up in the bottoms of pots overtime, and flushing with very clean water can remove much of that.

[@rossmilner6780]

When it rains, it greatly increases the concentration of negative ions in the air, which are lighter and smaller than positive ions. The leaves take up these ions much more efficiently as a result and this dramatically stimulates growth. It's not so much about the rain water but rather the change in composition of the atmosphere during a storm.

[@imneverwrongsometimestruthlies]

Excellent take👍 hardly anyone thinks about this important point I have always used a separate 500 litre tank for watering plants and in it i tie about a kilo of activated charcoal inside a muslin cloth and I am sure it is working so far. It is my granpa's tip

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool thanks 👍

[@SissieKelley714]

Good evening- I’m a new subscriber from deep East Texas USA and love your channel - I follow several really good girls on upside gardening and have learned so much from them - but haven’t found anyone until now that knows so much about houseplants as you do - I like your common sense approach to all the care you give your plants- after all we pay good money for these babies and want them to grow and be beautiful- thanks again for you videos-wish I had found you years ago!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Lovely thank you. Glad you liked it 😁

[@darneittajones8338]

I sincerely just pray over my water. Remember when as youngsters we drank out of the water hoses......sigh

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

My dad knew a boy who died from drinking hose water when he was a child in the 70s, apparently water had been left in the hose to stagnate and he didn't run it clear before drinking because what 8 year old would? Poor boy ended up with a brain amoeba or something, brain dead then dead in a week. We were never allowed to drink from the hose unless it'd been run clear first and even then Dad would still yell at us (to this day lol I'm 40!) if he saw me drinking out of the hose! Cheers

[@Darknamja]

No different from drinking from the faucet in the kitchen sink. My father had a thing about telling us to never drink from the faucets in the bathroom. 🤨

[@cindywannamaker5299]

I use a few drops of aquarium water conditioner. It neutralizes the chlorine and other chemicals. So far it seems to work. No more brown tips on my Calathea or my spider plants

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I’ve started using that too 👍

[@thevnsdrkangl]

I was searching for this comment. I'm not the brightest but thought this had to be an option. Thank you for confirming

[@lisabeyer4712]

@@thevnsdrkanglYou are bright if you even thought of this! Give yourself the credit you deserve. 😊

[@judithgerber4608]

@@SheffieldMadePlants Does it matter the brand of aquarium water conditioner?

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@judithgerber4608 nope

[@KidNoah2012]

I only use Evian mixed with Garolsteiner, Fiji and Perrier. Occasionally I add a dash of Icelandic Glacier. Nothing but the best for my ladies.

[@SpirituallyPlanted1]

I have a well at my house and the water is very high in iron and sulfur, so I have to buy jugs of distilled water and it is getting quite expensive. I recently purchased a 55g drum for collecting rain water, and in the winter I will be collecting snow. :) I'm so glad I seen this video because I just got a brita filter pitcher and almost used it to water my plants, I'm sure they thank you for saving their lives and leaves.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Having a well sounds cool. Do you use it for anything?

[@SpirituallyPlanted1]

@@SheffieldMadePlants washing dishes showering, cleaning, etc. Just not cooking or drinking. :)

[@violetqueen450]

I paid $150 on Amazon for a water distiller. It takes about an hour to make a gallon of distilled water from tap. I use that for my humidifier (I live in Arizona), for fermenting and for my plants. It might be an option for you.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@violetqueen450 not bad actually 👍

[@MJEvermore853]

"I got a Brita pitcher and *almost* used it to water my plants..." Is there something not good about using a Brita filtered pitcher of water? I just bought one to use for my plants. I'm hoping someone will tell me that it's not a bad idea...

[@stuartjohns230]

I have been using tropical aquarium water. I change 20% of the 20 gal every 10 days. I keep the waste water specifically for my plants and they are thriving.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Doesn’t get better than that

[@kim.in.nature.]

Another way to get rid of chloramine & chlorine is to buy a removal product made for aquariums. I live in Florida and collect lots of rain water. I put my plants outside when it rains too. They love it, especially the orchids.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice tip thanks

[@MarcGotKale]

What's the name of the product...?

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

@@MarcGotKale There are multiple companies producing aquarium dechlorinators, but the most popular is Seachem Prime. It's a liquid concentrate, so adding 2 drops per gallon of water does the trick. It will actually nullify heavy metals as well, though the company's claims that it will detoxify ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are dubious (though that's not a bad thing if you're just watering plants of course).

