If the continuing great gardening weather has persuaded you to have a go at planting your own grape vine then you’ll pleased to hear an Australian study has found a way for you to not only beat this year’s lack of rain water and this summer’s inevitable hosepipe ban but save money on your water bills too: filtered wastewater saved in a water butt is healthier for vines than mains water straight from the garden tap.
It seems soil irrigated with wastewater that has been filtered, treated and disinfected has fewer harmful pathogens and higher microbial activity than soil watered with mains water.
Reclaimed waste water, or greywater as it is more commonly known in the UK, is water that’s first been used for washing. Washing leaves behind soap residue which tends to make the water alkaline (having a pH above neutral tap water’s 7), which is good news for soil.
Alkaline water not only helps soil to set free elements needed for healthy plant and vine growth but it also discourages pests (slugs, leatherjackets and wireworms all hate alkaline conditions) and soil diseases (particularly club root, the bane of brassicas).
And if, like me, your house and garden is sited slap bang on top of sticky seam of orange clay then you’ll be pleased to learn soap suds also help break up this up into smaller more manageable lumps.
So as well as your grapevines, your carnations, wallflowers, delphiniums, cabbages and Brussel sprouts will all enjoy greywater. For more information visit Renewable Energy UK http://www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/water/greywater/
After all that lugging about of watering cans some refreshment will be necessary. Can I interest you in the following bottles of wine?
PG Wine Reviews
Tesco Cava Brut
£5 Tesco
Flavours of Lockets throat lozenges – honey, lemon plus fresh apple slices.
Olas Argentinean Torrontes Pinot Grigio 2016
£6.49 Co-op
Pear, peach, almond and lime flavours – a sweet-sour thing going on which is good to match with spicy food.
Valdivieso Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2016
£8 Sainsbury’s
Light on the expected gooseberry flavours that can dominate many Sauvignon Blancs, but this one is more subtle with added lemon and lime.
Fluerie 2015, La Reine de L’Arenite, Beaujolais France
£9.99 Virgin Wine
Flavours of plum, raspberry and creamy black cherry. Successfully mattched to last night’s pork stroganoff.
Chateau Moulin du Terrier Bordeuax 2012
£10.99 Virgin Wines
Treat this like a port replacement as its flavours of black cherry, liquorice, coffee and barley cough sweets needs careful handling.
Tweet me a wine question @huxelrebe
© Paula Goddard 2017 www.paulagoddard.com
