Can You Use Pasta Water for Your Plants? Here’s What the Pros Say

Social media is full of viral hacks for watering plants. One of the latest tips making the rounds is that rather than throwing it down the drain, you can save pasta water for the plants in your home or garden instead.

Similar to the idea behind giving your plants rice water, soaking your plants with pasta water supposedly adds beneficial nutrients while conserving water and lowering your utility bills. But is this tip a smart idea or a misguided home remedy that can actually harm your plants more than it hurts? We asked professional gardening and houseplant experts to find out.

Does Using Pasta Water Work for Plants?

Using pasta water to water plants has more drawbacks than benefits, with one of the main problems being that pasta water is salty.

“Sodium buildup in the soil can be bad for your plants, particularly houseplants,” says Costa Farms director of research and development and horticultural content Justin Hancock.

If you’re committed to using pasta water to water your plants, at least don’t salt the water. Though by not salting the water, your pasta may end up more bland than desired.

Christa Shoreman, a program coordinator for the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, acknowledges why gardeners might want to make pasta water do double duty, especially in drought-stressed regions.

“Carefully choosing how you use the natural resource of water is important,” she says. “I try to reserve watering for plants that produce food, trees, and new perennials that I have just installed.”

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Pasta Water for Your Plants

Aside from the salt content, starch gets drawn out of your pasta during the cooking process. This starch is great to save for thickening the sauce once you’re done cooking, but it may not be good for your plants or their soil.

“These starches are organic matter, which can encourage the growth of fungi or potentially attract insects as they break down,” Hancock says. Those fungi probably wouldn’t harm your plant, and they may even be beneficial. But most gardeners don’t find layers of mold on the surface of their houseplants attractive or nice to smell.

In general, Hancock notes, homemade fertilizer hacks can carry potential risks. “Will the nutrients you’re providing be in a form the plant can absorb? Could there be unintended chemical reactions between something in your hack?” Hancock says, providing ammonia as an example. “You don’t really need to worry about any of this when you use a commercially produced fertilizer.”

Can You Use Hardboiled Egg Water Instead?

Hard-boiled egg water shouldn’t cause mold issues and isn’t typically salted the way pasta water is. That makes it a better option for your plants if you’re a stickler for conserving water. However, its fertilizing power may be negligible at best.

“Some micronutrients can leach out of the eggshells into the water,” Hancock says, while noting that he’s unsure if those micronutrients are even available to the plants to absorb. “Either way, there shouldn’t be enough of anything to cause harm.”

If you decide to use hard-boiled egg water on your indoor or outdoor plants, he cautions, be sure to wait until the water is room temperature to avoid cooking your plants’ roots.

Other Ways to Water and Fertilize Your Plants

Water your plants properly

The best way to make sure plants are getting enough water is to deliver it as directly to their roots as possible. That means watering the soil at the base of the plant, not the foliage.

“The practice of standing several feet away from a plant and spraying at the top of the plant sends very little usable water to the soil and roots of the plant,” Shoreman says. Plus, keeping foliage dry on plants like fruits, vegetables, and succulents can help prevent the growth of pathogens.

Choose the right planting site

Thoughtful planning and site preparation can make thirsty ornamental and landscape plants fare well with less water.

“If plants like herbaceous perennials, trees, and shrubs are sited correctly, they should not need supplemental watering all the time,” says Shoreman.

Use store-bought fertilizers

“You’re almost always best off fertilizing with a fertilizer, rather than something homemade,” Hancock says, noting that commercial fertilizers have been specifically formulated to support plant growth by supplying a variety of nutrients in the right proportions. DIY fertilizers—aside from fully finished compost from your bin or pile—could cause unintended effects or otherwise harm your plant.

Reduce water usage where it makes sense

Look for more meaningful ways to cut water use instead of reusing potentially harmful pasta water.

“Decreased water use could be accomplished by not watering home garden lawns, particularly in the middle of day or by using overhead sprinklers,” Shoreman says. You can also look for other ways to capture excess water for your plants, like a dehumidifier or rain barrel.