[@Anna-BoBanna]

​@@MarcGotKale you can look under 'dechlorinator' and you'll find loads of options

[@delanaespinoza]

Oh my gosh! 😱 I think this is my problem with my pothos.

[@yattydiaz3414]

Here in the states there are places that you can buy purified water with no salts in it. So I purchased 2 5 gallon tanks from Amazon and take them there and it only cost $3 dollars to fill up 10 gallons. I have found this to be the most cost effective way for me since I live in the hot Desert of Las Vegas and we get absolutely not enough rain in a year to even be worth collecting. So spending $6 a month on 20 gallons of water has be the best and most cost effective way for me to water my 300+ house plants.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That’s pretty cheap for a lot of purified water. 300 plants 😮

[@staceyrose5821]

I'm in Vegas...where are you buying the water to fill the tanks? A reply would be most helpful!!!

[@yattydiaz3414]

@@staceyrose5821 I'm in Vegas too.. I just go to those water windmills they have at the corner of gas stations or grocery stores. It cost me $3.00 for 10 gallons.

[@staceyrose5821]

@@yattydiaz3414 isn't it super heavy to lug to the car?

[@yattydiaz3414]

@@staceyrose5821 Yes, they are a little heavy but nothing crazy lol

[@hazeieris4478]

I was using Evian Bottled water initially but as my plant collection is growing, I am now using filtered tap water and distilled water for rooting.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍

[@trotting-along-thrifting]

I try to use rain water. I've started using water conditioner and it helps. Thank you 😊

[@angelmackenzie6877]

My kids never finish their bottled water from their lunches- i collect the water from their bottles each day and use that to water the plants.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Decent hack 👍

[@TheObserver567]

Their bodies know the water is not safe…naturally reject it. Plastic seeps into the water. It’s disgusting

[@daphnewright5110]

I live in the south here in the US and collect more than enough water from my dehumidifier. Ive always thought it was such a waste to just dump it out. Now i know my plants will get a gourmet watering. Thanks for the tip.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

My pleasure 😊

[@anyatolwinska7586]

Thank you, I'm glad to have learned i can use water collected by my dehumidifier, i somehow thought it could be harmful 😅

[@surgeinc1]

I have started collecting rain water as well. Like you, I use the large plastic totes but place a large golf umbrella upside down over the tote with a couple of small cuts in the top of the umbrella. I also drop in a couple of stones so the wind won’t blow the umbrella away. Only takes a minute to set up my system when rain is in the forecast and I get a good bucket full. From there I fill up the milk jugs.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sounds good 👍

[@jenayandfamily7452]

I just got a juniper bonsai today and I think the topic of bonsai trees would be a great video if you have any or are thinking of getting one. Your tips could probably improve people's bonsai and help begginers who have no idea what there doing and go to youtube like me lol

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I’ve not got one but I’d like to. Thanks for the inspiration 👍

[@skatardrummer1]

Interesting idea about the dehumidifier. Great idea! I'm going to do that and also collect water from the brita pitcher and store it in my old distilled water jugs

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@debbieomalley3451]

I have about 12 gallons of distilled water purchased in gallon jugs which I used for my room humidifiers during winter months. I had a whole house humidifier installed and now I have a great use for all the distilled water!!! I will pick up a jug per week when I have 2 jugs left. That will do me nicely for the month and then some. Thanks!!!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks Debbie!

[@debbicarman3797]

My local grocery stores have refillable purified reverse osmosis water. This is what I use for my mineral-sensitive plants like my calatheas, dracaenas, ferns, spider plants and peace lilies. It is only 39 cents a gallon for refills. Much more sustainable and much cheaper than buying tons of distilled water. I also use the purified water for the humidifier in my plant room. When I can, I do use rain water to water the mineral-sensitive plants but since I live in the desert, the only rain we get is our monsoon storms in the summer, which have been less frequent and inconsistent in the last few years due to climate change. So, I have found that purified water is the next best thing.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great set up thanks Debbi

[@lindaschad9734]

Thank you for mentioning which plants are affected; I've been wondering about my spathiphyllum for years!😊

[@M.Moadeli123]

That's interesting. Where I work we have unlimited access to reverse osmosis water. Are you saying that's good for watering plants?

