Using greywater in the home and garden

JOHANNESBURG South Garden Club held its meeting on April 30 with guest speaker Samanta Stelli from Rand Water chatting about simple greywater principles in the home and garden.

“Reuse water as much as possible, but be careful using water which contains grease, blood, pesticides, oils, faeces or urine,” said Samanta.

In general, tough drought-tolerant plants will do best with greywater irrigation watering. Greywater is typically alkaline, so avoid using it on acid-loving plants, such as azaleas, begonias, gardenias, hibiscus, camellias and ferns. Greywater should not be used on fynbos or proteas either.

Plants watered with greywater will benefit from an occasional flushing of rainwater or tap water to remove any greywater residue on the plant leaves, especially if you’ve used a sprayer.

Pay attention to what your plants are telling you. Dry, wilted or curled leaves can be sign of lack of water, while wilted shoot tips or soft plant tissue can mean overwatering.

Did you know

Plants which thrive on greywater

These plants include olives, rosemary, lavender, bougainvillea, Cape honeysuckle, Italian cypress, bearded iris and petunias. Plants can also benefit from greywater as it contains small amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are potential sources of plant nutrients. The soapy nature of greywater can also act as an insect repellent.

Tips for greywater use

Using environmentally friendly soaps, detergents and cleaning products will positively improve the quality of your greywater and be an advantage to your garden. Also, don’t always irrigate in the same place with greywater, constantly move the sprinkler watering system in the garden.

Don’t store greywater

The maximum time for storing grey water is 24 hours. Do not allow greywater to pool and don’t let children or pets play in or around greywater.

What is greywater?

Laundry water can be used, especially if detergents are biodegradable and safe to the environment and this water is suitable for irrigation use.

Kitchen sink or dishwasher water should not be used for irrigation unless it doesn’t contain grease, blood, pesticides or oils.

Shower and bath water can be used for irrigation, as well as hand basin water.

“Rand Water and Unisa research shows the quality of greywater from sample homes in suburbs are all within the parameters of the South African water quality guidelines for irrigation. This means greywater from your bathroom is safe to use for irrigation in your garden,” added Samanta.

For more information on becoming a Water Wise gardener, you can visit the Rand water website at www.randwater.co.za and click on the Water Wise logo. Alternatively, call 0860 10 10 60 or send an email to waterwise@randwater.co.za

For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.

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