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watering from a warm water butt

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JimLewis
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Post  stan Sat May 30, 2009 6:17 pm

Hi all. i'm new to this site. i have been looking after my bonsai for a couple of years now so very much still a novice. But with a LITTLE knowledge of this hobbie. I live in the south of England right on the coast ( not good for my some of my maples Sad . ) .
I hope this question is ok for this part of the forum? excuse me if it's not.
At that, it may seem a silly question i have!

Obviously if i can i like to water my trees with rain water. i collect the rain water as one normaly would in a water butt. The only place i can site my water butt to collect the rain is in full sun ( when it comes out that is). Needless to say the water warms up alot in it. So my question is :- could this cause a problem to the roots when i water my trees?

Thanks in advance Stan


Last edited by stan on Sat May 30, 2009 6:18 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : mistake)

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Post  Kev Bailey Sat May 30, 2009 6:24 pm

I just watered with a hosepipe that has been in the strong sun all day and took the precaution of allowing it to run onto the lawn until cool. That said, I've never seen it do any harm to the grass even when almost piping hot! Water from my water butts is only lukewarm even on a very hot day and I water with it without a worry. These are black, dark green and blue water butts and I'm on the sunny North Wales coast, so only a degree or two cooler than you and with cloudless skies all day today. If I was really worried I guess I'd paint the barrels white or shade them with tin sheet or similar. Just seems relatively pointless. P.s. The Victorians deliberately kept their water supplies in the glasshouse, so that it was warmer and plants appreciate not being cold shocked.
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Post  stan Sat May 30, 2009 6:35 pm

Thanks Kev for your promt reply. and for putting my mind at ease.
Stan

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Post  bumblebee Sun May 31, 2009 3:36 am

Please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is a water butt?

Libby

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Post  stan Sun May 31, 2009 8:35 am

Hi Libby, a water butt is like a large plastic barrel with a lid. the lid has a hole in it wich a drain pipe can sit in to collect the rain water.

http://www.eviee.co.uk/Product.asp?GCLID=CN6NLMQF5POCFVOK3GODIX6ZBQ

Stan

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Post  Kev Bailey Sun May 31, 2009 9:22 am

I think it's simply called a rainwater tank in the USA? I now have 8 x 50 gallon tanks as I prefer rainwater to tap water for my plants. It has dissolved nutrients from its passage through the atmosphere. It's closer in temperature to the environment the plants are in. It's also ecologically sound as I recycle used containers rather than buying expensive and difficult to transport, large volume new plastic containers.

Four of my containers are fed from my car port flat roof and they are linked by hose pipe syphons
that, once set up, keep all 4 at equal levels unless I deliberately use so much that the bottom end of the pipe in either barrel is exposed. (Pipes are held down on the bottom wired to bricks)

I also used 3 hose pipes to syphon fill my watering cans rapidly. Just left them full all the time but tucked into the top of the tank. Recently I added a hinge lidded tank (actually a recycling bin that the council provided, but I don't need 2) that means I can dip fill my watering cans much faster.

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System
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Post  JimLewis Sun May 31, 2009 12:47 pm

I think it's simply called a rainwater tank in the USA?

Rain barrel.
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Post  bisjoe Sun May 31, 2009 8:06 pm

I have seen collected water get hot enough to damage roots in the California summer, but in most climates it would not be an issue.

Just don't keep any trees near the outlet of the water heater pressure relief valve drain. I once saw a garden totally cooked by the 140F water when the valve kicked out. Mine is directed to the driveway.
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Post  Billy M. Rhodes Sun May 31, 2009 8:27 pm

In Florida, mosquito breeding system
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Post  stan Sun May 31, 2009 8:32 pm

i had heard, tho i dont know how true this is that a peice of copper in the tank keeps the blighters away


Last edited by stan on Sun May 31, 2009 8:32 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : spelling error)

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Post  bumblebee Sun May 31, 2009 9:26 pm

Goldfish in an open rain barrel keep the mosquitos away.

Libby

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Post  Kev Bailey Sun May 31, 2009 9:29 pm

But any dissolved copper does plants watered with it no good. That's not a problem though because I know from past posts that theres a bacteria called BT or Bacillus thuringiensis that is widely used for mosquito control.
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Post  stan Sun May 31, 2009 9:41 pm

bumblebee wrote:Goldfish in an open rain barrel keep the mosquitos away.

Libby

Laughing Laughing

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Post  Billy M. Rhodes Sun May 31, 2009 10:48 pm

Raccoons eat the goldfish.
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Post  John Quinn Sun May 31, 2009 11:50 pm

Kev Bailey wrote:But any dissolved copper does plants watered with it no good. That's not a problem though because I know from past posts that theres a bacteria called BT or Bacillus thuringiensis that is widely used for mosquito control.

The BT is readily available in submersible donut forms in the US from Walmart, Home Depot, etc...
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Post  Cliff Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:15 pm

bumblebee wrote:Goldfish in an open rain barrel keep the mosquitos away.

Libby
As will a screen across the top of the barrel. Some commercial rain barrels have a screen built in.

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