[@birdy-numnum6321]

I think this is one of your Best videos!!😊 Be Good To Gardeners x ❤

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Glad you liked it 😁

[@beesknees213]

I collect rain water BUT I hadn't been using it for ALL of my plants. I have to rethink this. Thanks from MD, USA!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks 😊

[@karenfreedman9180]

I’m from MD too! I’m trying to collect rainwater in containers, but I really want to install a rain barrel. Meanwhile I have Brita and Pür pitchers constantly in use.

[@scarecrowlego884]

I live in MD too! I’ll start using collected rainwater

[@writegirl2937]

Hello Mr. Sheffield, (I hope you don't mind me calling you that as I don't know your name🙂). Thank you for another informative presentation! I had a calathea for about one week, and after reading about how fussy there are, I chickened out and returned it to the gardening center in exchange for an easier plant! 😀😀 I admire those of you who are brave enough to tussle with Calathea because they are such beautiful plants! The only plant that I have started using distilled water for is my Peace Lily because I read that tap water is what was causing the tips of my leaves to brown. I haven't been doing it long enough to know if it's making a difference yet, though.🙂 Otherwise, I don't have any DIVA plants.😀....And BTW, I am STILL afraid of the Wicked Witch of the West!😂😂😆🌴

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😂 terrifying character! Probably better to stick to non fussy plants. Richard by the way!

[@writegirl2937]

@@SheffieldMadePlants Yes, sir. You are absolutely right. I do tend to stick with the easier plants; and even some of them give me trouble.😊 I have only 40-45 plants and that’s enough for me right now. I don’t have much patience these days.🤣🪴🪴🪴

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@writegirl2937 that’s a good number to be getting on with for sure 😂

[@kevinvandenberghe5793]

I give rain water to my plants, but I also have a blackwater aquarium. I don't use this water for my plants because I'm not sure what the tannins will do to my calatheas. Great informative video by the way

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you 😊

[@arcticjelsa]

@@SheffieldMadePlants Is it safe to use tap water to my Monsteras if I let water sit out for 24 hours or more before I use to water my monsteras? Greeting from Finland 🇫🇮

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@arcticjelsadepends on the quality of your water. Leaving it out doesn’t really do much apart from bring it up to temperature

[@arcticjelsa]

@@SheffieldMadePlants I have here soft water, is it good for monsteras?

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@arcticjelsa better than hard water for sure. Will probably still have chlorine. But monsteras aren’t that sensitive about tap water

[@Darknamja]

The main reason some states in the US restrict collection is that too much rainwater harvesting can disrupt the cycle of rainfall seeping back into the earth. 🤨

[@heatherstephens9295]

I’ve used rain water for about two years now. When we had a water shortage we actually boiled water for 20 minutes then stored it in plastic milk containers. We used a large stock pot. I have recently purchased a super large container from the supermarket of purified water which was relatively cheap as a backup.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You’ve got happy plants because of it?

[@heatherstephens9295]

@@SheffieldMadePlants yes I have 👍

[@heatherstephens9295]

@@SheffieldMadePlants I must say I have Calatheas & an actual humidifier is a must for them 😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@heatherstephens9295 👍

[@kimm9289]

I have a Brita filter and several empty gallon jugs. I keep the jugs filled with filtered water all the time. I might try collecting rainwater this fall too. Since I’m a new plant person, I don’t have anything really exciting, but I do have a couple of spider plants with brown tips.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Yeah tends to affect spider plants

[@lindaschad9734]

Me, too! I've never been able to keep a spider plant alive, but since watching these videos I actually have a 4-inch "Bonnie" going, for now!

[@2112res]

I believe spiders will brown from too much water as well

[@yunjko]

I live in northern Virginia and tap water doesn’t seem to hurt all my plants, include orchids. I’ll move most of my plants outside on summer. They all love outdoor.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Outdoors is great for plants when the weather is warm 👍

[@geraldblount4159]

Take the EC

[@geraldblount4159]

Tap water takes up room for where you can put nutrients in if yur tap water us 0.5 and filer water is 0.0 u have less to burn your plants when using nutrients because your water is already 0.5 just your water with no nutrients added yet you have to add your magnesium and calcium to your 0.0 but it still doesn't get up to 0.5 tap water might be

[@barbaracole4314]

I collect several gallons of rain water every winter and store it in recycled plastic jugs , it's not enough to last all yr but it helps ... like you I have around a couple hundred plants to care for as well.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great. How do you collect so much water?

