By Fluoride Action Network – Compiled and edited by Mike Dolan, PhD. – November 4, 2022

In response to plant owners’ concerns that their Dracaenas, Easter and peace lilies, spider plants and prayer plants are experiencing browning of their leaf tips, the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the leading plant researcher centers in the USA, has posted a notice that the cause of the browning may be fluoridated water.

In the comment in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Home Gardening noted that such leaf damage was due to environmental insult rather than insect damage, and cited temperature changes.

The posting added, “However, one of the other possible explanations is that the browning is a symptom of fluoride toxicity. Many municipalities will add fluoride to the water supply to help prevent tooth decay. When plants are watered with fluoridated water, fluoride is translocated into the leaves, where it can accumulate in the tips over time. If levels in the leaf become high enough, it will cause injury in the form of necrotic leaf tips.

“Dracaenas, Easter and peace lilies, spider plants and prayer plants are all sensitive to fluoride. To prevent this damage, avoid using fluoridated water on sensitive plants, and opt for bottled, distilled or rainwater instead,” read the botanical garden’s posting.

Source: