Reusing water?

[PantoporosAporos]

HI all,

This is my first post here, a quick search did not yield any satisfactory answers to this question (the most I saw was a strong opinion, with no defense). So, here's my question:

Is there any reason I should not reuse the water that drains from the bottom of my pots? It seems wasteful to just chuck it, and the tinkerer in me wonders if I could rig a collection & filtration system for my bonsai on my porch (I live in an apartment, so no yard). It would also be nice to avoid excess run-off splashing on the porches of my downstairs neighbors.

Thanks in advance,

PA

 

[HorseloverFat]

HI all,

This is my first post here, a quick search did not yield any satisfactory answers to this question (the most I saw was a strong opinion, with no defense). So, here's my question:

Is there any reason I should not reuse the water that drains from the bottom of my pots? It seems wasteful to just chuck it, and the tinkerer in me wonders if I could rig a collection & filtration system for my bonsai on my porch (I live in an apartment, so no yard). It would also be nice to avoid excess run-off splashing on the porches of my downstairs neighbors.

Thanks in advance,

PA

Greetings, friend! Stay a while.

For my outdoor benches I have it “rigged” that my excess water pours down immediately into other needed trays/pots that are going to be less picky about amounts. (This could be a wrong move, I am not sure. It is just what system I have in current operation)

For my indoor plant room, i use the INITIAL run-off and hydrate my cutting trays with said water. (AGAIN.. this MAY be an incorrect move and am ALSO interested in this question)...

The problems (it would seem to me) would be issues of stagnation and “cross contamination” of specific substrate nutrients and make-up. I do not truly know, however.

 

[PantoporosAporos]

Greetings, friend! Stay a while.

For my outdoor benches I have it “rigged” that my excess water pours down immediately into other needed trays/pots that are going to be less picky about amounts. (This could be a wrong move, I am not sure. It is just what system I have in current operation)

For my indoor plant room, i use the INITIAL run-off and hydrate my cutting trays with said water. (AGAIN.. this MAY be an incorrect move and am ALSO interested in this question)...

The problems (it would seem to me) would be issues of stagnation and “cross contamination” of specific substrate nutrients and make-up. I do not truly know, however.

Cool! It's great to hear from someone who is doing it (to no obvious detriment). You bring up some interesting concerns, but given that I'm not yet that careful about substrate (I have different bonsai soil mixes from different vendors --whatever the store I'm buying from is selling) or nutrients (I'm using the same fertilizer for all my various plants), they may not be critical concerns for me.

Of course, many would (will?) Argue that I should be much more discriminating with my fertilizing modus operandi...

But now I'm rambling. Thanks again!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Of course, many would (will?) Argue that I should be much more discriminating with my fertilizing modus operandi...

Yes, I’m sure certain things could/will be said. I will just say this: do a little bit of species specific research on nutrients/fertilizing... Your plants will visibly thank you. (As long as they are healthy in the first place)

This is all, of course, just from my own experience. .....and experience is a damn funny thing.

 

[PantoporosAporos]

Fair enough! Thanks again!

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

I've thought about a gutter system to collect runoff. It's quite easy, and useful at least for vegetables, or whatever else is lower.

If you are going to have a collection tub, you might as well throw some tilapia in there too!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Oh and...

Apartment Bonsai

The purpose of this thread is to brainstorm the title. Let's not let lack of space determine our ability to PUT STUFF OUTSIDE! My windowsills are 5inches wide. So I made my pots as such. My sills. L-R Semi cascade Buckthorn. Ground cover that leapt to the next pot. Next pot. Ulmus "layer at...

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[PantoporosAporos]

Oh and...

Apartment Bonsai

The purpose of this thread is to brainstorm the title. Let's not let lack of space determine our ability to PUT STUFF OUTSIDE! My windowsills are 5inches wide. So I made my pots as such. My sills. L-R Semi cascade Buckthorn. Ground cover that leapt to the next pot. Next pot. Ulmus "layer at...

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

Oh, interesting thread! Thanks!
(and LOL at the tilapia comment)

 

[sorce]

and LOL at the tilapia comment)

I thought it was funny too, till about a couple months ago!

I reckon it will be much more saddening when we are stuck in our homes without food.

"Shoulda bought them goddamn fish."


Sorce

 

[JudyB]

I reuse my water from my indoor wintering trees, with no issues. I only have a few, and I water them over a tub on a board, the excess drains out into the tub, which I then dump into the watering can. Saves on fert, and trips out to the greenhouse to fetch rainwater, as I don't use my house water to water trees. I'm on a well, so I collect and water with rainwater.

 

[PantoporosAporos]

I reuse my water from my indoor wintering trees, with no issues. I only have a few, and I water them over a tub on a board, the excess drains out into the tub, which I then dump into the watering can. Saves on fert, and trips out to the greenhouse to fetch rainwater, as I don't use my house water to water trees. I'm on a well, so I collect and water with rainwater.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm both an orchid grower and a bonsai grower. I've re-used water for years. I have rarely had actual problems. My orchid growing friends gasp in horror when they hear about re-using water. The issue is disease control. Virus, bacteria and fungi, and a particular class of pathogen called the "water molds", and even nematodes can be transmitted from one plant to another in recycled irrigation water. But if you start out with a clean collection, and are cautious about introducing new plants, making sure they are healthy. You won't have much trouble.

If you collect the run off to a large storage tank, or oversized bucket, you can put in an aquarium filter. I even bought one of those UV lamps used to sterilize aquarium water. I was going to set up an ebb and flow table. Never actually plugged it in, so don't know if it would have worked, I never actually set up the ebb and flow table. These days I am not re-cycling water. Once I bought a house, in the back yard, the water runs to the ground, and the lawn absorbs it. In the basement under lights area water gets into the trays, then the trays have hoses that drain to the sewer in the floor of the basement. So currently everything is single use with the water. But before I bought a house I often reused water.

But the point is, there is good reason to worry about reusing water, as it can pass along disease. On the other hand, in practical application, for a small collection of low to medium value trees, you probably won't run into problems.

I know of a documented case with a commercial orchid cut flower operation was using ebb and flow set ups where they recycled water, and orchid variant of the tobacco mosaic spread through the entire collection. That particular virus has almost no symptoms for the leaves, but horribly distorts and damages the appearance of the flowers. So the cut flower company almost went out of business.

For small collections it is just fine.

 

[PantoporosAporos]

That's as thorough an answer as I'm likely to get! Thanks!

 

[sorce]

That's as thorough an answer as I'm likely to get!

Ever, in life, about anything, until the next time you have an odd question here!

I got 2 pots on it!
Throw up two tilapia and we have a bet!

Swear to God I was thinking about eating my khulie loaches the other day.

Sorce

 

[jaco94]

Hello everyone !
so , as not to spoil the water too much ( i only use rainwater , and here , it has hardly been raining for a month ...) , i use a large saucer with pozzolan under the pots and it keeps the irrigation water .

So , the hotter it is , and the more the water evaporates , i believe that the plants appreciate !

Of course the drainage holes must be above water level so as not to suffocate the roots .

 

[PantoporosAporos]

khulie loaches

My first reaction was to think "Gesundheit" when I read this. Shows how much I know about fish...

 

[PantoporosAporos]

Hello everyone !
so , as not to spoil the water too much ( i only use rainwater , and here , it has hardly been raining for a month ...) , i use a large saucer with pozzolan under the pots and it keeps the irrigation water .

So , the hotter it is , and the more the water evaporates , i believe that the plants appreciate !

Of course the drainage holes must be above water level so as not to suffocate the roots .

Very cool (and looks good too)!