Ailsa Hardie News Today

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...

Laundry greywater is destroying your soil, warns expert 23 April 2021 8:32 AM Share This: Soil scientists from Stellenbosch University have conducted a study suggesting that irrigating your garden with laundry greywater is a bad idea. A new study led by Dr. Ailsa Hardie has found that reusing laundry greywater in your garden is detrimental to the soil in which your plants grow and thrive. The study looked at the impact of powered and liquid detergent greywater on soil degradation. It found tha...

Why irrigating your garden with laundry greywater is a bad idea By Supplied Share 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 c...

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 cap...