[@RobertDani]

I reuse the water from my dehumidifier. Works well so far. ☺️

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👌

[@LukeHoareGreene]

If you’re putting the dehumidifier close to wet clothes, would there not be residue of washing detergents and chemicals from the clothes etc in that water though?

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@LukeHoareGreene I don’t think that would be a concern for evaporation

[@palladium1065]

I've had bad experiences with condensation from a dehumidifier or air conditioner, after a while the plants grow slower (they were carnivorous plants for me) or stop growing and eventually die. Only a change of substrate could save the affected plants, but even this is no guarantee. I attribute this to the aluminum and copper ions because the heat exchangers in air conditioners and dehumidifiers are made of copper (tubes) and aluminum (fins). You can use rainwater, of course, but in areas with a lot of industry and laxly enforced environmental protection regulations or accidents with product spills, unwanted substances can also be dissolved in it, which slowly kill the plants. Here I would at least run the water through an activated carbon filter before using it for watering. I have been using osmosis water for over 10 years with great success. Not only do plants say “thank you” with this water, but also irons and coffee machines (never descale again).

[@Batsy-ot5zo]

I have a well fed by a natural spring. my plants thrive. We do have our water tested annually. we share our water with lots of friends and neighbors who have city water or hard well water.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Can you ship some to Sheffield!?

[@Janice4304]

Hi another idea is to use the water from the fridge dispenser as that is filtered and contains no nasties. Informative video once again 😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks 😊

[@rainncorbin8291]

Those fridge water filters hardly filter anything. They don't filter fluoride or chlorine just to name 2. I triple filter my water and had to buy a special filter for removing fluoride.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@rainncorbin8291 thanks.

[@Janice4304]

@@rainncorbin8291 they do remove chlorine from the water

[@SilverAg11]

I always heard it was risky to use dehumidifier water just because it can collect fungi spores which could end up killing your plants, but I may try to use rain water as a test. Though the rain here is likely very acidic so I don't know how that will go either

[@SANDRA-ni3wi]

I have been watering my plants with tap water for over 10 years, the only ones that I use rain water on are my Calathea White Fusion, which gets brown patches on the leaves and looks awful when I get lazy and use tap water, and one of my orchids who is very sensitive to the minerals in tap water. I also have a terrarium filled with plants and orchids which receives only rain water. The rest of my plants have no issues.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Yep tap water is fine for some plants.

[@danielleroseshaw]

I have a dehumidifier and use the water from the tank to water my houseplants. Works a treat. 👍

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Good to know!

[@AnnDavid26]

I have been using rain water for about 15 years and my house plants are all thriving

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👊

[@sarahab6497]

I use a water distiller i bought for 100$ worth every penny. I get about 2 liters per use, and it been going well for over 1 year now. If you want distilled water forget buying it, waaaaay to expensive

[@hobotacomaster9169]

Some plants are also sensitive to the fluoride put in water, and it will cause the same buildup like lead. My carnivorous plants want nothing but distilled/purified water to thrive! Be careful what dehumidifier you use, some have lead finishing on the coils that could end up in water, monitoring which plants take well to it is advised!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Ah right thanks 👍

[@bakedveal2624]

When would you add this? 1 silica 2 calmag 3 conditioner? What order do you suggest?

[@bakedveal2624]

Just realized I'm on the wrong video, but you have a video of using aqua safe aquarium stuff.

[@ronbenetjamsey9567]

I try not to use tapwater unless I absolutely have to. I moved to a house in October that happens to have a great spot to collect rainwater. One quick downpour will fill a 50 gallon barrel. I'm so spoiled! Since I live in New England and I can't use a rain barrel for half the year, I'm having to use buckets at the moment. Even then, I have all the water I need for an 8x12 sun room full of plants. I use it for misting as well since it leaves nothing behind when it evaporates. If I can't water with rain, I use the waste water from 2 small fish tanks, one of which lives in the sun room with the plants. I inject a small amount of CO2 for the aquatic plants, so the waste that offgasses gets used by the other plants in the room. With the help of a grow light in one corner to compensate for the short days, it all seems to work pretty well. Everything has continued growing well right through the winter months. Even my strelitzia has popped 2 new leaves in the last month. I sort of can't believe it, and can't wait to add some rarer fussier plants to my collection.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You’ve got a great setup 👍

