Question
Hi Tracy this is Haley, i am doing a science fair project over caffeine stimulating the growth of house plants. i drink lots of coffee so when i have leftover coffee i just pour it into my plant. will that effect the plant by killing it or helping it? also i pour tea in my plants. would that as well effect the plant? if so do you have any info you can give me or as well as graphs and data? thanks so much it would be very helpful!:)


sincerely,
Haley Plum

Answer
Hi Haley,
   Plants should never be watered with anything but plain water. Anything else is likely to kill the plant. In fact with a lot of plants you have to water them with distilled water because they are sensitive to the fluoride, chlorine, hard water deposits and any other chemicals and impurities found in most tap water.

Caffeine will NOT stimulate growth in houseplants and will likely kill them sooner or later. Tea is not any better than coffee, neither of which should be used to water a plant.
The only 'tea' that should be given to a plant is 'compost tea', which is brewed from compost (and contains NO caffeine).

I have no graphs or data to give you on this subject.

Thanks
   Tracy