In a simple greywater system you want to find a balance between the amount of greywater generated and the water requirements of the plants you’ll be irrigating. Since both these amounts fluctuate, the optimum design strikes a good balance. You want to keep the plants healthy while irrigating as many as possible (to save the most water possible).

Larger plants are better suited to be irrigated with a simple greywater system than smaller plants. Choose the larger plants, such as trees, bushes, berries, shrubs, and larger perennials or annuals. (It’s much more difficult to water lots of small plants that are spread out over a large area with simple greywater systems.) Be sure to use “plant friendly” products in the house, those free of boron and low in salts, then greywater is suitable for any plant that wants to be irrigated. Read more about plants and greywater on the plant page.