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A zero waste way to remember to water plants!

Do you find it difficult to remember to water the plants in your home?

You are not alone! I used to struggle to remember to water the plants in our home. For a long time I thought our houseplants survived by magic until I realised my husband was watering them. I’m a cactus and orchid kind of person – they don’t like being watered too often which is perfect for me! However I’ve discovered a way that I can remember to water the plants with ease. I don’t have to set myself any reminders and I don’t need a set routine to remember to do it. This is because I have started watering them with waste water!

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How reducing waste can jog your memory and help keep your plants watered!

After most meals in our house there are half drunk glasses of water on the table. So instead of just pouring the water down the sink like we used to, we water the plants instead! It has become part of our tidying up routine and is a daily prompt to think about watering the plants.

If the indoor plants aren’t looking too thirsty I pour the water on the outside ones. We also water the plants with any leftover water from reusable water bottles that we have brought home at the end of the day.

What else can you water plants with?

You can also water the plants with tea, coffee, sugar free carbonated drinks and cooking water. You do need to make sure that anything you water them with is salt, milk and sugar free as that could harm the plant.

Can you water plants with leftover/ spoiled wine, beer or spirits?

It is not a good idea to pour wine or beer on your plants because they are too sugary. If the wine is spoiled and has turned to vinegar, the vinegar is also bad for your plants. Diluted spirits can be added to plants, but may stunt their growth! All in all, it is probably best to keep alcoholic beverages away from your plants!

Use up excess / leftover alcohol instead! If you have some leftover Amaretto for example, you could try some of these ideas: 5 ways to use up your amaretto (this only applies to those who are of a legal drinking age and only ever drink in moderation )

Make sure you avoid over watering!

The only problem we have now is trying to make sure we don’t over water our houseplants! Too much water can kill a plant, just as much as not enough can.

So next time you find a table scattered with half drunk glasses of water or other suitable drinks at the end of a meal, get watering those houseplants!

If you liked this post, you might also like to read about how to reduce your food waste !

Comments

  1. Lyn King

    I have a bucket outside my kitchen backdoor and put ‘clean’ waste water in it, such as water I’ve washed salad or veg in. There’s a little dipping watering can in the bucket ready to go for outside pots.

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