Water Your Plants with Your Spa Water!

The sun is finally shining, the birds are out, and you can see the light at the end of the dreary winter tunnel. This is spring, and it’s finally time to start planning and planting your garden. As you begin mapping out how you’ll spend the rest of the warm weather, you’ll also have to schedule a time to perform your seasonal spa maintenance. With that in mind, you’re probably wondering what to do with all that water. This year, why not try using it in your garden and water your plants with your spa to save both money and the environment!

To Water?

Hot tub water is referred to as “greywater”. Simply put, it’s not freshwater straight from the tap, and contains only non-hazardous materials. It’s the difference in water used for dishes in your sink or for bathing versus that from the toilet or other hazardous uses. You can use spa water on almost any nonedible plant in your yard, including: flowers, bushes, trees, and even grass. Aloe, deer grass, oleander, marigolds, and juniper are just a few that do great when watered with recycled spa water.

Or Not to Water?

While the chemicals in spa water are not toxic, you shouldn’t water any vegetables, fruits, herbs or other plants you plant to eat. There are also a few that just don’t take well to greywater, such as rose bushes. You should always use caution when watering your garden with a new substance. It may be a good idea for some trial and error to find which of your plants thrive on spa water.  

Save Chemical Levels

If you choose to start recycling your hot tub’s water in your garden, there are a few steps you’ll have to take first like checking your chemical levels:

• Chlorine should be below 1.5 ppm
• Bromine should read between 2.0-4.0 ppm
• pH should be close to 7.1, but can be as high as 7.4

If you’re not planning on draining your spa for the water, you can fill up a bucket and let it sit out overnight. This allows the chemicals to dissipate. However, when you empty your hot tub completely, leave it uncovered for at least 24 hours and verify the chemicals are within a safe range before using it in your yard.

Have any questions about watering your plants with spa water? Or need more great ideas for recycling? Contact our highly experienced spa professionals at Mastercraft for expert advice!