[@hesherette]

haha wow I do live in San Diego + rain is indeed a scarcity! I accidentally killed 2 of my 3 starter houseplants before i realized it was due to the terrible tap water here :( using distilled water has really been helping my plants/ propagations thrive a bit better despite my very dry climate! I worked at the nursery of an online/ ecommerce plant store + we used a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water as well as the plant water, so I am currently saving up for a reverse osmosis system for the humans, animals + plants in my place

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool that’ll do the trick 👌

[@blueblue1635]

Where I live, you can drink the tapwater and it doesn‘t even have high amounts of chalk, because it is from a lake. (I live in switzerland next to lake constance.)

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Lovely spot to live!

[@aliplay5]

Gosh it was raining so much in LA last week, I really wish I'd seen this sooner!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😅

[@eronhonez]

We have well water, but just got a water softener…ugh… I love the dehumidifier idea!!! Will have to give that a try.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

It’s nifty 😁

[@rebeccamcvey8600]

I have well water also and we have limestone in our area which is bad for people as it leads to developement if kidney stones.Wonder about effect on plants now.

[@johnathondavis5208]

Ordered and started using API after this video last week...already see the differences in my plants. Cheers :)

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great to hear!

[@brendamcclure5020]

I just bought it also but not sure how much to a gallon of water

[@johnathondavis5208]

@@brendamcclure5020 Brenda, so the directions on the bottle are 5 ml to 10 gallons of water - so that works out to 0.5ml per gallon of water. An eyedropper works great. It takes very little. The bottle will last you a very long time.

[@meghannoglesby3841]

I wonder if water melted from clean snow is comparable to rain water......we get tons of snow here in Minnesota. I'd totally start collecting snow for my plants if it'll be worth it.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Don't see why that wouldn't work

[@MyFanYouTubeChannel]

I do it with great results.

[@1234vincer]

I use water from my aquarium. The water is treated by reverse osmosis so it is is very soft and acidic. This water + fish poop = my plants love it!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Awesome combo! Got any Calatheas?

[@1234vincer]

@@SheffieldMadePlants Not yet. Love them but I find them a little intimidating 😀

[@SingularityZ3ro1]

I also wondered about this, especially since I live in a climate that sees zero rain for 6-7 months a year. I also hated it to buy bottled water or having the chlorine taste (let alone other things) in my tap water. For me, a prime solution is an on-table filter unit that can be attached to the faucet directly. = Superb filtering of bacteria, metals, chlorine, and other chemicals, while not really reducing the water output of the faucet. A perfect solution. You should replace the large filter cartridge every 6 months, though, which comes with ~€65 for a new cartridge. But if you kill 2 birds with one stone by being able to replace bottled water completely, it does not really add additional costs. Let alone the need to go shopping and carry bottles.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sounds like a good solution 👍

[@glen4075]

Water butt in the garden (if you have one) one of the best things you can do! Have enough to water all my houseplants year round and again so handy during hosepipe bans out the garden in summer.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sounds great 👍

[@hanzketchup859]

I saw a study of chlorine and chloramines in water and ascorbic acid or vitamin c neutralizes them, during the test they put their fingers in the water and the fingers absorbed the chlorine and chloramines immediately, I haven’t seen anything else to verify this, but I did notice putting vitamin c in my tap water removed the smell, anyhow Cheers, thanks for the presentation, Cheerio

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for sharing the info 👍

[@MyzMyzterious32]

Nice I will start using dehumidifier water during summer. I use tap water as I have no choice. But I thought the chlorine evaporated. I have horrible hard water in my apt.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks Bonnie 😁

[@letshaveago2201]

Tesco sell a cheap water purifier jug for about £5 the filters are about £3? i cycle water through them and keep it bottled. i also use water from my tropical fish tank its warm, (not that that matters to most plants except my Triostar) and its full of free food! For me tap water seems to be a no no for plants that have fine long leaves or points on leaf tips Begonia Macularta Wightii. My triostar has no brown tips but i only use fishtank water it is a moody plant that hates drafts and on cold nights i have to put it next to my boiler or it droops. keep up the good work!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice one I’ll have to go have a look. Tesco always come up trumps. Fish tank water is the gold standard 😁

[@BlackCoffeeee]

Hi, is it similar to a Brita water jug? I'm wondering if I should buy one. Thanks.

