I've started hand-washing all my laundry

[EmJo]

I take it you mean the soap nuts? Don't know; they are native to India and Nepal. They are berries from a tree, though, not a plant.

[Hanzel]

This is what WIKI says about the types,

The number of species is disputed between different authors, particularly in North America where between one and three species are accepted.

    * Sapindus delavayi (China, India)
    * Sapindus detergens (syn. var. Soapnut, Ritha)
    * Sapindus drummondii (syn. S. saponaria var. drummondii) Western Soapberry (southwestern United States, Mexico)
    * Sapindus emarginatus Vahl (Southern Asia)
    * Sapindus marginatus - Florida Soapberry (Florida to South Carolina); included in S. saponaria by some authors.
    * Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. - Chinese Soapberry (Southern China west to the Himalayas)
    * Sapindus oahuensis Hillebr. ex Radlk. - Lonomea (Kaua?i and O?ahu, Hawaii)
    * Sapindus rarak DC. (Southeast Asia)
    * Sapindus saponaria L. - Wingleaf Soapberry (southeastern United States, Caribbean, island of Hawai?i, Central and South America)
    * Sapindus tomentosus (China)
    * Sapindus trifoliatus L. - South India Soapnut or Three-leaf Soapberry (Southern India, Pakistan)
    * Sapindus vitiensis A.Gray (American Samoa, Samoa, Fiji)[11]

Now I figure the one for the southwestern and mexico would require a a desert / dry type environment, but the * Sapindus marginatus - Florida Soapberry (Florida to South Carolina) may be able to be grown in south eastern texas.  Then again you may be able to grown the other ones here also.  Here is an article on the Florida type  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st582  Note that it says the seeds are poisonous but does not say how long before they fruit.  Possibly, if you had two trees, after a few years you could give up having to buy most laundry detergent.

Doing more research, the Sapindus drummondii (syn. S. saponaria var. drummondii) Western Soapberry appears to grow in Tx and La. I am going to do more research and see what I can find. The idea of a hypoallergenic soap I can grow is appealing.

[June]

Just about every area in the world has an indigenous "soap plant".  I know that in England we have the soap wort, or soap root,  that has been used as a soap substitute for centuries.  They use it to clean the Bayeux Tapestry so it has to be good.
Google soap plants or plants rich in  saponin.  Saponin is the element in plants that makes them good soap substitutes.  Be careful though.  They are toxic, especially to cold blooded animals such as fish and frogs.  Boiling removes the toxicity, but it also destroys the soapy usefulness. Some plants that are high in saponins will also leave the odor of the plant in the clean laundry. Check out chestnuts, both sweet and otherwise. Buckeyes have been used around here.    Saponins also act as fabric softeners, which is a nice bonus.
What ever method you use for laundry, just remember that the soap companies are in the business of selling soap.  You only need about a third or a quarter of the amounts of detergent that they recommend.  You don't need all those suds.  If anything the suds will impede the cleaning process.
June.

[Hanzel]

I will keep researching.  Most of the plants I find do not appear to like area I am in.  However, with a raised garden bed, I could design the soil they want.  I just want something that will grow quickly, clean the clothes, and most importantly, not bother my skin.  I also notice that many of the sites state that saponin is hazardous to fish. I wonder what effect they may have on septic systems.

[EmJo]

Just about every area in the world has an indigenous "soap plant".  I know that in England we have the soap wort, or soap root,  that has been used as a soap substitute for centuries.  They use it to clean the Bayeux Tapestry so it has to be good.
Google soap plants or plants rich in  saponin.  Saponin is the element in plants that makes them good soap substitutes.  Be careful though.  They are toxic, especially to cold blooded animals such as fish and frogs.  Boiling removes the toxicity, but it also destroys the soapy usefulness. Some plants that are high in saponins will also leave the odor of the plant in the clean laundry. Check out chestnuts, both sweet and otherwise. Buckeyes have been used around here.    Saponins also act as fabric softeners, which is a nice bonus.
What ever method you use for laundry, just remember that the soap companies are in the business of selling soap.  You only need about a third or a quarter of the amounts of detergent that they recommend.  You don't need all those suds.  If anything the suds will impede the cleaning process.
June.

Thanks for the info, June. I didn't know all that!
But I know you're right about detergents; when I was using them I only ever used half the recommended amount, and the laundry always came out clean.

[Johnny-Max]

great thread!   Hey Hanzel, where in SE Texas you be?

[Hanzel]

I am in Houston, my land is 30 south of downtown in Brazoria County.  I say SE because as you know ( but others might not think about ) Texas is so big we have most every type of eco system, wetlands to deserts, mountains to plains.  So as I have been looking up things I have to think, well yes this grows in Texas, but I am not in that part of Texas.  I listen to you mention several times when you have to come here to pick things up.

[Johnny-Max]

Yep Texas has many climates and zones, I am on the west end of the North American Rain forest. 54" of rain fall a year

[longbskt]

I am in Houston, my land is 30 south of downtown in Brazoria County.  I say SE because as you know ( but others might not think about ) Texas is so big we have most every type of eco system, wetlands to deserts, mountains to plains.  So as I have been looking up things I have to think, well yes this grows in Texas, but I am not in that part of Texas.  I listen to you mention several times when you have to come here to pick things up.

Isn't that the truth!  I live in TX, on the edge of semi-tropical and semi-arid.  LOL  Palm trees, not pine!