Using old pool water on the lawn

**p38arover** · 15th April 2007, 08:03 AM

I'm pulling our swimming pool out as it never gets used.

Last weekend I fitted a pump and started using it to water the lawn in an attempt to empty the pool without wasting the water down the drain.

However, this morning I noticed the lawn is looking somewhat yellow as if it is being poisoned. I haven't chlorinated the pool in many months in preparation for this.

The water is looking somewhat greenish and has a lot of tadpoles now living it it (although I've noticed that a few that have matured to frogs have died - the taddies are eating them).

I wonder if there is some chemical still in the water that the tadpoles can survive but not the frogs and which is killing the lawn. I believe that frogs are a good indicator of a healthy environment.

Any suggestions?

Ron

**crump** · 15th April 2007, 08:54 AM

possibly just too much water in one spot, chlorine wont stay in the water for long, just like you age water for 24 hours for a fishtank.Tadpoles means the water if fine, dead frogs may just be metamorphs who couldnt climb out and drowned.

**Quiggers** · 15th April 2007, 08:42 PM

Maybe the garden is not used to the idea of water, Ron....given there is a drought....just a thought

GQ

**abaddonxi** · 15th April 2007, 08:54 PM

pH, salt?

Cheers
Simon

**Disco300Tdi** · 15th April 2007, 09:25 PM

I await Johns' (JDNSW) answer...

**HangOver** · 16th April 2007, 01:06 AM

Salt

**JDNSW** · 16th April 2007, 04:34 AM

Originally Posted by 84RR

I await Johns' (JDNSW) answer...

Thanks for the confidence - but this is not a subject I know much about. However, tadpoles are sensitive to water quality - grass is not very. If you still have a test kit, check the water pH - most plants are unhappy if it is below 6, but I'd have thought tadpoles would not tolerate this either. Depending on the type of chlorine you have been using it is possible that there has been a salt build up in the water - and most plants can't tolerate salt - but again, I would not think tadpoles could either.

John

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 16th April 2007, 06:27 AM

but doesnt the sun leach salt?

mcrover · 16th April 2007, 04:04 PM

Check the PH, but it sounds like you pumped the crap out of the bottom of the pool that would be clorine and slimey stuff that would contain a lot of salts that grasses generaly dont like too much.

But there is a way you can use it on your lawn and that is to put some calcium with it that you should be able to get through your local farm supplies or golf course.

You will have to stabilise the PH first of all and then put some Calcium out with maybe some Nitrogen and Potasium (fertaliser) such as Pivot 500 or the equivelent.

On our Golf course our water is relatively salty and the calcium helps the grass absorb it, the nitrogen feeds it and the potasium also feeds it but makes it grow up to be nice strong and more salt tolerant.

While your at the Golf course getting all this stuff, ask the Super intendant as he would know more than me as I just fix the machines.

Good luck

**p38arover** · 16th April 2007, 04:51 PM

I checked the pH and is acidic though not a lot. We thought we'd add some bicarb of soda.

I pumped from the halfway down into the pool (I didn't buy enough flexible pipe to reach the bottom

).

We'll have to pump it out as the pool fence has been removed and we will be going away in two weeks time so we don't want water in it for reasons of safety.

Maybe straight into the gutter?

Ron

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