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Watering tomatoes with smelly water

nodlisabnodlisab Posts: 406

The water from my water butts is really smelly, is it safe to water my tomatoes with it. If so will it affect the taste of them?

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,870

    I wouldn't use it on seedlings and I wouldn't let it get on the foliage, but it'll be fine watered onto the tomato compost (you don't want wet tomato foliage anyway).  It won't affect the taste

    When the butts are empty clean them out with a scrubbing brush and a very dilute solution of Jeyes Fluid or household bleach - dispose of it carefully down an outside drain (thus cleaning the drain as well). 

    Remember Jeyes Fluid in water is attractive to cats and dogs, and also deadly poisonous to them.

    Keep a lid on the waterbutts to prevent the formation of algae and to stop stuff getting in and decomposing - that's what causes the smell. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • nodlisabnodlisab Posts: 406

    Thanks Dove, I do have lids on all my water butts but they still smell.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,870

    Stuff washes off the roofs along with the water - they need cleaning out annually as above image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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