Cleaning Toxins in Water (Phytoremediation)

So I have been looking for a list of plants that clean toxins, not heavy metals, in water. I've already found lots of plants that clean out heavy metals, so I don't really need that. I came across a list of plants that clean toxins about two years ago, but I can't find it anymore. Does anybody have any knowledge or experience with this?

My friend has a pond on his farm and is looking for natural ways of cleaning it out. his goal is not for drinking use, but to water his crops with it. Thank you in advance for ya'lls insight.

Jon

Some fungi are capable of breaking down toxins, so an indirect method would be to simply grow large quantities of plants to absorb the toxins and then harvest them for a compost bin with plenty of fungal growth.

Check out this film. It talks about fungi breaking down toxic waste and herbicides.

It would really depend on what kind of toxins are in the water. Do they know?

example: Let's say the "toxins" are lots of nitrogen compounds from the cow shit that ends up in the pond.

As far as the plants (that he wants to water) are concerned, that's not a toxin, it's a nutrient.

So, if that's the problem, it's not a problem. Water away.

Here is a list of plants that clean water:

cattail

wool grass

water sedge

reeds

jointed rush

coontail

duck weed

water hyacinth

knowtweed

water plantain

water weed

Some of these might function as invasive weeds, or not be suitable for your climate, and they all remove different pollutants so google the names to find a few good ones for your climate.

Bradley Dillinger wrote:Some fungi are capable of breaking down toxins, so an indirect method would be to simply grow large quantities of plants to absorb the toxins and then harvest them for a compost bin with plenty of fungal growth.

Bradley, I really like this idea. I never thought about the next process of cleaning them with fungi. Do you know which plants would absorb the toxins in the water?

Leora Laforge wrote:Here is a list of plants that clean water:

cattail

wool grass

water sedge

reeds

jointed rush

coontail

duck weed

water hyacinth

knowtweed

water plantain

water weed

Some of these might function as invasive weeds, or not be suitable for your climate, and they all remove different pollutants so google the names to find a few good ones for your climate.

Leora,

Thanks for the list. I'll look into the plants and find the specifics and pass it on to my friend. He lives in North Carolina so I'll find which ones are best suited for his climate. Thanks again

Troy Rhodes wrote:It would really depend on what kind of toxins are in the water. Do they know?

It sounds weird, but he is not sure if any toxins are in the water. The farm he has uses little to no chemicals and he said the pond takes on hardly any run off. Apparently they've only sprayed for some kind of beetle in the area, nothing else. I'll see if he can get the ingredients for that spray as well. Thanks for the reply

The landowner in question may have access to inexpensive or free water testing through the health department, or the local ag extension agent.

It's great to have a conceptual idea of how to fix water, and have redundant multiple backup plans to insure clean healthy water, but knowing is better.

They may already have super amazing high quality water, and have to do nothing...


Certainly, there are plenty of environmental tragedies out there, but we may over generalize just because the icky spots get so much news coverage.

Troy Rhodes wrote:The landowner in question may have access to inexpensive or free water testing through the health department, or the local ag extension agent.

It's great to have a conceptual idea of how to fix water, and have redundant multiple backup plans to insure clean healthy water, but knowing is better.

They may already have super amazing high quality water, and have to do nothing...


Certainly, there are plenty of environmental tragedies out there, but we may over generalize just because the icky spots get so much news coverage.

Troy, sorry for the late reply. I talked to the land owner and apparently the city already did a test on the water. He wasn't sure of the results at the moment, but he can grab them at any time. Thanks for the idea.

My friend is not a permie, nor has ever heard of permaculture. After he learned that I am trying to run a self-sufficient family supporting farm in Texas he has asked me quite a few questions and I've given him some ideas, such as water catchment. His place is located in North Carolina and I've extensively studied desert permaculture, primarily greening the desert. Because of this, I can't always give ideas or advice on specifics, just generalizations. Thanks again for everyone's responses, it's been great help. If anyone thinks of anything else, let me know and I'll pass it on!!