When The Water In My Houseplants Runs Dry, Can I Use It Again?

Reusing plant drainage water is a form of recycling that helps recover nutrients and minerals that plants did not utilize, reduce the cost of purchasing more nutrients for plants, and reduce the amount of waste. However, using leftover water can be risky as it may transfer fungus, disease, or pests to other plants.

To conserve water, try collecting cold water from your shower as you wait for it to warm up. Household wash water, also known as “graywater”, contains food residues and organic matter that may attract insects and rodents. To reuse water for plants, place a bucket in the shower and collect and reuse the water from different soils for different plants.

If you have different soils for different plants, collect the excess water, dilute it with fresh water, and then re-use it. However, flush all that ick out of the plant with high volumes of water periodically. In the long term, plants suffer from accumulation of salts in the soil, so fresh water would be better than reusing the water.

To conserve water, watch your water and ensure there is no excess drainage. This takes time and experience, but if the water becomes smelly, use it in a watering can. Emptying and reusing runoff water should be done once with plain water, discarding the runoff, and then watering again with fertilized water and recycling that water until you reach the desired level.

Reusing runoff water is not a great idea as it can lead to salt buildup. Instead, use some run off water to water any other house plants you may have. Aquarium water contains tons of healthy nutrients and minerals that will help maintain the health of your plants.