Water temperature for indoor tropicals.

[GrampaMoses]

Hello,

I have a collection of indoor tropical bonsai (as well as many outdoor) and for 8+ years I've always just used cold tap water from my sink to water them. I have very hard water and the water heater is old, so I've always used cold water only to avoid excess rust/calcium/lime that might come from the water heater. The cold water has always worked just fine, but in the interest of improving my practice, I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to fill a bucket with cold tap water, then let that water sit overnight to get to room temperature before watering my trees with it the next day.

I just tested and my cold tap water comes out at 55F (it might get colder as we move more into winter). The room my tropicals are in is temperature controlled at 70-75F. The water I left in a bucket overnight read 67F the next day.

These trees go outside during the growing season, but for winter they sit on a 4x4 table with a South by Southwest facing window and a 1000W LED grow light on a 15 hour a day timer. Species are BRT, Ficus (several types), P. Afra, Carmona, Adenium, Serissa, and Operculicarya decaryi (and a non bonsai Impatiens flower in the front).



What kind of water do you use for over wintering tropical bonsai? Do you just use cold tap water? Do you use warm tap water? Room temp bottled water? Do you collect snow and heat it up over the fireplace in a cast iron pot?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

My tropicals don't respond any different whether I give them warm or cold tap water, ice deposits from the fridge, snow or collected rain water from outdoors.
Those few hours, maybe less, shouldn't hurt them at all.

If I have an excess in my cannister, I keep it at room temperature.

 

[RJG2]

I just use city tap water, but it is room temperature. My trees are in the basement far from a trap, so I fill a bucket and let it sit (maybe the first watering from a fresh bucket is colder).

I have no/not enough experience to say if letting it warm up is helpful.

I don't think I'd bother with snow here - our tap water is probably some of the best in the country. I do need to look into whether we use chlorine or chloramine - that may sway my opinion.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Unless your water is objectionable to people, I don't think it's a problem for plants. Plants that would be that sensitive would probably do poorly out in the real world. I use whatever comes out of the hot spigot because that's closest to my hand and easiest to turn. After a few fill ups the water gets pretty hot and and gets absorbed more quickly into the soil, so I like that aspect. The only problem I see with cold + water is if pots are wet too long (soggy as opposed to just moist) tropicals don't like it, -a lot. Cold, wet roots for long periods are bad. Especially IMHO because tropical's winters are usually dry seasons as opposed to our cold seasons. Wet seasons for tropicals are growing seasons, so wintering-over tropicals in cold areas in wet soils may be giving conflicting signals to plants that are resting. Adequate water may be the signal that the quiet period is over and they should grow, but the winter sun and cool greenhouse conditions are not good for growing. The tropicals I lose do poorly over winter and die slowly in spring. Somebody, ...slap me.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I don’t use pure cold water.
Sometimes I use water from my fish tanks. If you’re worried about it being too cold then you could always let a bucket sit overnight to come to room temperature.

 

[canoeguide]

I use cold tap water, but adjust it so that it's not super cold. I don't know that it makes any difference, but it's what I do.

My municipal water supply is 100% spring-fed, so it's "good" water, but also from a limestone region. It's not terribly hard, but I keep wondering if I can safely use water from a dehumidifier to help prevent limescale on pots, trunks, etc.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

If the water is within 20 degrees F of room temperature you are not likely to have any problems. Most trees are not sensitive.

I do have an orchid, Paph sanderianum that leaf tissue will begin to spot and collapse if it is hit with water colder than 55 F. But it comes from a very warm climate, Sabah, Borneo. It is the only plant I have ever owned that was sensitive to being watered with cold water. So yes, room temperature is best. But most things are just not sensitive.