[@CristalZhaduir]

I use rain water and the water of my pond and i have healthy plants ! Thanks for the aditional tips ! Also in summer I use destilated water from the air conditioner .

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍👍👍

[@LayllasLocker]

The only water I have access to is tap water. My mom told me never to water my plants directly out of the tap, but to let water sit at least for a day. I'm thinking of maybe adding zeolite to the sitting tap water.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

What's zeolite?

[@mistypointer6636]

I started using our well water to water all my plants and I have noticed a significant improvement

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Awesome 👏

[@wonmoretyme]

I've been using sump pump water for all my plants for about 2 years with no obvious issues. A garden hose fitted to the sump pump collects the water in to a 60 gallon rain barrel..

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sounds good 👌

[@kbm4409]

I just learned something today .I have been boiling my water and letting it sit for a while after it cools...maybe that's why I have seen a few small issues with brown tips lately

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Unless you can capture the steam! 😁

[@2112res]

I am a tap water setter. For what it is worth it sits in a bucket for larger surface area exposure.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Fair enough 😁

[@Robson-2]

The game-changer for me was the use of homemade reverse osmosis water. I then bring the conductance to something between 100-200 µS/cm by using a fertilizer or mixing in water from the aquarium accordingly. I set the pH value to 5.8. The effort for this is minimal. The results are great.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Verisakeet1]

I am using Berkefeld filter for filtrate the water (ceramic filters), english brand with excellent quality (have it for 7 years). 8,5L container allows me to use this water for drinking and for watering. Can't say it's quick to filtrate, approximately 1h for its volume because it's gravity fed. But comparing the filter life time, price and quality to plastic coconut/charcoal filters it's worth a shot.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice one thanks for sharing 👍

[@oneoflokis]

Hmm. Very interesting! I didn't know that water companies are now adding something called "chloramine" that won't evaporate. All I can say is, that I have been putting water into 5-l bottles and leaving it overnight: and I can see the bubbles evaporating out of that.. I am in Cornwall. I did not know plants liked water out of dehumidifiers! Good to know!!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I didn’t either till I researched this video! Do you have any happy calatheas?

[@firozapatel9811]

Filtered, dehumidifier and rain water best for house plants…specially calathea,maranta,ctanthea plants 🪴 Thanks again always makes useful tips

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks Firoza you’re a ⭐️

[@firozapatel9811]

@@SheffieldMadePlants thanks bro 😍

[@joshuamcdonald643]

I use the condensed water that collects in my tumble dryer after each cycle, granted not all tumble dryers have heat pumps, but if yours does it's a great way to re-use the water that would otherwise just be tipped down the drain.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for the tip

[@mikeomolt4485]

​@@SheffieldMadePlantsI found a clear, acrylic drawer discarded from an upright fridge freezer that I initially began using upside down like a mini green house to protect new cuttings and seedlings. When not in use that way, it can be left outside at the first sign of rain, it's brilliant for catching rainwater. Also bought some low cost, clear, plastic plant saucers off ebay. The wind would blow them away without a plant pot placed on them, but the larger ones are 10" diameter, so if there's heavy rain, I try and throw any spare saucers out onto the patio.

[@profetspurvius913]

I'll just keep using tap water then, there's no chloride in it here in Denmark, and I haven't had any problems so far that weren't obvious and easy to fix. I would like to try rain water though, but I live in an apartment with no balcony, so that would make collecting a little difficult. :( Can't wait to finish my studies and get a house with a whole garden to play with. I have so many plans already, I'll make it my own little fantasy land, and the interiors will be a little tropical rainforrest. Let's just hope the future Mr. Profetspurvius likes plants too.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

How do the Danes treat the water?

[@profetspurvius913]

@@SheffieldMadePlants We don't, really. We exclusively use groundwater, which is naturally very clean. All that is done is removing some minerals, but no chlorine is needed.

[@schanijohanna9606]

Hiya. Saw something recently that said to add cinnamon to water. I googled it and it did have a lot of positive feedback. Just wondered if you had ever tried using cinnamon. Your videos are Great BTW. 👨🏼‍🌾

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I’ve added powder to the top of soil for gnats but not to water before. What does it do?

