is it safe to put the water from the soak bucket on the lawn?

Question

Even tho its dirty water and the water has soaking detergent in it like napisan in the water or will this kill the lawn. country in drought
and would like to do my bit on saving water but I don't want to kill the lawn either

Answer 1

I am not familiar with Napisan, however most detergents will cause the acidity/pH level of the water to drop. Using that on the lawn or any part of the garden can cause problems. Best thing to check is just how low the pH is after soaking... on the safe side don't use any water with a pH higher than 8 in the yard as it will chemically burn plants and grass.
Now you need to read the ingredients to see what other chemicals are in the soak that you may be unleashing in the world, softeners, etc may also have detrimental effects in the yard.
This study may help "...The source of much of the pollution is said to be detergents. This experiment is designed to identify the responsible ingredient(s) in the detergents."-http://www.life.umd.edu/grad/mlfsc/labs/detergent.html

Answer 2

I visited the website for "Napisan" and fortunately, they addressed your question about using the remaining product, mixed with water, to use over plants and in gardens.

This was their response;
"We would not recommend pouring it over plants. We suspect the concentration of a soaking solution would upset the pH of the soil and/or potting mix."

However, since you mentioned that you're living in a drought situation, there's nothing wrong with using the remaining water that you've used to rinse the dishes and from showers/baths. Most body soaps/shampoos are safe on plants and will help make the water "wetter" by breaking down the surface tension of soil... thereby allowing the water to penetrate easier into the rootzone of plants/lawn.

Hope this information was of some help to you! GOOD LUCK!

(certified professional crop consultant with a degree in plant science)

Answer 3

No harm will come, since you are just throwing out the occasional bucket, right?

Try to aim for a different spot each time, so the pH problem does not occur.

Answer 4

I have a large hose which takes the whole wash water from my washing machine onto my garden. I have had no bad results and I have been doing it for about 5 years. I even put it on my orange and lemon trees.