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I saw a program where someone put mouthwash in the water of cut flowers, and I was wondering if mouthwash could go into the water to water house plants?
Last Updated: March 15, 2007
The use of mouthwash in the water for cut flowers is an attempt to suppress bacterial growth in the water and increase the vase life of the cut flowers. Since houseplants are living organisms with a root system, disinfectants should not be added to the irrigation water.
The flower food packets that come with a floral arrangement have sugar as a flower food and an antibacterial compound. Make sure that you use the recommended volume of water as indicated on the packet. If you make the solution too dilute, the antibacterial compound will be too dilute, but there will be adequate sugar to grow microorganisms, which will cloud the water.
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