Yes, you can use pool water on your plants, but only with specific precautions. Properly balanced pool water is usually safe for established lawns, trees, and hardy plants. However, the chlorine and high pH can easily damage sensitive plants, seedlings, and vegetables.
In its untreated state, pool water is generally not safe for most garden plants or lawns. Chemicals added to the pool water to maintain clarity and hygiene can persist long after swimming has ended. Chlorine, in particular, is highly reactive and can burn tender roots or leaves.
Divert pool water to sinks and cleanouts, which drain to the sanitary sewer. Sanitary sewers flow to a wastewater treatment plant, where processes remove the chlorine, salt and other contaminants from the pool water and prepare it for reuse, further treatment processes, or discharge.
Plants with waxy, leathery, or succulent foliage can help provide natural protection against chlorine and salt. Just a few plants that are considered chlorine tolerant include palm trees, Chinese hibiscus, honeysuckle, rosemary, and lavender.
Plants with thicker, waxy cuticles on their leaves and flowers, like the rubber plant (Ficus elastica) and the wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), often demonstrate superior chlorine resistance, maintaining their beauty despite challenging conditions that would quickly damage more sensitive varieties.
Plants prefer to rest between waterings. Keeping the soil too moist all the time can rot the roots. OVERWATERING is the #1 killer of houseplants.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) acts as a natural buffer that raises both your pool's total alkalinity and its pH. It prevents severe pH fluctuations (known as "pH bounce"), clears cloudy water, prevents equipment corrosion, and helps your chlorine sanitize more effectively.
Plants with Sharp or Thorny Leaves
Having sharp, spiky plants like cacti, agave, or certain varieties of Pittosporum around your pool may look stunning, but they can pose a risk, especially for young children or guests running around barefoot. Avoid anything with long, rigid spikes or thorns that could cause injury.
10 Plants for Year-Round Containers
The best landscaping around a pool combines low-maintenance materials that won't damage pool filters or create messes. Top choices include decorative rocks or gravel, non-slip pavers (concrete, stone), and salt-tolerant/debris-resistant plants like ornamental grasses, succulents, and palms.
Adding vinegar (acetic acid) to pool water slightly lowers the pH but is generally not recommended. It introduces organic matter that feeds algae and bacteria and can disrupt chemical balances. For pool maintenance, use standard, targeted chemicals and cleaners instead.
Yes, you can absolutely use pool water to flush your toilet. It is a safe and common practice during power outages or water shut-offs. The water and chemicals will not damage the porcelain or the internal plastic and rubber components of your toilet.
Chlorinated water is generally not bad for outdoor plants or lawns, as standard tap water contains safe, low levels of chlorine. However, for sensitive houseplants, excessive chlorine or chloramine can cause leaf-tip burn and disrupt soil biology.
Yes, but only if the water is dechlorinated, the salt content is safe, and it absorbs without flooding your neighbor's property or local storm drains. Turfgrass can withstand moderate water quality, but dumping chemically treated water incorrectly can kill grass or cause severe environmental damage.
Swimming Pool Water Harms Plants
Too much chlorine can damage tree leaves and other delicate tissues. Too much chlorinated water all at once can even kill trees. It doesn't take much chlorine for damage to occur.
True 365-day bloomers are rare, but several plants can provide nearly 12 months of flowers under ideal conditions. The best options depend on whether you are growing them indoors or outdoors:
Small plants of silver foliage subjects such as santolina, helichrysum and cineraria and variegated euonymus are all reliable favourites for autumn and winter pots. Woody herbs, especially thymes and sages, stay looking great through winter and you can pick off the odd sprig of foliage to use in the kitchen.
Plants particularly resistant to chlorine include:
Most desert-adapted plants can tolerate an occasional soaking with water from the pool while others may be more sensitive to salts, chemicals used to control microorganisms and the pH level of the water. Watering the same area repeatedly with pool water could build-up an excessive salt level in the soil.
Citronella. Citronella uses diversionary tactics to do battle with mosquitoes, ants, and other insects. It keeps them away by filling the air with a strong citrusy smell that disguises the scent of the plants and people that usually attract them.
To keep your pool crystal clear, focus on the 4 pillars of pool maintenance: balancing your water chemistry, running your filter, shocking regularly, and keeping debris out.
No, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) does not kill algae. It is a buffering agent used to raise your pool's total alkalinity and stabilize the pH.
To start a new pool or a fresh fill, you need to sanitize and balance the water. The most critical additions right away are Chlorine to kill bacteria and Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) to prevent the chlorine from evaporating in the sun.