I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last 40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things ....... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............

On Feb 25, 2:35*pm, Topdown
wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. *Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off. *

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. *The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............

--
Topdown

I had a garden once surrounded with yew trees. I never noticed any
problems with the fallen needles.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Feb 25, 2:35 pm, Topdown
wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............

--
Topdown

I had a garden once surrounded with yew trees. I never noticed any
problems with the fallen needles.

The problem is going to be the tap on the water butt getting blocked with
debris. Some form of screening out the crap on the way to the butt would be
advisable.

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Feb 25, 2:35 pm, Topdown
wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............

--
Topdown

I had a garden once surrounded with yew trees. I never noticed any
problems with the fallen needles.

The problem is going to be the tap on the water butt getting blocked with
debris. Some form of screening out the crap on the way to the butt would
be advisable.

Steve
..
Hang a bucket on the edge of the butt with the downpipe leading into the
bucket.

Put some gravel/stones weight into the bottom of the bucket to ensure it
'sinks' to the depth of the hooks and stays stable.

Here is the filter bit. Put an old pair of tights over the downpipe, secured
with strong elastic bands.

How does it work?

Any debris/leaves/needles coming down the pipe stay in the tights.

The tights become waterlogged and heavy. The bucket, suspended from the edge
of the water butt, 'support' the tights.

Water is 'filtered' through the tights into the bucket but overflows into
the butt as clear water.

Does it work?

Been there, done that, got the tee shirt. This arrangement is on/in the butt
on the downpipe of my house.

WARNING Empty/replace the tights from time to time ;-))

Mike

;-))

--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

On 25/02/2011 14:35, Topdown wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

I wouldn't use it as drinking water even after boiling, but apart from
that the plants won't mind a bit dead plant material toxic to animals.

There is a lot of airborne pollen off a yew early in the year. Some
people can be sensitive to it.

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............


Be fine for watering plants. Just stay out of the smoke if you ever
decide to burn the prunings off a yew tree.

Regards,
Martin Brown

"shazzbat" wrote ...


"harry" wrote
Topdown wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............


I had a garden once surrounded with yew trees. I never noticed any
problems with the fallen needles.

The problem is going to be the tap on the water butt getting blocked with
debris. Some form of screening out the crap on the way to the butt would be
advisable.

Easy solution to that, use a old stocking, sock, etc over the end of the
inlet pipe. Will need to remember to clean it out every now and then. Some
years ago they used to sell Coffee filters made of plastic and they used to
fit perfectly in the hole on the top of a water but lid.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...

Just stay out of the smoke if you ever decide to burn the prunings off a
yew tree.

Didn't know that, and I have burned a lot of yew branches in recent years,
plus a lot of yew logs on the woodburner. What's it going to do to me?

Mike

"Topdown" wrote in message
...

I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............

--
Topdown

No problem using the water for garden use, but we have a similar situation
here and our then 1 year old son got an upset stomach from playing with the
drips coming down the down pipe so it suggests that some toxicity remains
but not enough to cause real harm

On 25/02/2011 17:37, Martin Brown wrote:
On 25/02/2011 14:35, Topdown wrote:
I am new to this forum and indeed new to gardening having spent the last
40+ years playing with mechanical, electrical and computer things
...... Now retired ....

I have a very large (male) Yew Tree alongside and quite close to my
greenhouse, shed and garden. Parts of the tree, pollen, leaves etc blow
onto the roof of the shed and greenhouse and stay there for some time
until I clean them off.

I would like to collect rain water from the roof of the shed and
greenhouse to water the vegetable plants both in the garden and
greenhouse. The question is, is it safe to use the water that has yew
pollen and leaves have soaked in ??

I wouldn't use it as drinking water even after boiling, but apart from
that the plants won't mind a bit dead plant material toxic to animals.

There is a lot of airborne pollen off a yew early in the year. Some
people can be sensitive to it.

The vast majority of leaves are dead and brown with only occasional
green leaves being on the roof

Many thanks ...............


Be fine for watering plants. Just stay out of the smoke if you ever
decide to burn the prunings off a yew tree.

Regards,
Martin Brown


Yew needles or not, *no* waterbutt water is good for watering seedlings;
it's too full of bacteria and would cause rotting and fungal problems.
As Martin says, fine for watering other plants.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

hi, you can buy a grid like, round filter that fits into the round down pipe of your guttering, this will collect the leaves etc, but you must clean it out often, when the leaves are falling. i would get a soft brush and sweep the shed roof from a step ladder say , once a week when the leaves etc fall. i hope this helps.. spinksy

Thanks Guys for the various replies .....

From this site and one other it looks like the consensus opinion is to give watering edible plants with this water a miss ….

However I am still making use of the water as the down pipe from the shed now runs away under the greenhouse to keep the floor moist in summer …… Nothing is growing in the soil and shingle under the greenhouse, but hopefully it will keep the moisture levels up a bit in mid summer.

Cheers all .................

I'm not at all sure that that is what the consensus was on this site.

I thought the consensus was - no probs with using the water on edible plants, but you want to filter out the needles to avoid physical blockages.