Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: jazzbyrd on June 07, 2010, 11:20
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I have been told that I shouldn't water my greeenhouse tomato plants with water from my water butt and that I should only use tap water. Is this true as it seems a shame as I have two water butts outside my greenhouse.
The person that told me said that using water butt water will spread disease to my toms :(
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I prefer using water butt water as it's warmer (esp now I ahve a butt inside the ghouse) than tap water so less of a shock to the toms...
IMO there are much bigger risks of disease than water!
M
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I think this is likely to be a question which results in a divided response!
Savbo believes there is no problem with butt water; my two-penn'orth would be that tomatoes are particularly vulnerable to several airborne diseases which might have been washed into your butts, and although the water is fine for most plants except newly-germinated seedlings I would not personally add another risk factor when it comes to tomatoes.
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I use tap water when sowing and until young plants are established, then I use water from the butts for everything, including tomatoes. It seems to work okay
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i've used butt water on everything, except seeds, without problems :)
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i've used butt water on everything, except seeds, without problems :)
I hope your discreet doing it. :D :D
I`m off to the norty step, don`t need tellin. :)
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norty norty :nowink:
it's good for the compost heap .............but you know that anyway :tongue2: :lol:
how long are you planning to stay on that step? ::) you might get a bit wet :(
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the addatives in water disapates once the water has been in a water butt for 48-72 hours ,
the water also becomes air tempreture, kinder to the plants , thats my thoughts anyway
im sure someone here will tell you if im wrong , lol
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norty norty :nowink:
it's good for the compost heap .............but you know that anyway :tongue2: :lol:
how long are you planning to stay on that step? ::) you might get a bit wet :(
The rain is long overdue here, we have just had a few big spots but that`s it.
Will probably end up getting a thunderstorm that flattens everything.
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i've used butt water on everything, except seeds, without problems :)
I hope your discreet doing it. :D :D
Ahhhhhh thank you, i've had a rubbish two days and I needed that laugh :lol: :lol: :lol:
I didn't realise butt water wasn't good for seedlings, I use it for everything including tomatoes. Past two years my tomato leaves haven't looked that great and i'm now wondering if it could have something to do with the water.
The leaves this year are looking great so far but the butt has been cleaned out and filled up a few times with the hose so effectively its tap water i've been using.
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Normal reason given for using tap water on seedlings is that it has fewer bugs in it. Rain water can collected all sorts falling through the air, and off the roof etc., and perhaps tends to be a cause for damping off disease.
Past two years my tomato leaves haven't looked that great and i'm now wondering if it could have something to do with the water.
Doesn't sound like something rain water would cause. Its common for Tomatoes to get Magnesium deficiency, which makes the leaves look "washed out", maybe it was that? (Easily fixed with Epsom salts, I'm sure a search on the forums will give details :))
I personally think there is a risk from blight spores getting into water butts, but by that time of the year I have next to ziltch rain, so the butt gets filled from the hose every couple of days anyway ...
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butt water ofcourse. Just not on seedlings.
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The most important thing about watering Tomatoes is don't - that is, water the soil / compost and keep the foliage dry.
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Thanks for that Kristen, I'll be giving that a try.
I was at the plot today and true to form the leaves are starting to 'pale' on some of my tomatoes.