I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always appreciated.
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent) to
water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is, than
maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in containers,
where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0

"andr0meda" wrote in message
...
I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always
appreciated.
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent)
to
water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is,
than
maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in containers,
where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0

If it's high in detergent content then there is every chance that it may
chase worms away.
If your soil is rich in worms, then don't use it would be my advice. But if
you lack soil worms, or there are very few, then try it.
I would try alternating watering between dishwater and normal water, so the
soil does get flushed well.
Also it's ok to use over plants as a type of pesticide. Just watch what
detergent you use, you want the biodegradable stuff.
Good luck
Andrew

g'day andro,

you could change your detergent and guy an earth friendly brand, or
you could also mix it with fresh water to dillute it that way you will
get more garden watered as well.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Much and all as I love the waterwise approach to this, the Gold Coast City
Circus actually has quite a good sewage and dirty water processing plant out
the back of Runaway Bay that is designed to handle this sort of old crap.

Dirty water from the greasy pots and pans should go down the plug and let
the rates do some little good.

But, if it's the coffee cups that you rinsed, the garden will probably love
the little bit of extra water and a little bit of organic matter that will
made a nice little extra fertaliser. Old coffee grounds, tea leaves, sugar,
milk and cup cake crumbs all made plants thrive.

Just remember that greases will build up in your soil if applied to the same
place all the time, and that if you are sick, then get rid of the biological
waste water runoff!

Hope this helps,
Peter

Thanks for replies, everybody!
They give me some ideas.
As to worms - well, I don't have many at the moment, as my yard has been
backfilled with 40 cubic metres of dirt recently. Two weeks ago I planted 50
fern plants along the fence, and only met one worm! still, I would like to
see more. As to grease in dishwater, there isn't much of it. I let the water
cool after washing up, and by the time I pour it onto plants, the grease has
deposited on the sides of the bowl and stays there until I remove it with
ajax.
Thanks for pointing me towards using biodegradable dishwashing liquid! Point
taken; it makes a lot of sense.
As to the whole 'ruckus' about saving water on the Gold Coast; well - I have
an opinion, too (particularly where a lot of money is being spent on TV etc.
advertising on 'saving every drop' and then telling us what a good job we
did - when all it was , was a good downpour into the dam - our saving or not
saving made little difference).
Still, I can see that plenty of water has been wasted over the last century
since the event of running water in almost every household took place.
Eventually, we will have to cut down and it might make sense to get used to
it slowly.
PS. My mother had a habit of rinsing meat before cooking it. The rinse water
went into her rose garden just outside the house. They thrived on it!

Regards,
Andr0

"andr0meda" wrote in message
...
I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always
appreciated.
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent)
to
water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is,
than
maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in containers,
where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0

"andr0meda" wrote in
:

I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always
appreciated. On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some
detergent) to water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is,
than maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in
containers, where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0




I think it would be fine. Detergent are mostly phospahte (which is a plant
nutrient) - so think of it as fertiliser. The lawn will love it too. Keep
it away from natives and you will be fine.

* waratah *

Andro,

There are any number of chemicals in dishwashing detergent/washing machine
detergent/soaps/etc etc and as there is no feasible way for you to know what
those chemical residues will be doing to the soil/microbes/worms and
critters in your soil, it would be most advantageous not to use them.

However, we want to use our grey water on our gardens. It makes sense in
Australia. There are products on the market that can be used and are 'safe'
as such, for critters.

http://www.enviroqld.com/index2.htm

I was advised that the above product is excellent 'chemical' wise, in
comparison to other 'earth friendly' products. I purchase it from my local
organic shop. Contact them and ask where you can find it local to you.


Liza

"andr0meda" wrote in message
...
I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always
appreciated.
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent)
to
water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is,
than
maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in containers,
where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0

Many thanks, Liza!
I think you just answered my initial enquiry.
I will check the product out and I believe I can get it shipped to me if
not available in shops.
I plantd 22 silverbeet seedlings yesterday and found a few more worms while
doing so...good stuff!
Thanks again,
Regards,
Andr0

"Kirsty" wrote in message news:41402b51@tyson...
Andro,

There are any number of chemicals in dishwashing detergent/washing
machine
detergent/soaps/etc etc and as there is no feasible way for you to know
what
those chemical residues will be doing to the soil/microbes/worms and
critters in your soil, it would be most advantageous not to use them.

However, we want to use our grey water on our gardens. It makes sense in
Australia. There are products on the market that can be used and are
'safe'
as such, for critters.

http://www.enviroqld.com/index2.htm

I was advised that the above product is excellent 'chemical' wise, in
comparison to other 'earth friendly' products. I purchase it from my local
organic shop. Contact them and ask where you can find it local to you.


Liza

"andr0meda" wrote in message
...
I will try to be brief. I know my sense of humour is not always
appreciated.
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent)
to
water plants?
My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way. Is that true? If it is,
than
maybe it is still OK to use the 'dishwater' to water plants in
containers,
where worms are not welcome anyway?
Regards,
Andr0

"andr0meda" wrote:
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent) to
water plants?

I see no problems at all, provided you observe a few simple precautions.
I'd avoid using it on root crops and leaf crops, not only because the
"soap" may taint the crop, but meat particles in the water and bacterial
decay may cause trouble. Also, wipe dirty plates and frying pans, etc.,
very thoroughly with paper towel to sop up all the fat and grease that
you possibly can. Not only does this minimize the grease you put around
your plants, but it allows you to minimize the amount of detergent that
you use in doing the dishwashing. (If this encourages the cook to adopt
a theme of less fat in the cooking, then it will benefit your health,
too!) There should be no problems in using greywater on grass, trees,
shrubs and flowers, and around vines and crops such as corn, watermelons,
etc., maybe even climbing beans and the like. Alternate between watering
with clean water and greywater whenever possible, or dilute your dirty
water if you must rely on it in the long term.

