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Post by the light works on Feb 4, 2014 18:05:48 GMT
Microwaved water: I didn't expect it to be detrimental to the plants, but can anyone explain why the plants watered with microwaved water grew substantially taller than the others? First thoughts; Boiling removed trace elements from the water that restricted plant growth, or altered those elements so they no longer effected them. (Some plants produce chemicals that reduce root growth in other plants, and it is possible that traces of those chemicals may be found in tap water.) Boiling removed traces of bacteria in the water that restricted growth. (Some types of bacteria are used in water treatment plants, and I'd guess some of those may be found in tap water) Boiling reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, which might reduce the ability of bacteria in the soil to reproduce and affect the plants. Boiled water may have be better at dissolving chemicals in the soil or on the surface of the soil, as it might have a lower concentration of elements after being boiled. The act of pouring the water into a container twice (once into the kettle, and once into the container) may have allowed the water to absorb more nitrogen compounds from the air than water that came straight from the tap. I'm guessing that between water treatment plants and being stuck in pipes there is not much nitrogen in tap water. as I recall, there were three water "types" microwave boiled, kettle boiled, and tap. I know the microwave boiled proved superior, but did the kettle boiled outperform the tap? that would indicate there is validity to your theory, but still some variation between the microwave and the kettle. this may be the material of the kettle itself, or it may be that the microwave superheated the water - increasing whatever benefit the heating produced. if one were to take the experiment to the next level, I would say to redo the experiment, this time heating the microwave water and the kettle water in containers made from the same material, and be careful to heat both to the same temperature. (not that I expect it to go to the next level on the show) |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Feb 4, 2014 20:02:13 GMT
as I recall, there were three water "types" microwave boiled, kettle boiled, and tap. I know the microwave boiled proved superior, but did the kettle boiled outperform the tap? that would indicate there is validity to your theory, but still some variation between the microwave and the kettle. this may be the material of the kettle itself, or it may be that the microwave superheated the water - increasing whatever benefit the heating produced. if one were to take the experiment to the next level, I would say to redo the experiment, this time heating the microwave water and the kettle water in containers made from the same material, and be careful to heat both to the same temperature. (not that I expect it to go to the next level on the show) Interesting thought. The water boiled on the stovetop was in a metal (aluminum?) kettle whereas the water boiled in the microwave was in a plastic kettle. Did boiling the water in the metal kettle (unintentional alliteration) unintentional add trace amounts of the metal into the water, which could be harmful to the plant? |
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Post by the light works on Feb 4, 2014 20:18:41 GMT
as I recall, there were three water "types" microwave boiled, kettle boiled, and tap. I know the microwave boiled proved superior, but did the kettle boiled outperform the tap? that would indicate there is validity to your theory, but still some variation between the microwave and the kettle. this may be the material of the kettle itself, or it may be that the microwave superheated the water - increasing whatever benefit the heating produced. if one were to take the experiment to the next level, I would say to redo the experiment, this time heating the microwave water and the kettle water in containers made from the same material, and be careful to heat both to the same temperature. (not that I expect it to go to the next level on the show) Interesting thought. The water boiled on the stovetop was in a metal (aluminum?) kettle whereas the water boiled in the microwave was in a plastic kettle. Did boiling the water in the metal kettle (unintentional alliteration) unintentional add trace amounts of the metal into the water, which could be harmful to the plant? was the microwave water in plastic or glass? I thought they used a glass pitcher. adding a plastic pitcher to the mix gives the possibility of something leaching off the plastic that encouraged the plant growth, too. |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Feb 4, 2014 20:36:52 GMT
I'd have to review the episode again, but I want to say that it looked like plastic.
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Post by Cybermortis on Feb 4, 2014 22:10:36 GMT
Having just watched the aftershow it seems clear that the kettle was glass judging from the sound it made when put into the microwave.
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Post by Antigone68104 on Feb 5, 2014 15:53:12 GMT
Interesting thought. The water boiled on the stovetop was in a metal (aluminum?) kettle whereas the water boiled in the microwave was in a plastic kettle. Did boiling the water in the metal kettle (unintentional alliteration) unintentional add trace amounts of the metal into the water, which could be harmful to the plant? I'll have to rewatch the episode, I thought they used the same kettle type for both boiled waters. I know many home gardeners say to let tap water sit in a pitcher overnight to let the chlorine (used in water treatment plants) get out of the water before you use it on your houseplants. I'd expect boiling the water to do a faster job of cleaning the chlorine out, assuming it's cool enough that you're not then waiting overnight for the water to cool off. |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Feb 5, 2014 16:08:47 GMT
I'll have to rewatch the episode, I thought they used the same kettle type for both boiled waters. I know many home gardeners say to let tap water sit in a pitcher overnight to let the chlorine (used in water treatment plants) get out of the water before you use it on your houseplants. I'd expect boiling the water to do a faster job of cleaning the chlorine out, assuming it's cool enough that you're not then waiting overnight for the water to cool off. Interesting thought experiment: Does microwaving water remove the chlorine? If so, how does this work? |
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Post by the light works on Feb 5, 2014 16:22:57 GMT
I'll have to rewatch the episode, I thought they used the same kettle type for both boiled waters. I know many home gardeners say to let tap water sit in a pitcher overnight to let the chlorine (used in water treatment plants) get out of the water before you use it on your houseplants. I'd expect boiling the water to do a faster job of cleaning the chlorine out, assuming it's cool enough that you're not then waiting overnight for the water to cool off. Interesting thought experiment: Does microwaving water remove the chlorine? If so, how does this work? according to a quick internet search, boiling the water causes the chlorine to outgas more rapidly than just letting it sit at room temperature. |
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Post by watcher56 on Feb 5, 2014 17:38:00 GMT
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Post by srmarti on Mar 8, 2014 23:30:47 GMT
I'd guess the sample size is too small to conclusively prove the microwaved water is better for the plants. I'd guess there's no statistical difference. Boiled water might kill off micro-organisms, other than that ...
Imagine the debate that would be raging on the "old" forum.
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Post by the light works on Mar 8, 2014 23:41:34 GMT
I'd guess the sample size is too small to conclusively prove the microwaved water is better for the plants. I'd guess there's no statistical difference. Boiled water might kill off micro-organisms, other than that ... Imagine the debate that would be raging on the "old" forum. " Yew did it rong becuz you didn't get teh rezultz I wantid!!!1!oneone"  but since the test was whether the microwaved water would kill the plants, the sample is large enough to bust that. |
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