Annaffiare le piante con l’acqua di cottura

1. Which water for which benefit?

Not all waters are equal. Depending on what you've cooked, you won't provide the same nutrients to your soil:

🥦 Vegetable Water (The Vitamin Cocktail)

It's the best. When boiled, vegetables release vitamins and mineral salts (iron, magnesium) into the water.
Tip: Prioritize organic vegetables to avoid concentrating pesticides in your watering can.

🥚 Egg Water (Calcium)

Never throw away the water from your hard-boiled eggs! The shell releases calcium during boiling. It is a vital element to strengthen plant cell walls and prevent certain deficiencies.

🍝 Starchy Water (The Booster)

Pasta, rice, or potato water is cloudy. It's starch. This starch is excellent for stimulating bacterial life in the soil (the good bacteria that nourish the plant).
Warning: Starchy water ferments quickly. Use it within 24 hours.

2. The 3 absolute safety rules

Before pouring the contents of your saucepan onto the soil around your houseplant, read this carefully:

🚫 Rule No. 1: No SALT!

This is the classic mistake. Salt (sodium) is toxic to most plants. It burns the roots and sterilizes the soil.
If you have salted your cooking water, do not use it as fertilizer (see point 4).

❄️ Rule No. 2: Let cool

Boiling water instantly kills roots. Always let your water return to room temperature before watering.

🎯 Rule No. 3: Aim for the soil, not the leaves

Cooking water (especially pasta water) leaves unsightly white marks when drying and can clog the pores of leaves. You must water precisely at the base of the plant.

3. How to proceed in practice?

Here's how to make this eco-friendly habit part of your routine:

1. Cook without salt (add salt to your food on the plate, it's healthier!).
2. Collect the water in a salad bowl or directly in your watering can (if it's metal).
3. Let cool for a few hours.
4. Water your plants at the base of the stem.

4. What if I salted my water? (The Weed Killer Tip)

All is not lost! Boiling salted water is a powerful non-selective weed killer.

NEVER pour it on your plants. Instead, pour it (still boiling) on weeds growing between your patio slabs or in your gravel driveway. The thermal shock + salt will get rid of the most stubborn weeds, without using chemical products like glyphosate.

Cook, Water, Thrive

Sustainable gardening starts in the kitchen. By adopting this simple habit, you save water and nourish your plants for free.

To accompany this new eco-friendly routine, choose durable tools that will make you want to garden.