# Microwaving Water bad for plants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088 "2008-05-05T04:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IdFindAnAAnswerForThat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@IdFindAnAAnswerForThat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IdFindAnAAnswerForThat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/1 "2008-05-05T04:31:09Z")
I have never heard this before till I stumbled upon it on Google. Seems that if you microwave water first then allow it to cool it does harm to plants. I find this hard to believe. I have found a bunch of websites with people claiming to have done experiements heating water then cooling it using a microwave and a regular tea kettle to heat it. The plants watered with the microwaved hot - then cooled water did badly while the plants watered with the water heated by a tea kettle over a flame - then cooled, did as well as water not heated at all. All the water was from the same source. I just find this hard to believe and I realize anyone can say anything on a website. Has their been any hard science done on this? ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/2 "2008-05-05T04:35:50Z")
[Snopes.](http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp) At least one page I found with Google indicated that the “evidence” was some kid’s science fair project. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/3 "2008-05-05T05:38:33Z")
Duh! Microwaving water changes the bond angle, and removes all the life from it. Everyone knows that. :smack: :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/4 "2008-05-05T12:21:37Z")
There have been reports from all over the country of people found dead in employee lunchrooms, still clutching mugs of coffee that had been reheated in microwaves. It’s true! I heard from someone who heard it on Oprah. We don’t need none of your “controlled experiments”. Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/5 "2008-05-06T04:55:02Z")
It’s the other way around. In one study, plants that received microwaved water grew six times as well as plants that received no water at all. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwaving-water-bad-for-plants/448088/6 "2008-05-06T05:38:38Z")
Have you tried taking the plant out of the microwave before heating the water?