Author: Engela Duvenage
Published: 21/05/2021
For the sake of the soil in which your plants must grow and thrive, think twice before deciding to re-use laundry greywater in your garden. If you really want to use it as part of your greywater system, at least then chose liquid washing detergent over washing powder, as it still degrades the soil, but not as much. That is the message from soil scientists at Stellenbosch University, who published the first ever comprehensive research on the topic in the
Journal of Hydrology.
The study was led by Dr Ailsa Hardie of the Department of Soil Science in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University. It is based on the MSc work of one of the co-authors, Ms Ncumisa Madubela, who in January 2020 received an award for the best junior research paper presented at the annual congress of the Soil Science Society of South Africa. Ms Madubela graduated in March 2020. Dr Cathy Clarke and Mr Vink Lategan, also of the SU Department of Soil
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Why irrigating your garden with laundry greywater is a bad idea
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For the sake of the soil in which your plants must grow and thrive, think twice before deciding to re-use laundry greywater in your garden.
If you really want to use it as part of your greywater system, at least then chose liquid washing detergent over washing powder, as it still degrades the soil, but not as much. That is the message from soil scientists at Stellenbosch University, who published the first ever comprehensive research on the topic in the Journal of Hydrology.
The study was led by Dr Ailsa Hardie of the Department of Soil Science in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University. It is based on the MSc work of one of the co-authors, Ms Ncumisa Madubela, who in January 2020 received an award for the best junior research paper presented at the annual congress of the Soil Science Society of South Africa. Ms Madubela graduated in March 2020. Dr Cathy Clarke and Mr Vink Lategan,
This “stripping effect” causes clay particles in the soil to disperse, blocks soil pores and in turn causes a crust to form on the surface that seals the soil.
“It becomes difficult for water to soak into soils and increases run-off when it rains or when you water your garden. In essence you are then actually wasting water, because in time very little water gets to penetrate into the soil to reach plant roots,” said Hardie.
The blocking of soil pores also decreases the water holding capacity of soils. In times of drought this makes soils even drier. Soils become increasingly saline (brackish) and alkaline.