Topic: Water Butt

[gillianbc]

I got a new water butt last week - my first ever - so I am very thrilled with it.  It half filled pretty quickly and I had soon used it all up.  So I was very glad that it rained again last night.  I was out first thing this morning to see how much I had collected.  So, here's my tip - when you empty your water butt, don't leave the tap open or all you get is a muddy garden and a husband that laughs at you!  

[Mrs Ava]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

hahahahahahahahahah
Sorry, couldn't help myself there. teeheheheheeee.  
My waterbutt top tip for those with kids is, don't teach them how to do it otherwise you come out one afternoon to do the watering, and the little loves have turned on the tap and let all the precious water run into next doors patio, and you have to go next door to apologise  :-[.

[budgiebreeder]

Get yourself a net bag now and put some sheep droppings in  it.Tie the top ,put it in your water butt and hey presto liquid manure.If no sheep droppings handy take a plastic bag with you next time you go up on the moors.

[Xanadu]

I don't know how I ever manage without my water butt. I have 7 in the garden. I used all kinds of container to collect rainwater as much as possible, for I am aware that when the rain are few and far between I soon used it all up within days in a dry spell.

[tim]

We, too, have 7. As I well know. Every time it rains after a dry spell, I have to get soaked clearing the supply pipes, which are by then bunged up with moss. Great fun.

Even worse, like this am, when you suffer all that only to find that they were all clear!! = Tim

[Xanadu]

Tim not sure if this would help. How I clear my bung up pipe is using a spare hose placed it as close as I possibly am able to near  the hole in the butt, taking a deep breath I blow it thorough the hose and it usually makes a pop sound and I know for sure it is cleared.

[gillianbc]

Budgiebreeder - thanks for the tip about sheep droppings.  Sadly, we are no longer near the moors (we used to live in the Peak District) and although there is a field of sheep at the end of the road, I would look a right burk with my placcy bag collecting them.  I might try nettles though - I read that in a book by Bob Flowerdew.  He also showed how to set up a system of syphons to move water between butts all around the garden.  Fascinating - so I may get some more.  It is weird how much pleasure you can get out of such simple things.  I was thinking about putting some old tights over the outlet as a filter and feeding the water around the beds with one of those porous pipes.  Would that work ?

[Andy H]

Old tights to filter...YES. I have used them(one leg at a time)on gravity feed outlet in pond filter tanks and they catch an amazing amount of stuff and get huge. But if not "in" the water and just hanging to collect they wont collect the fine stuff but that won`t matter in a butt!

[YT2095]

a tip I was given was that if your water butt ever gets stagnant and a bit smelly, add a teaspoon of potassium permanganate to it, it`ll go purple at 1`st then a brown color, but that just shows it`s done its job.
and potash and manganesse are great for plants too :)

[windygale]

Hi Gillianbc,it's nice to hear about your water butt, please take care & make sure that you have a cap or plastic top to go on to the container to stop Mosquitoes laying their eggs in the water, and a very sad note, i had a cat drown while i was out at work, it was very upsetting to discover my mistake. :'(

[kenkew]

....and if you can't get sheep droppings, garden centres sell 'organic' cow muck pellets. You need a finer mesh. (There goes the missus's tights again.)

[YT2095]

I find an upturned old analog satelite dish (large round sort with the holes in it) makes an excellent cover for water butts.
also if you put a few drops of parafin on the water surface, the mosquitoes can lay, as it creates a very fine layer that they can`t use :)