Dumping old Star San on the lawn?

I know it's expired because it's been sitting in my bucket for weeks--all cloudy. Will it kill all the beneficial soil bacteria or the grass?

For that matter, do you think it's safe to dump Star San that's still good onto living plants?

thanks, from the desert state of California (though we've actually had rain the last 3 days!)

Well they say with a septic system, starsan is actually good for the bacteria, it becomes food for them...like it becomes food for the yeast, so I'd say it's fine...

They talk about septic bugs here..

March 29, 2007 - Sanitizing with Bleach and Star San
Charlie Talley from Five Star Chemicals tells us best practices in using household bleach and Star San in sanitizing equipment.

click to listen

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The thing with Five star chemicals, sis that they are approachable, if you got a question they will answer...If you can't find it on the website, drop em a line. Five Star Chemicals

Thanks Revvy! I didn't even think to check the site (duh), but I did just now & the closest I came to finding an answer was in a .pdf:

DISPOSAL: Dispose of in accordance with local, state and federal regulations.

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So I sent an email to Jon. Meanwhile, I think I'll dump what I have on some scrubby grass that I'm not too worried about.

if its like my lawn that im ready to till up set fire and p-ss on because its all weeds the screw its a good start if it does kill it.

Day 1: no reply from Jon @ Five Star Chemicals

Hi Jon,

I use Star San HB in 5 gallon batches to sanitize gear for home
brewing. Can I dump the old solution in my garden, or on my lawn? Is
this product harmful to plants, fruits or vegetables?

Many thanks,

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I believe you'd need to dilute it or neutralize it first. Plants don't like a pH of less than 3 which is where starsan is ideally supposed to be. Most plants like a soil pH of 5.5 to 7. After raising the pH, the plants will gladly make use of the phosphate in starsan

Put it in one of those spray fertilizers and go to town!!

Hint: Don't dump 180*F water on the lawn by the patio.

SWMBO may kick your ass for killing a large spot of grass!

I have heard of "some" people who use the stuff as a supplemental feeding at specific dilutions to benifit certain "conditions".

GilaMinumBeer said:

I have heard of "some" people who use the stuff as a supplemental feeding at specific dilutions to benifit certain "conditions".

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Of like when we say "I have this friend...." When we really mean ourselves.....

Kinda reminds me of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

Cpt_Kirks said:

Hint: Don't dump 180*F water on the lawn by the patio.

SWMBO may kick your ass for killing a large spot of grass!

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Agreed. Been there done that!

Well it took 8 days to get a reply from Five Star Chemicals, but here it is:

Star San HB is based off of Phosphoric Acid. This product is an excellent
fertilizer. I would make sure that it is diluted with 10-100 times more
water in order to not burn the plant. I know of many folks who use the
spent cleaner as a fertilizer for roses and works great.

Jon

Hi Jon,
I use Star San HB in 5 gallon batches to sanitize gear for home brewing. Can
I dump the old solution in my garden, or on my lawn? Is this product harmful
to plants, fruits or vegetables?

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So there it is. 10-100 times dillution of used Star San, in order to make it usable for plants. Indeed, a fertilizer high in phosphorous is often indicated for blooming plants ("to increase root development, make larger blooms, boost seed production, and enhance fruit flavor"). GilaMinumBeer is correct about, ahem, certain, ahem, people growing certain plants...

But if you ask me, the dillution rate is so high that it makes me think the expired Star San is basically unusable. Any thoughts on this, people?

There is a local guy who goes by the name 'The Garden Rebel' who has these homemade 'tonics' for garden/lawn use. You combine stuff like Murphy's Oil Soap, Beer, and Ammonia and put them in one of those hose-end lawn sprayers and spray your lawn. I would imagine spent Starsan could be used in a similar way. Have no idea how much it would foam though (I dunno how much Murphy's Oil Soap and Beer would foam either).

Garden Rebel Tonics

Cpt_Kirks said:

Hint: Don't dump 180*F water on the lawn by the patio.

SWMBO may kick your ass for killing a large spot of grass!

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I got an earful from mine because of 3' round dead spot on the lawn.

Lawn should recover by June or July

Neutralize it with baking soda. It probably will foam as you add it (CO2 being released). Add it slowly with stirring until the foaming stops. Then you should be neutralized. Of course it would be best to check the pH.

pjj2ba said:

Neutralize it with baking soda. It probably will foam as you add it (CO2 being released). Add it slowly with stirring until the foaming stops. Then you should be neutralized. Of course it would be best to check the pH.

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Hmmm. I took chemistry twice in college, so I'm not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer--but will neutralizing the pH also somehow take the abundant phosphorous out of solution? By neutralizing I wouldn't be burning the plants??

I'm thinking about Jon's advice to dilute by (at least) 10 times. That'd mean for my 5-gallon batch of Star San I'd need a 50 gallon container. Seems impractical. Though perhaps all of us should be thinking a bit more about what we're putting down the drain...

Nope, the phosphate is still there, but a bunch of the H+ will be gone. If the posphorus level is too high that could still burn the grass - any fertilizer will do that if you put too much on.

I've been dumping my old starsan batches on my lawn for the past year with no issues.

Can we see a picture of your lawn?

scopey said:

Can we see a picture of your lawn?

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Well it's a rental and was pretty f'ing bad to begin with - the area that has had starsan on it looks better than the surrounding area...I'll try to remember to post a picture tonight.

culaslucas said:

I've been dumping my old starsan batches on my lawn for the past year with no issues.

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I throw the spent Star San solution out a gallon at a time (because that's all I mix) after about 3 or 4 uses (pH paper indicates that the pH is >3). I have thrown it on various spots around our 5 acres, and on a variety of vegetation I don't care about, to test its properties as a weed killer. As far as I can tell, it has NO effect on ANYTHING. This doesn't surprise me, as the chemicals in Star San are diluted (by you, if you follow directions) at the rate of about a teaspoon per gallon. That's pretty dilute to start with, so IMHO the acid property that remains is going to be neutralized pretty quickly when it hits the dirt.
NB: If you brew frequently, and dump it in the same place each time, I would think all bets are off....

It also depends on the type of grass you have. In Mississippi I had Centipede grass, and the star san did not affect it at all. We recently moved to North Carolina where we have tall fescue which hates Star san.

And you could always try it out on your neighbors lawn!

MSUConrad said:

And you could always try it out on your neighbors lawn!

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That'll teach him to keep his dog put up!

So star-san, diluted would make good fertilizer for my hops, and SWMBO's rose plant?

Next thing you'll tell me that my spent grains will make excellent compost!

I love this hobby.

JPicasso said:

spent grains

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or dog biscuits, or bread, or cookies.....

Having spent 15 years in the landscape/turf industry I have to ask, why are you worried?
This country spends WAY TO MUCH time and money of how the grass looks. Think about it, we feed, rake, lime, blah blah blah for something we will cut down and throw away.
Does this really make any sense on a rational basis?

Make Beer, not grass. Unless it is "That" kind of grass...