Another rainy day for another unfinished topic. On October 29, 2009, I wrote about my ongoing experiment to determine if micro-waved water had any negative effect on plant growth (after reading a claim that it is dangerous for plants and humans). I bought two nearly identical African violets and, all other factors equal, watered Plant A with filtered tap water, Plant B with filtered tap water that had been micro-waved and cooled.
After three months I was surprised that Plant B of the micro-waved water had held its bloom longer and had grown slightly larger, though both plants still looked healthy. Across three more months my surprise increased as Plant A became visibly distressed (see photo) and subsequently wilted and rotted in the pot.
Clearly, something other than water must have been wrong with Plant A from the time of purchase, because all other plants in the house thrived on the same filtered tap water, not to mention a lifetime of houseplants that have done the same.
Will buy two more African violets and try again. dkm
