Water temp?

grizzlywon

Shohin
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Just a quick question. It has been 106 or so degrees lately where I live and when I go out to water, especially in the afternoon, the water is quite hot. (I almost always water first thing in the morning and this isn't a problem, but I have been watering some trees twice a day)
In the afternoon, I have been letting the water run to cool down, but was wondering if it really makes a difference and if there might be more to this than meets the eye?

My thoughts are as follows.
1. Hot water, say 100+ would be a bad thing to roots and damaging to leaves?

2. Warm water isn't going to make much of a difference as the soil and roots are already about this temp?

3. Cold water sounds best and even refreshing to me, but I'm not a tree. What if cold water is shocking to the roots/tree?

If warm is best, I need to water with a can?
What are your thoughts on this and are there any studies?

Thanks for entertaining my newbie mind.
 

johng

Omono
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I only have my own experience to share...no studies:) but I living in SC it also gets very hot... I leave the water turned on in my hoses all the time...I always let the hot water run through before I begin to water. My water comes from a well and once the hot water is gone it comes out at about 65-70 degrees depending on the time of year. It actually feels pretty cold in the summer but the trees do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the cool water...nor does the grass die from the hot water??? I am just more comfortable not using the hot water on my trees.
John
 

bisjoe

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I remember seeing a study done by some agricultural group in Wisconsin, I think, where they experimented using water temperatures from 32F to 100F on coleus. After 60 days there was no difference in the growth rate or health of the plants.
 

Bill S

Masterpiece
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I do not remember where but I read recently that pot temps above (I think) 85 F. were detrimental to the roots, so cooler is better. I still question how thermal shock may effect the tree if there is a drastic differance between root zone temps and water temp, say the root are 110 degrees and the water is say 55 degrees.
 

shohin kid

Shohin
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Just a quick question. It has been 106 or so degrees lately where I live and when I go out to water, especially in the afternoon, the water is quite hot. (I almost always water first thing in the morning and this isn't a problem, but I have been watering some trees twice a day)
In the afternoon, I have been letting the water run to cool down, but was wondering if it really makes a difference and if there might be more to this than meets the eye?

My thoughts are as follows.
1. Hot water, say 100+ would be a bad thing to roots and damaging to leaves?

2. Warm water isn't going to make much of a difference as the soil and roots are already about this temp?

3. Cold water sounds best and even refreshing to me, but I'm not a tree. What if cold water is shocking to the roots/tree?

If warm is best, I need to water with a can?
What are your thoughts on this and are there any studies?

Thanks for entertaining my newbie mind.

You could easily set up your own test situation. Buy 2 cuttings (your species you have most of would be the best) of equal size and water one with the hot and one with normal. The two cuttings would only cost about $15 and the result could benefit your trees.
 

treebeard55

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I haven't seen any studies either, but I'm inclined to agree: a big temperature difference is more likely to cause root damage than any other realistic possibility. But that's my educated guess.

I use a large plastic tub -- holds at least 15 gallons -- and try to let the water sit in that for at least a day before using it. That brings the water temperature up closer to air temperature, and (I hope) lets some chlorine dissipate and some minerals settle out.
 

grizzlywon

Shohin
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I use a large plastic tub -- holds at least 15 gallons -- and try to let the water sit in that for at least a day before using it. That brings the water temperature up closer to air temperature, and (I hope) lets some chlorine dissipate and some minerals settle out.

That is a good idea, I can smell the chlorine in our water. I have just noticed it over the last year or so. Fresno must be trying to kill something in the water?
 
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