growing near a septic system..... Good idea or bad?

[DLest]

last season I had grown my photos close to our septic system and the plants size wise were amazing and watering was almost non existent. My question is can you think of any adverse reasons not to do this other then roots growing into the piping?

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@DLest Welcome to AFNI think the problem with sewage is pathogens and hormones. There is also the possibility of heavy metal accumulation since cannabis is believed by some to be hyperaccumulators. Would you eat a carrot you grew there? .

 

[Filthy_Casual]

@DLest Welcome to AFNI think the problem with sewage is pathogens and hormones. There is also the possibility of heavy metal accumulation since cannabis is believed by some to be hyperaccumulators. Would you eat a carrot you grew there? .

Farmers fertilize their fields with shit around me 3 times a year. People eat that. The waste water treatment plant turns their shit into compost, and we are told we can use that for anything regular compost would be used for.

I'm not trying to be a wise ass, I'm just not sure the difference.

Also, do the roots even get down far enough to get in the system? Or are they leeching less potent stuff from up top?

 

[Trichome farmer]

Farmers fertilize their fields with shit around me 3 times a year. People eat that. The waste water treatment plant turns their shit into compost, and we are told we can use that for anything regular compost would be used for.

I'm not trying to be a wise ass, I'm just not sure the difference.

Also, do the roots even get down far enough to get in the system? Or are they leeching less potent stuff from up top?

farmers and water treatment plants use chemicals and other methods to remove anything bad out of that waste so it can be used for fertilizers i cant say for other countries but here if your using human fertilizers there are a ton of regulation you need to follow and your land needs to be government tested each year to make sure everything is ok i dont think they would do all this if there wasnt some issue doing this

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Farmers fertilize their fields with shit around me 3 times a year. People eat that. The waste water treatment plant turns their shit into compost, and we are told we can use that for anything regular compost would be used for.

I'm not trying to be a wise ass, I'm just not sure the difference.

Also, do the roots even get down far enough to get in the system? Or are they leeching less potent stuff from up top?

Yes human manure has been used probably since farming started but that does not mean it is safe. Whole populations have been devastated by fecal born pathogens.

Sewage Sludge as Fertilizer: Safe?

Using sewage sludge - one of two end products from any wastewater treatment plant (the other is effluent) - as fertilizer on food crops is a hotly debated

www.foodsafetynews.com

I grow my cannabis for medicine. I want it to be as pure as possible. In that regard I would never grow near the septic system.

 

[Filthy_Casual]

Yes human manure has been used probably since farming started but that does not mean it is safe. Whole populations have been devastated by fecal born pathogens.

Sewage Sludge as Fertilizer: Safe?

Using sewage sludge - one of two end products from any wastewater treatment plant (the other is effluent) - as fertilizer on food crops is a hotly debated

www.foodsafetynews.com

I grow my cannabis for medicine. I want it to be as pure as possible. In that regard I would never grow near the septic system.

Thanks for the link, good info in there. Like I said, generally was unsure if it was a bad thing. This "cleans up" some of my questions

 

[Olderfart]

Thanks for the link, good info in there. Like I said, generally was unsure if it was a bad thing. This "cleans up" some of my questions

I wouldn't grow food or cannabis there, not because of the poop, but because of the heavy metals and other contaminants in domestic sewage. You might be surprised at what your detergents shampoos, and various household cleaners contain.

The risk from planting in or near a septic field is, I think, a lot less than spreading sewage onto the surface of your garden or digging it directly into soil you plant in. By the time the material gets through the tank, into the drain field, and up into the soil profile, any potential pathogens will likely be reduced if not eliminated, but not so the chemical contaminants which could actually become concentrated in the septic field as water evaporates or is transpired.

If you do not have an alternative location, you could just do an outdoor container grow instead. If you use large enough containers, the extra watering duties should not be too difficult. Just make sure that you prevent root from getting loose into the soil beneath the containers.

Good luck with it.

 

[automan2]

I live in a farming community where the best gardens are usually over a feild line of a septic system. Of course, feild lines are 18"+ deep so usual gardens never reach that depth but sure get the benefit of the continuous moisture. Anybody saying you'll be eating or smoking some part of excrement is full of it.

 

[Filthy_Casual]

I live in a farming community where the best gardens are usually over a feild line of a septic system. Of course, feild lines are 18"+ deep so usual gardens never reach that depth but sure get the benefit of the continuous moisture. Anybody saying you'll be eating or smoking some part of excrement is full of it.

I think part of it is that some people today are trying to be 100% super healthy and everything from the garden of eden. The rest of us just live normal lives and go with what has worked for generations.

Okay, heres another article from UNH, seems much a little more basic understanding level...Basically, grow perennials on it, not food.

Is it okay to plant a garden over a leach field?

Planting over a septic leach field (drain field) is possible if it is done with care. If you have limited space on your property where you can garden, the leach field may be the only spot for landscaping. Growing shallow-rooted plants over the drainage area is recommended because they help...

extension.unh.edu

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I still think you could if you don't have tons of nasty chemicals going down the drain, but I do acknowledge it isn't a good idea and should be used as a last resort.

I have 75+ acres and have no need to grow on a septic so won't be trying it out for you folks.