Grey water is typically waste water from the bathroom, kitchen and laundry.
We looked into using grey water to supplement watering the garden. However, grey water is not suitable for use on vegetable beds, fruit trees or herbs. Grevillas and a large majority of other Australian natives are not tolerant of the levels of phosphorous in grey water.
At the moment, we currently have a grey water hose that attaches the end of the washing machine, and we direct this waste water on to our grassy areas. It’s been effective at keeping our lawn alive in between rainy days, and our grass seems to stay greener longer then our neighbours’.
2 July 2009 at 8:42 pm
By selecting greywater friendly detergents you should find that most plants actually thrive on greywater – especially roses, olive and citrus trees. Sub surface irrigation also helps.
10 July 2009 at 2:24 am
Don’t give up on greywater! As the poster above said, use eco-friendly detergents or make your own. We have been watering our vegetables, fruit trees, flowers and even natives with grey water for 3 years now and they have not suffered at all.
Good luck!