We have very hard water here in Toronto. It eventually leaves a whitish crust of minerals on the top of my houseplants soil. You can also get a crust on the soil when you use fertilizer on your plants.

The unused minerals and fertilizer salts accumulate and can cause the plant to stop growing if it gets bad enough. It might also cause the tips of your plants leaves to turn brown.

I have a few ways of getting around this problem:

• I don’t fertilize my plants very often
• When I do fertilize I usually only do it with half the recommended amount of fertilizer
• I try to give my plants a good soak in a sink or container full of water at least once a month

Thoroughly drenching the soil – basically rinsing the soil- will help leach all excess salts to the bottom of the pot or out the drainage hole. A loose porous soil allows the soil to be leached more easily and decreases salt buildup.

Does your home have hard water? Do you do anything to help your plants combat the effects of hard water? If you do, please tell me what you do.