I've finally started collecting my laundry water into a barrel. For a few weeks it was draining onto the grass (grass I'd rather kill than water...) or a small bucket which I was emptying out after every wash. So, I'm rather excited about my barrel as I can store water throughout the week and use a bit each day to water plants.

However, I've noticed that a few of the plants I've water seemed to have yellowed or are just not looking so good right in the area where the water hit it directly. i.e., if I managed to get it directly into the ground near the plant, all is ok, if directly on leaves, not so good....Not true for all my plants, just some.

This has made me wonder if it's the detergent? I uses 7th Generation powder and usually Ecover fabric softener. (the one load I do with vinegar - diapers, I let run directly onto the grass I want to kill). I would have thought 7th Generation products would be fine, but is this not so? Or is it something else?

The barrel was previously used for tomato paste, and not very well cleaned out before I started using it (I've since cleaned it out). Perhaps the tomato paste could have something in it, but it's such a small amount compared to the 55gal in the barrel.