Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Monday - August 22, 2011
From: Three Rivers, MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Watering
Title: Watering Houseplants with Soapy Water
Answered by: Brigid & Larry Larson
QUESTION:
I accidentally watered my house plants with a container that had a some dishsoap in it. Will they be okay? One of the plants is a 20yr old cactus, with small roots.ANSWER:
Mr Smarty Plants thinks your plants will likely be OK - - but you didn't tell us how much soap was used.
So, we'll give you some examples of how soap is used on plants and maybe that will help you decide about your situation.
We're having a serious drought here in Texas right now and many of us are using grey-water to water our plants as a water conservation effort. The plants are fine with this and some of them thrive on this regimen. Here's a conversation from Wiki-Answers where this is discussed.
At about the same concentration of soap, soapy water is often recommended as a natural approach for bug control. Here are webpages from manipedia and evergrow where this is discussed. Mr Smarty Plants recently recommended soapy water for contolling Cochineal insects on Cholla Cactus and for Powdery Mildew control.
Larger concentrations of soap are used for opening conpacted soil and aiding water penetration. Mr Smarty Plants has recommended soap for opening hydrophobic soil.
So - Your chances of the plants being OK are pretty good; perhaps you can remember these applications for soapy water for later use.
From the Image Gallery
More Watering Questions
Restoring fire damage in Bastrop TX
November 03, 2011 - I live in the Bastrop State Park area. We were severely affected by the wildfire and as we are trying to rebuild our home, we are being very aware of the particularities of the recovery process. We lo...
view the full question and answer
Effects of greywater on plants and soil
July 25, 2008 - What are the biochemical effects of greywater in plants and soil, because both are related. The effects can be harmful and as well as beneficial, can you give me the details of that?
view the full question and answer
Calcium from Eggshells for Ferns?
December 15, 2014 - I was reading recently about beneficial additions to the soil/plant. The first was about soaking used egg shells overnight and then pouring the water onto ferns. They said that the calcium in eggshell...
view the full question and answer
PVC pipes for irrigation in ground in Austin
August 19, 2009 - Mr. Smarty Plants,What are your thoughts on installing PVC pipes into the ground around trees and shrubby trees? A classmate's grandmother had a pipe pushed or pounded into the ground near her speci...
view the full question and answer
Opuntia drooping in Austin, TX
September 02, 2015 - I planted an optunia spp. in March. It has nearly tripled in size. This week, I noticed the entire plant has started to droop.
Temperatures have been very high with no rain for weeks. The cactus is...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |