Will Chlorine Kill Grass?
We often like to use different pesticides and herbicides to kill insects and weed in our lawn. For example we use detergent on grass to kill grubs and insects then we wonder if certain insecticides will have any adverse effect on our grass.
Same way sometimes we reuse chlorine pool water on our grass, If you have a swimming pool in your yard, it probably contains chemicals like chlorine that can destroy your plants. While a single drop of pool water on your grass might not be harmful, watering your lawn with pool water will destroy the grass.
A growing number of states now have swimming pools and other water amenities. These elements are intended to enhance the appearance of your yard and provide you and your family with a means to cool down during the sweltering summers. Many pool owners are concerned that the water may ruin their grounds. Let’s see whether pool water destroys plants. We’ll also advise you on how to prevent chlorinated water from harming your grass.
Will Pool Water Kill the Grass on My Lawn?
The good news is that your grass won’t likely die completely from pool splashing. To enjoy the lush green grass and a refreshing splash in your pool, you will need to prepare your yard properly. Most of the time, the water in your swimming pool won’t harm the grass growing around it. However, it will depend on how much chlorine and salts are present in the pool water.
It’s common for youngsters to splash the water as they leap into the pool or for swimming trunks to leak. Your lawn won’t likely see much of an impact from these circumstances. In most situations, a few drops or splashes won’t cause the grass to die or alter the pH of the soil.
Can I Reuse Pool Water for a Lawn?
The pool draining feels like such a waste. Wouldn’t it be much better if you could use the water again for your plants? You would assume that you could irrigate the lawn with pool water since it can resist splashes from the pool. Okay, in both cases. You cannot irrigate your plants with recently chlorinated pool water.
Plants do not do well with high chlorine levels. You must follow the proper procedures to reuse your pool’s water. A pool needs many days to be thoroughly dechlorinated. Compared to backwashing, pool draining should only occur once or twice every ten years. Normally, 75 gallons of water are produced during backwashing, which can be utilized to irrigate plants that can endure salt.
Some plants that can absorb salt are:
- Aloe
- Deer grass
- Olive
- Rosemary
- Saltbush
Here is a list of more plants that are sensitive to salt. Do not use pool water to water any of these plants in your yard.
- Jasmine
- Willow
- Roses
- Fruit trees
- Jojoba
Does Draining Pool Water Hurt Your Lawn?
A pool should have 0.1 parts per million of chlorine to drain onto the grass. To put things in perspective, swimming pools should have 1.0 to 3.0 ppm of chlorination. It will be necessary to greatly dilute the pool if you plan to drain it on the lawn.
You face the possibility of flooding if you drain the water from your pool onto your yard. The grassroots may be drowned by too much water on your lawn at once, and mosquitoes may be drawn there.
Affects of Pool Water Chemicals on Your Yard
The chemistry of pool water is complex since it contains salts, algaecides, and other compounds to maintain it safe for people to drink.
1. Salt in Pool Water
The viewpoint, as mentioned earlier, still applies if your pool is saltwater instead of freshwater. Salty pool water splashes won’t do any damage to your grass lawn. However, keep in mind that salt has a significantly lower damage threshold compared to chlorine. Unlike chlorine, salt is far more durable and clings onto grass soil.
Splashes and drips cause salt to accumulate over time in the lawn, and eventually, the concentration might be high enough to destroy the grass. Salt inhibits root growth and development, which prevents the roots from absorbing water and nutrients to their full potential. The only way to remove salt accumulation from pool water on your grass is to thoroughly soak up the lawn with fresh water and avoid draining salty pool water on your lawn since damage to grass is nearly always certain in such situations.
2. Chlorine in Pool Water
There is little chance of splashing water from a chlorinated pool and killing the lawn. This is because the amount of chlorine in the pool water that enters the lawn by splashes or drips of swimwear is not too important to affect the lawn.
Chlorine is a leaky chemical that quickly washes away whenever it rains, or the lawn is watered. Remember that the longer a toxic chemical stays in the soil, the more likely it is to harm plants. The grass will be harmed if you drain the chlorinated pool water on your lawn because, although diluted, the water’s chlorine level may be sufficient to kill grass and alter the pH of the soil.
3. Algaecides in Pool Water
The pool water containing chlorine and algaecides is the least likely to harm lawn grass. Since algaecides reduce chlorine levels, chlorinated water is less likely to damage turfgrass. Additionally, algaecides themselves don’t hurt the grass, and they become much less toxic when diluted in pool water. Copper algaecides are frequently diluted and sprayed on lawns as a moss herbicide without causing any harm to the turf.
Ways to Dispose of Chlorinated Pool Water
Chlorinated pool water not only can damage turfgrass, but it also has the potential to kill aquatic life if it enters water bodies. As a result, you must properly and safely dispose of chlorinated pool water by either flushing it down a sanitary sewer or dechlorinating it first before letting it run off into your grass.
Safely Irrigate the Pool Water
The next best alternative is to properly and responsibly dispose of the water on your lawn or the ground if your local wastewater service provider prohibits the discharge of chlorinated pool water into the sanitary sewer.
The following are the safety precautions to take while draining chlorinated pool water onto grass or the ground:
- At least a week before, turn off the chlorination system or stop adding extra chlorine to the pool’s water. This will give the chlorine adequate time to break down with the assistance of sunshine, lowering the chlorine levels to undetectable levels.
- Chemical dechlorination is another method you may use to lower the chlorine in pool water to undetectable levels. Pool maintenance shops nearby sell a variety of chlorine-removing products.
- Use a chlorine test kit to check the pool’s chlorine level once the holding time has passed. Increase the holding period to two weeks if chlorine is still detected (0.1 mg/L or greater).
Flush Chlorinated Pool Water into the Sanitary Sewer
Chlorinated pool water should be dumped into a sanitary sewer since it is the best and safest way to do so. This is due to the water being sent to a treatment facility where contaminants like chlorine will be eliminated before it is released into water bodies. Chlorinated pool water cannot be dumped into the sanitary sewer without getting approval from your community’s wastewater service provider. Once authorized, drain the pool efficiently by utilizing a pump and hose to connect to the sewer system.
Hire a qualified plumber if you are unsure how to connect the sanitary sewage system to the poor drainage system. The fees will be far less than the fines you’ll incur if your chlorinated pool water accidentally enters the municipal stormwater system due to a poor connection.
Conclusion
The Chlorine is commonly used to disinfect water, but it must be handled carefully, especially when it is undiluted. The amount of chlorine present in the water and the time the chlorine is in contact with the grass will determine if chlorinated water kills your grass. To maintain your grass healthy, give it fresh water regularly.
