Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

Do not over water your plant – Some plants like to be kept very dry for periods of time before being watered (like the spider plant in my example).  These plants will usually show you they need water by exhibiting droopy leaves and possibly a minor amount of browning of the leaf tips.  Once they get to this stage, it’s off to the shower for a refreshing aqua-spa-rejunvination!

Be careful of the water temperature – Just think of climbing into an ice cold shower first thing in the morning.  Yikes!  Your plant may react the same way to overly hot water.  If you’re a person that likes near scalding water in the shower, try backing off on the hot for the sake of the plant or plants.

Be careful not to trip over the potted plant – A good place for the plant is in the front of the tub or shower stall.  The water spray will most often be reflecting off of the shower curtain, the walls and you – creating a softer spray or mist. More importantly, you will always know where the pot is, and will not bump into it, causing you to loose your balance.  If you have any hesitancy remember: “when in doubt, leave it out.”  Better not to risk injuring yourself.

If you have a hand-held shower massager like the Delta Faucet 75700 Universal 7-Setting Handshower or the Peerless 76950 2-in-1 Shower System, make sure the massage feature is not turned on.  Too strong of a water spray can damage sensitive foliage and create unnecessary stress for your little green friend.

In the course of doing dishes I used to turn on the water and let it run while I rinsed dishes scrubbed pots and did general clean up.  Not any more!  Some years back I came to realize all of the water that was being sent right from the tap straight to the drain.  What a waste!  I’m embarrassed to think of how many gallons of clean water I sent back to the water treatment plant for re-processing for no reason.  Not anymore!

Now I live smarter.  I conserve water, nourish my plants, and save the water treatment plant from extra work – all at the same time.  Here’s how: Take a dish pan, large pot, empty plastic coffee container, or anything similar  and place it under the water faucet.  Capture and save the overflow water and put it to better use.   When the overflow container gets near full – pitch the water in your Earthen Garden.  Don’t forget your container gardens – they need extra water since they cannot pull water from the earth naturally.

If you are rinsing off plates, use the ‘grey’ water that comes from your overflow container.  This overflow water is perfectly good for pre-cleaning other dishes.  Got pans that need soaked for a while to loosen the stuck-on food?  Soak them with overflow water – your pots won’t mind.   After soaking – throw the water on the lawn, or in your garden.  Make sure there is not an abundance of debris in the water before throwing.  A little dish soap in the water is just fine, it won’t hurt the plants one bit!

The plants in your Earthen Garden will love you for watering them, and you will be re-cycling naturally instead of shipping the water back to the processing plant where it will take energy to re-clean the H2o to convert it back to drinking-water status.  Sure it takes more effort to carry the water outside, but it can put a smile on your plants face, and be a little step toward making the world a better place to live!