Tap Water Pollutants
We are fortunate to work with well water on our property. Our well has not yet run dry, and it has cool, clean water year round. We are very fortunate in many ways, to have well water. It’s also meant that I’ve had to learn more about tap water in helping clients through struggles or problems they’re experiencing that we just don’t see here. Here are some important tips:
Flouride:
If you are using town or city tap water from a public water supply that adds fluoride to its system, you may unintentionally poison your tulips.
Some plants are more sensitive than others. Fluoride Toxicity affects tulips, lilies, gladioli, freesia and other spring flowering bulbs plants.
A major symptom of fluoride toxicity is crispy, dried leaf tips.
Maintaining a pH of 6.0-6.8 can reduce the amount of fluoride available for absorption to your plants. Adding some calcium chloride can help to lower high pH water systems.
If you have alkaline (higher pH water than 6.8) AND flouride in your water you may have difficulty growing hydroponically without filtering your water. A soilless mix (like ProMix) that is acidic (usually 5.4 to 5.9) before water is added can help you achieve a pH window for growing that is in the 6.0-7.0 range that many plants prefer.
This phenomena can also be seen on houseplants that are routinely watered with with tap water containing fluoride. Even well watered house plants can present leaf tips or leaf margins that look dried or crispy. You may find that the flowers develop well, even with this issue, but poor root development can lead to a higher rate of failure.
You can remove fluoride from your water supply with a reverse osmosis filter, a deionizer (which use ion-exchange resins), or an activated alumina system.
Alternatively, you can collect rain water (if permitted in your area) and water your plants that way.
Chlorine:
Tap water may also contain chlorine. Fortunately, acceptable chlorine levels in tap water are below the point at which they will damage plants. Plants that are diagnised as having chlorine damage were probably exposed to a very high level from something like run-off from a pool or the spill of a chlorine-containing cleaner.