You Water Know

What do you do when it starts getting hot? Take a bracing cold shower? Jump in the sea? Pop on some shorts and stroll down to a sun-dappled bar, bistro, brasserie, bodega, or boîte to enjoy sips, snacks, and sights? How idyllic. The pleasures of summer are many and various for humankind. But what about your plants?

Because, unless they are truly unique, your plants are not really cut out for any of the above. Within reason they are rooted to the spot, there to endure, whatever the weather. Any relief has to come to them.

It’s fortunate then that their needs and tastes are simpler than ours. They don’t want fritto misto, crisp white wine, or a summer romance. They just need a bit of help with their fundamentals in order to thrive. 

Perhaps the most important of these fundamentals is stable water temperature. So, in the interests of plant ‘santé’, here’s what to aim for, why you should aim for it, and how you can achieve it.

What To Aim For – Optimum Water Temperatures

18-21 Degrees Celsius / 65-69 Degrees Fahrenheit

Why You Should Aim For Optimum Water Temperatures

• To Promote Uptake – At optimum temperatures your water supply contains plenty of oxygen. That oxygen is essential in order for roots to breathe and take up nutrients. If temps get too high oxygen levels in the water drop, impeding growth.

• To Prevent Rot – Overly-warm, fetid, oxygen-sapped water is not only terrible for growth, it’s also a magnet for pathogens and destructive fungi in your grow media. Remember, water hot = rot.

• To Protect Roots – Not satisfied with hobbling growth and inviting in pestilence, hot water can also physically assault your plants – damaging the fine roots through which your plants drink and feed.

• To Keep Them Awake – Plants don’t like very cold drinks in the way most humans do. Radically cooling your supply can send the roots into hibernation, which is hardly what you want in the height of summer.

• For Pump Action – If knocked by temperature fluctuations the ‘Pump’ mechanism by which your plant draws up water and nutrients from the roots can be disrupted. This is bad on several levels. Obviously it’ll interfere with development. But it may also cause your plant to start throwing out signs of deficiency – which have nothing to do with incorrect feed levels. If you adjust feed levels without checking water temperature you risk doubling down on the damage. 

• To Get The Best From Inputs – Incorrect water temperature can adversely affect the performance of nutrients and grow media, undermining their potential and wasting your money.

How To Achieve Optimum Water Temperatures

• Positioning – This one is obvious but often neglected and hard to rectify once set up. If you’re growing indoors, don’t place the reservoir inside a grow tent, close to heaters, or under the full glare of your lights. If you’re growing outdoors or in a greenhouse try and find a shady spot for the reservoir.

• Shielding – Can’t position your reservoir out of the sun or away from lights? Want a ‘silver bullet’ solution? Try the AutoPot Reservoir Heat Shield. This slip-on, heat and light-reflecting jacket is designed for our 30L and 47L reservoirs (simply roll the hem up a little on a 30L).

• Lift Off – Use a Reservoir Stand to keep your reservoir off hot or cold floors.

Continued below

How To Achieve Optimum Water Temperatures – continued

• The Water Cooler – Lo-fi, low-cost, no-fuss water cooling doesn’t come much more satisfying than this. Take a 2L screw-top plastic bottle. Fill with water. Reseal. Freeze. And place inside your reservoir.

• A Pro Approach – for those growing in consistently hot or fluctuating temperatures it may well be time to consider a FlexiTank Pro. With a heat and light reflecting skin these collapsible reservoirs are ideal for hot, bright growing spaces. They utilise the same accessories and fittings as all AutoPot Watering Systems for quick, easy, tool-free integration.

In Conclusion

Water temperature management. 

Difficult? No. 

Essential? Yes. 

Step lively now!