Gardening with Recycled Water
Gardening with recycled water is a wonderful way to reduce your carbon footprint. In Australia there is simply not enough water most of the time in all areas. We must look for ways to conserve and recycle it. A great place to start is by using recycled water in your garden
There are a variety of ways to recycle water. Among these are rain water tanks which are tanks that can be located above or below ground. Rain water can be captured as it rolls off your roof and is either funneled through pipes directly to your garden or is contained in a rain water tank that you can draw water from at will. There are a variety of sizes and brands to choose from, but some rain water tank suppliers provide higher quality products than others.
Gray Water Versus Rain Water
Rain water is not the same as gray water. Gray water is recycled water from inside your home. You may use the excess water from your shower to water favorite outdoor plants but that water is considered gray. Any water that has not been used in the kitchen or toilet is considered gray water in some areas. This means you can consider using the extra water from your washing machines rinse cycle as that is also considered gray water.
Rain water is exactly that. It pours down from the sky and is captured in a rain water tank and held there for your convenience. It is typically considered far cleaner than gray water. You may use this recycled water for a variety of non-drinking and cooking purposes. It can be as elaborate as you wish with pipes running off the tanks leading to your gardens or fields. These pipes can be underground if you prefer.
Going Native
The soil in your garden needs to be properly cared for in order to allow the soil to maximize the water benefits as it is applied to the ground. For example, it needs to be tilled or turned over to allow oxygen into the soil. It also needs fertilizer so that the proper amounts of nutrients move through the plants via the applied rain water.
It is best to grow and cultivate native plants as they are more habituated to the native climate and will be more hardy and drought resistant. Speak to your local nursery worker to determine what will grow with the least amount of water in your garden. You may find that you can plant those and be able to water the garden exclusively using rain water that you capture and store in a rain water tank.
Ishauna J says:
You might want to specify when you are recycling water, make sure that you are only using 100% organic product. if you are using personal care product from walmart or some other grocery-store, or even salon product, the synthetic chemicals will kill your plants!!! The chemicals will also leak into the soil,therefore trapping unwanted synthetic debris in our earth. =) Great article, though. Very informative.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:26 am