With the hot Texas summers and inevitable water restrictions, your lawn and garden will go through a lot this season. However, our Houston plumber has the perfect solution for you: greywater. By using this wastewater in your home, you can keep your garden and yard looking as fresh as spring while also saving water and money!
1. Decide how much greywater you need to sustain your garden.
According to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, a good rule of thumb is that a half gallon of greywater every week can cover up to a square foot – so measure the space to see about how much you will be using. Remember not to measure any space that has plants with edible roots.
2. Determine how you will collect the greywater.
We recommend starting out with shower and bathtub wastewater because it is easier to collect. For this, you can simply place a bucket in the shower. For baths, collect the wastewater in a bucket and then store. If there is not enough collected over the course of one week, consider also collecting water from your sinks. To do this, you can place a small bucket inside the bathroom and kitchen sink. For those that don’t want to spend this much time collecting water, there are many attachments that you can use to siphon or pump wastewater directly from dishwashers and washing machines as well. However, we recommend hiring a professional to install them due to varying city regulations.
3. Apply the greywater carefully.
- It’s best to use greywater on ornamental bushes, shrubbery and lawns.
- With edible vegetables, you must apply the greywater directly to the soil.
- Avoid applying the greywater to a concentrated area. Spread it around throughout the space.
- Due to possible contamination, do not let any greywater touch the edible part of the plant.
- If you have plants with edible roots, do not water this soil with greywater.
- Only use the greywater on established plants, not seedlings.
- Apply only in flat areas to avoid runoff.
4. Take certain precautions.
One risk while using greywater can be the build-up of sodium in the soil. To monitor this, frequently test the pH of the soil. A pH level of 7.5 or above indicates that there is too much sodium in the soil. The most practical way to combat this is to rotate the weeks in which you water with fresh and greywater. You may also use natural or harvested rainfall to continue your savings on water costs!
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Our Houston plumber highly recommends the practice of using greywater in your home to save money and water while in the midst of city-wide water restrictions. If you ever need a plumber, or have any water-saving questions in the Houston area, make sure to call us at 713.465.1777!
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