My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way.

Maybe it does, maybe not. But I do know that nothing chases worms away
like a parched and powdery garden soil. In drought conditions, you have
nothing to lose. Just choose your dishwashing detergent carefully and
you will have no problems.
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)

Thanks John!
Your reply is all 'Great Common Sense" to which I relate very well;
I actually consider installing a gray-water catching tank (with a grease
trap?) for use on the garden (I hope I make sense here); only I don't know
how to get the plumbing, etc....just a project or a 'good thought'; but may
eventuate in something.
Many Thanks,
Andr0

"John Savage" wrote in message
om...
"andr0meda" wrote:
On the Gold Coast, we are urged to save water.
What do you think about using dirty dishwater (including some detergent)
to
water plants?

I see no problems at all, provided you observe a few simple precautions.
I'd avoid using it on root crops and leaf crops, not only because the
"soap" may taint the crop, but meat particles in the water and bacterial
decay may cause trouble. Also, wipe dirty plates and frying pans, etc.,
very thoroughly with paper towel to sop up all the fat and grease that
you possibly can. Not only does this minimize the grease you put around
your plants, but it allows you to minimize the amount of detergent that
you use in doing the dishwashing. (If this encourages the cook to adopt
a theme of less fat in the cooking, then it will benefit your health,
too!) There should be no problems in using greywater on grass, trees,
shrubs and flowers, and around vines and crops such as corn, watermelons,
etc., maybe even climbing beans and the like. Alternate between watering
with clean water and greywater whenever possible, or dilute your dirty
water if you must rely on it in the long term.

My friend reckons, detergent chases worms way.

Maybe it does, maybe not. But I do know that nothing chases worms away
like a parched and powdery garden soil. In drought conditions, you have
nothing to lose. Just choose your dishwashing detergent carefully and
you will have no problems.
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)

g'day andromeda,

using a grease trap will only degrade the water, that is the
expereince we are having here, you need to get the water as directly
as possible to the plants, even if the holding tank doesn't drain dry
this degrades residue water that gets mixed in with the newly degraded
water. if i had realised we would have built in a bypass of the grease
trap and set up a tank that would drain dry. pity a bit of common
sense didn't prevail from the shire council in this case.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Umm....
Looks like I can forget the whole thing!
Being single and working in excess of 50 hours a week, I couldn't possibly
use the water straightway; therefore came the idea of collecting it first.
Oh, well? So many people don't give a damn, why should I bother?
Thanks Len.
Regards,
Andr0

, you need to get the water as directly
as possible to the plants, even if the holding tank doesn't drain dry
this degrades residue water that gets mixed in with the newly degraded
water.
len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before
you send.

sorry i didn't mean to put a downer on your project andro,

but take my suggestion one step further set up a continual gravity
feed system to all the parts of the garden that you want to allocate
the water to, or you could set up a pump system if gravity can't be
used. my wife and i live on rural and we would be flat out generating
100 litres of grey water a day on the average, this amount doesn't
take long to drain away using 1/2" hose.this way the water gets
allocated as you create it. don't use drippers they'll clog and are
not realy needed. screen the water as it does into the tank.

things we do:

we wash dishes once a day uisng earth friendly detergent.

we use a twin tub to wash clothes, using homemade detergent and
starting with the cleanest cloths work through to the dirtiest using
the same water.

we share baths, no showers.

we save our night water plus all dregs of fluids from coffee cups,
soft drink and the soak water from pots and pans, this all gets topped
up with fresh water daily and used to water plants.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Hi Len,
Please don't feel like you have killed my good intentions!
I will save your suggestions below for later use (many thanks for sharing
your experiences) but will have to consider a few things first - I just had
my long-time dream of an outdoor spa shuddered by the local
councilTherefore I will have to take a break, a few scotch's, a big breath
and then decide on a new course of action). Graywater tank sort of...drifted
away, especially after I hoarded some for 2 days and found maggots in it
tonight....yeeeeek
Thanks again,
Regards,
Andr0

"len gardener" wrote in message
...
sorry i didn't mean to put a downer on your project andro,

but take my suggestion one step further set up a continual gravity
feed system to all the parts of the garden that you want to allocate
the water to, or you could set up a pump system if gravity can't be
used. my wife and i live on rural and we would be flat out generating
100 litres of grey water a day on the average, this amount doesn't
take long to drain away using 1/2" hose.this way the water gets
allocated as you create it. don't use drippers they'll clog and are
not realy needed. screen the water as it does into the tank.

things we do:

we wash dishes once a day uisng earth friendly detergent.

we use a twin tub to wash clothes, using homemade detergent and
starting with the cleanest cloths work through to the dirtiest using
the same water.

we share baths, no showers.

we save our night water plus all dregs of fluids from coffee cups,
soft drink and the soak water from pots and pans, this all gets topped
up with fresh water daily and used to water plants.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before
you send.

"andr0meda" writes:
Being single and working in excess of 50 hours a week, I couldn't possibly
use the water straightway;

A hose from the sink plumbing going straight out to your shrubs, and
move it a bit each weekend. Couldn't be easier. Conceal the end of the
hose under a handful of straw mulch for aesthetic reasons.

But for a household with just 1 or 2 occupants, the amount of water
from the kitchen sink will be only a few litres unless you are running
an electric dishwasher. Your shower or bath would probably be a better
source of greywater for the garden.
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)