Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
4 ratings

Saturday - February 09, 2008

From: bennington, NE
Region: Midwest
Topic: General Botany
Title: Thickness of liquid when growing plants
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Q: Does the thickness of liquid matter when growing plants?

ANSWER:

We're a little confused by your question. Ordinarily, the only liquid that would matter when you are growing plants would be water, and we don't ever remember anyone referring to water as "thick" or "thin". For instance, water can be measured by how deep it is, and if you put two inches of water on a plant all at once, and it's not draining, it could drown the plant. Or, could you mean the water was thick with other things, like dirt, or mud? If you pour muddy water on a plant, the dirt in the water will join the dirt around the plant, and the water will go to the roots, like it's supposed to.

Or were you, perhaps, thinking of reusing water used to wash dishes or clothes, and therefore a little thicker or more dense with soapsuds or food particles. This is called "Gray Water" and in this article on Residential Water Conservation you can read about some of the kinds of leftover water that can be used on plants. The article suggests that such water be used only on ornamental plants, trees or grasses and not on plants that will be eaten, like carrots or lettuce. In drought-stricken area, this may be a way to keep some valuable plants alive. However, many towns and cities have strict rules about what kind of water can be used, and whether it has to be filtered before it is used.

If we still haven't found a way to answer your question, send in another, maybe rewording it a little so we can understand better what you are trying to find out.

 

More General Botany Questions

Are Native Cultivars As Beneficial to Wildlife?
September 02, 2015 - I am working on adding more native plants to my small acreage. I would like to know if using a selection or cultivar of a native species is as likely to have wildlife benefits as using a randomly prop...
view the full question and answer

Do yuccas die after blooming?
October 11, 2010 - We have a blue yucca which was planted 2 years ago and is just now blooming with a tower of white flowers. Will the entire plant die after blooming as the century plants do? If so, is there a way to s...
view the full question and answer

Trillium phototropism
May 16, 2010 - I'm SURE you haven't had this question before. I live in northern Michigan in a wooded subdivision where we have clouds of wild grandiflorum trilliums growing in the woods on either side of the roa...
view the full question and answer

Yellowing of palm tree leaves
May 14, 2008 - I want to know about palm trees. The leaves are turning yellow.
view the full question and answer

Why plants grow in very hot or very cold areas from Edison NJ
October 06, 2013 - Why can some plants grow where very cold or very hot?
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.