"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Amber Ormerod
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Amber Ormerod
writes
I have had either dead slugs (hurrah) or rotting bits of tree go down
the
pipe into the waterbutt. I just emptied it and have cut back the tree
and
am
going to put a filter on the pipe and seal it better but wasn't sure
what
to
clean it with that wouldn't require hours and hours of rinsing. I have
already scrubbed it but it smells a bit still. Is smelling water ok
for
plants (not seedlings)?

Yes, perfectly OK! Garden soil has plenty of dead slugs and rotting
bits
of tree



oh, was this a wasted job then?

No, but it's more for your benefit than for the plants.

Well, indirectly for the plants' benefit, since they'll get watered more
regularly if the butt doesn't stink too much for you to go near it ;-)

Oh, and if you have got bits in your water butt, they get stuck in the
spout of your watering can, and that's a nuisance too.



makes a change from smelly dead worms from the wormery doing it.