My wife picked up an inflatable pools very cheap at the end of the season last year, and my daughter has convinced me to put it up in our courtyard, right in the middle of my container garden. This is one of those pools with a filter and that you use chlorine in, like a real pool. I don't have any experience with pools, particularly with plants near pools, and I know my daughter well enough to know that splashing will be involved. Will chlorine cause any problems for the plants? If so, how far away from the pool should I move my containers?
Thanks for your input!
Plants + chlorine?
if you keep your chlorine at acceptable levels a little splash will not hurt your plants.. if your skin is okay with the chlorine most likely your plants will be too.if its harsh ienough to burn your plants then YOU shouldnt be swimming in it. I ve been a lifeguard and worked around pools and hot tubs for years. I cant tell you how many time I have to check levels and handle chemicals.... I have an above ground pool that I skirt with EEs in pots and the splashing has never hurt them.. if youre really worried about it after a hard day of play hose the plants down.. now some plants can and will be more senstive to it but most of them will be okay
when I was growing up the pool water never killed the grass when we got it wet ..only the pool placed on the grass killed it...lol.
have fun and you get in the pool too!!
The key words there were a little splash, more than that can be bad. Plants in containers won't like having much heavily chlorinated water, especially if it gets into the dirt. Trust me I know this from having my husband cause damage to plants I had put near the pool temporarily.
Cheryl
I have an in-ground pool plus a huge fountain. The fountain sprays a lot of water out depending on the wind. It waters a huge brugmansia (Angel Trumpet), several ornamental peppers, a Tea Olive, mint, and several Beautyberries. This fountain sprays a lot of water, so much so that I never have to water those plants, and it's always chlorinated with the stablized chlorine tablets. It has never hurt any of the plants at all. I do know some plants are more sensitive to it, and if you google "plants and pools" you'll likely be able to find a list of recommended ones and hopefully a list of ones that don't fare so well.
Hope this helps.
Crow
This message was edited Jun 12, 2010 4:14 PM
I'm glad to know that it isn't as fatal as I thought it might be. I'll just move the plants back a bit from the pool, to minimize the splashing, but not worry too much if some gets on them. Thanks, everyone!