Hi folks,

I am currently in the process of potting up my chile plants into 5 gal pots with 5:1:1, hardening them off and bringing them outside. My question concerns watering them, specifically water temperature.

The problem is, water from the hose bib is cold, probably about 50 *F. Last year, I was so concerned about this that I bought a 30 gal barrel and filled it with water at least a day in advance so it would have time to thermally equilibrate. Last year this worked okay for 18 plants growing in 5 gal buckets. This year, thanks to the seed exchanges and generous forum members, I have 40-50 chile plants, and I the same routine will not work for me on this scale. So, I'm thinking about hand watering with a wand directly from the hose bib or even, setting a sprinkler up on a timer. And so the concern arises again, will cold water be a significant detriment to my chile plants' growth?

What do you think about cold water right from the tap for plants over the summer? How do you irrigate your plants outside? Suggestions and comments please...

Alex

This post was edited by maple_grove on Tue, May 7, 13 at 17:02