[@schanijohanna9606]

@Sheffield Made Plants Hiya. The youtube i watched was Miraculous for making rotten orchids revive immediately. Happiness Gardener. There's no sound, so you need to put up subtitles. I'm thinking cinnamon will be good for other plants, too.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@schanijohanna9606 interesting thanks

[@stitchedfreedom]

Have you tried this? I'm curious if it does anything at all! :D

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@stitchedfreedom I've not tried this solution yet. Don't see it doing harm if you want to experiment

[@faithphoenix3999]

I use an on tap filter. I rent and there's no extra plumbing required, and the filter is activated carbon. Not as good as rainwater, I am sure, but good enough it seems since my calathea and orchids seem happy enough.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great tip! Thanks

[@user-jn8tg6nw8j]

We don’t buy individual water bottles often, but there are times when we have them for some reason, and inevitably my kids will leave theirs half finished and we can’t remember whose germs are on each bottle. Or, sometimes they’re left out in our hot car, and I’m worried to let them drink water that’s been in the hot plastic. So when that happens, I put them under the kitchen sink and save them for watering my more sensitive plants. If we don’t have any bottled water, I use water from our Berkey filter. Fortunately, though, most of my plants are not sensitive to our tap water.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That’s a great setup 👍

[@speedburger5410]

I use purified drinking water since there's a lot of water stations near me. 50 cents for 5 gallons as long as I provide the container.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That's handy 👍

[@comenowletusreason6330]

I have a rainbarrel. My houseplants and herbs love rain water.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Perfect 👌

[@dianamay8600]

I really keen on using rainwater. If I collect it and put it in a bottle it looks like it can store for a week.

[@bonniegierach5027]

I water my plants with rain water collected outside from the rain. I store extra in empty cat litter jugs. But I can’t collect water in winter, so for a 2-3 months they get tap water that has stood for awhile. Seems to work for me in Wisconsin.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍

[@lindaschad9734]

Could you bring some snow inside and melt it, or wouldn't that work the same? I live in "rainy" Seattle (which actually gets less rainfall than every major East Coast city), but we have to treat the roof for moss when we have it cleaned twice per year. That makes any runoff toxic and because we have so many trees, putting out a container wouldn't catch much.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@lindaschad9734 snow will work fine 👍

[@2112res]

@@SheffieldMadePlants that's A LOT of snow for little water

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@2112res It's not my snow 😅

[@deltatango6793]

Distilled water is great for my peace lilies, calathea, spider plant, aloe…

[@lindafreudiger8022]

I use tap water that I store open in lg Tropicana jugs and let them sit for a week to air out, my plants are doing great!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That's great!

[@EnriqueVarelaJr]

FYI the metal of the coils in a dehumidifier will leech into the water. Most are made of aluminum.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I think the leeching would be so minuscule

[@corinnacastaneda577]

Thank you for this! . I’m never throwing my dehumidifier water again !

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cheers Corinna

[@Fuzzi974]

I have a water filter tank which use the same filter you have on your job in the video. Supposedly good for 120L, which is enough for my housemate, me, and my plants. Yes there is a price but I'm already spending it the money on this anyway and I have nowhere as many plants are you do. I probably only need 1L per day or so. But hey, good idea with the deshumidifier, I will get the water from there as well from now on, instead of throwing it again.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool glad you got something from it 👍

[@Kurtlane]

I've followed your advice on calathea, and it's doing much better. Thanks. I wonder if tap water could be what's hurting my oxalis. It's full of brown areas on leaves and is very weak in general. Also, anthurium, which has big fleshy leaves, so it should be ok, but I'll try anyway.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Could be but I’ve not seen that on mine so might be something else

[@gauchesymbiote1039]

When I first started keeping plants a little over a month ago, I was using tap water, and unbeknownst to me, spider plants are super not cool with the fluoride in the water. My two little spiders were just getting crispy brown and yellowing leaves. They currently look like a little kid who cut their own hair because I trimmed off all of the icky leaves. I repotted both, gave them a good drink from our reverse osmosis filtering system and grouped them under a grow light next to my calatheas. They are sitting above a new humidifier that I just got yesterday. I'm really hoping they bounce back well and that my calatheas continue to stay beautiful with their new set up. I won't go back to tap water now. Living in the Phoenix desert, we have enough challenges with the lack of humidity.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

They should bounce back with the new set up 👍 My Spider Plants love a grow light

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

5 tips to keep your plants alive this winter 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2XOY5KDj9yoa6c

[@ummirejabhussain1671]

Hai sir .slways watching your vedeo its so benefit.tq.sir i am from malaysia and a my house facing west .its afternoon sun until 7pm.so .so many mmy plant in side the house with house light .but im using filter water.is it ok .sir.once a will im bring out for sun.love my plant..

