A use for old water change water... yard weed killer?

[dasianguy]

I just had a nutty idea. We've all heard of the old "salting the earth" method to keep anything from growing on the ground. I was wondering, has anyone here ever thought of or done it with their left over saltwater after water changes to kills weeds?

I know run off could be a problem, but I was thinking of doing on an area at the back of my backyard that's pretty overgrown with weeds. I have no neighbor behind me, just woods, then a creek behind that.

 

[firethorn77]

I drained my 120 into the front yard. Nothing died.

 

[saltwaterwannabe]

I used to drain my WC water out the window into a flower bed. Not much other than hearty bushes in the bed, but nothing died or showed signs of stress. I did stop since I figured that eventually there would be a buildup of salt and other stuff plants do not really like.

 

[dasianguy]

Ok, I guess I'll try it, but won't expect any fast results. Good to know that bushes (and probably other robust plants like trees) would likely hold up to the saltwater. I would think that it would work at some point once enough salt builds up.

 

[danh]

I was thinking the exact same thing just this morning. I am definitely putting it in a few places.

 

[hzheng33]

dude, i literally did this 2 weeks ago and dump a lot of old tank water to my backyard. the area where the water went is now bare. no weed at all. but it kinda looks bad.

 

[danh]

I wouldn't use salt water to control or kill weeds in the lawn. I would use it in mulch or gravel beds.

 

[Adam]

The salt will eventually get to the lawn unless dumped in a way that the down hill runoff doesn't ever make it to the grass. Once the salt builds up in the lawn it wont grow there until it's been heavily flushed out. Depending on the type of plant or bush, it will eventually dehydrate it just like saltwater does to us. Once and a while shouldn't be bad. But repetitively dumping in the same spot will continue to build the salt up until a heavy rain dilutes it.

Sounds like more work than it's worth to me.

 

[danh]

I've got a fire pit in my back yard surrounded by a circle of gravel. It's all flat. I think that would be a decent spot to try it. At least around the center of the circle. Maybe not all the way out to the barrier before the grass. I don't think I'd use too much either. I don't plan on doing tons of water changes anyway, so that should be fine.