-1

Found out my tap water pH was 8.5 and it explained why my houseplants kept dying

I was killing every peace lily i bought for like 2 years. Thought i was just bad at plants. Then i got a $10 pH test kit off amazon just for fun and tested my tap water. 8.5. Looked it up and most houseplants want 6.0 to 7.0. Started using rainwater from a bucket i leave outside and suddenly my plants are thriving. Anyone else ever test their water pH and find something weird?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_wilson1d ago

Dang, 8.5 is wild. My tap water is like 7.5 and I thought that was bad, but yours was basically bleach for plants lol. Good call on the rainwater.

luna_clark381d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but nobody's talking about how the pH swing from 8.5 down to rainwater levels can actually shock the soil microbes if you switch too fast. I tried alternating tap and rain once and my plants got all droopy until they adjusted. Slow changeover is the real trick here.