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you! Filtered water is a good option for your plants 👍

[@로아마마]

Would you think melted snow is the same as rainwater?

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Yeah I think so

[@madelinedelvalle3666]

You can distill water on your stovetop. There are plenty of video's on YT that show you how to do it, check it out.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@laylauk2654]

Hi from 🇬🇧 I use the Revised osmosis filter or the big burkey, for all my needs people pets n plants, but you do have to change the filters. I also use rain and fish tank water. Thankyou for the tips on the snake plant much appreciated sir

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool, thanks for watching 👍

[@nancymccardle8206]

I have over 50 plants 4 of those are fiddle leaf plants I always use tap water . Fill the bottles and jars let them sit for 24 hours then I use them. I had no problems with any of my plants.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sure some plants are absolutely fine. My Ficus plant aren’t fussy at all. My dieffenbachias though…

[@Levi_is_Smol]

Maybe you live at a place with nice water. I know I do. It's very soft and very clean.

[@nancymccardle8206]

@@SheffieldMadePlants ,My dumb cane it doesn’t want to grow so I moved it on the tv stand.That’s the only plant seems like it doesn’t like me. I noticed it last night. All the others are fine.

[@nancymccardle8206]

@@Levi_is_Smol water here I really don’t like it.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@Levi_is_Smol Sheffield water is glorious to drink but a few of my plants aren’t keen

[@emmamurphey9027]

Tip: Collect tap water in a container. Set aside for an hour or longer before watering the house plant. I fill up several clean empty juice bottle with tap water as my water reserve ready for the next watering.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

How come you let it sit?

[@emmamurphey9027]

Reason To reduce the risk of harmful chemicals To allow the chlorine to dessipate. Our tap water has rust. When I sit the tap water , the rust settles down at the bottom of the bottle I now understand why I always kill my pothos plant. It was the rust and chlorine that kills it. Before I water my plant straight from the faucet. Not only the rust and chlorine hurts my plant but also the cold water shock is bad to the plant

[@tinasablan3488]

I do have water softener in my home 😮 Would a britta filter fix that? I would have the patience to filter it all.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I’m sure if filter systems filter out sodium

[@meganwalker27]

No, absolutely not, a Britta filter will not remove salts.

[@platinakuka]

I have a bottle sera aquatan, I don't use it anymore, because my aquarium is just fine without it (no fishes, just a very hardy anubias, everything is in balance) I thought it would be a good idea, to treat a bigger amount of water. Copper, zinc and some other heavy metals are also binded with this treating method. But plants need some. I just wonder if soil contains the right amount of these metals? Or the regular, appropriate amount of fertilizer can solve the problem? Probably I will search for another product when this bottle will be empty 😅

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I think a good fertiliser will have everything your plants needs 👍. I’ve not heard of that before.

[@Wendy-zl8kv]

Great video Great information I’m fortunate that I have good well water at my home. Glad to k ow I could use the water from my dehumidifier.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks Wendy 😁

[@PoseyLane]

How do you filer rain water caught in a bucket?

[@mikezilla4053]

I don’t know my father-in-law waters, all of his plants with a garden hose and they’re all in pretty good shape. I totally get if you have bad water and it smells like chlorine. Maybe don’t use it personally I think Im ok.. I live in the Chicagoland area, and our water is some of the best in the land. So we’ll see.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Depends on the plant too

[@novahittingthegroundrunnin9933]

You hit all the important points 🎯💯

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks 😊

[@trevorfitzpatrick5114]

When I change the water weekly on my 220l fish tank i use a declaration liquid that removes the chlorine and chloromine. I do put the tank water I take out into a water butt and use to water my plants. I does contain lots of nitrates etc from fish waste. Is this OK to use? I do use pure rain water on my fly traps though or when I can get it... smart water, from smart water stations around the UK. Its just pure water with absolutely no minerals in at all.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That’ll work a treat 👍