Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - April 24, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Select Region
Topic: Watering
Title: Harvesting washer rinse cycle water from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Mr. Smarty Plants, My question is different. I am "harvesting" 8-9 gallons from the rinse cycle in my top loading washer. I was told not to use this water on vegetables, just shrubs and flowers. Is this true? We also get 2 gallons of cold water for each shower we take.ANSWER:
Your question is different, all right, in that it concerns using "greywater" for use on gardens. Our line is the garden plants themselves, all native to Texas (in your case), of course. Since we have no experience with this beyond taking dishwashing water (no dishwashers in those days) out to try to keep some pathetic zinnias alive during the drought in the early 1950's, we will find some websites where you can get information and links to other sites.
sustainablesources.com Greywater Irrigation
The Austin Chronicle - The Old Grey Mire
Mr. Smarty Plants Previous Question, from Nagpur, India: Effects of Greywater on Plants and Soil
More Watering Questions
Recovery of water-stressed Agarita
August 11, 2014 - Hello! I planted a small agarita at the end of May and then
left town for six weeks. During that time it was supposed to receive weekly deep irrigations to help it establish, but it seems that som...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Carolina Laurel Cherry from Pflugerville, TX
September 02, 2011 - In 2007 we planted 7 Carolina Laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana)across our back fence. Everything was fine until this year. Three of the trees seemed to get sick and a local arborist said the roots ne...
view the full question and answer
Mexican Plum not doing well in Liberty Hill, TX.
September 03, 2010 - Two summers have passed since I planted my Mexican Plum. It's in full sun. It seems to have added height but not much width. It's virtually a 7 foot stick with 1 foot branches from top to bottom. It...
view the full question and answer
Watering newly planted woodland plants in VA
June 12, 2011 - How frequently should newly planted, native plants, growing in wooded areas be watered?
Is it better to not water at all than to use sprinklers in which case the water rarely saturates the leaf...
view the full question and answer
Poor drainage in wildflower bed
November 10, 2004 - I have a flower bed that has given me difficulty because it has poor drainage but typically receives sun for most of the day. Salvia gregii was the only survivors for the initial landscaping attempt. ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |