watering with tap water

matty p · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:39 am Post subject: watering with tap water

guys (and carol) is it OK to water my trees with tap water from my laundry tap?

hungkuen · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

if i start to run out of stored rain water, i fill containers with water and let stand for at least 24 hours before i will water my trees with it, the more time it stands the better, so that any unwanted chemicals evaporate..

i do have quite hard water!

Carol · Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject: watering with tap water

Rightly or wrongly, matty, I water my trees with water straight out of the garden tap! The one proviso - don't water through the day as the water in the hose is too hot - or if you do, let the water run until it cools down before you put it on your trees.

With current conditions in my area, water is too precious to let run freely, so I usually water very early in the morning, or if I don't get woken up by the cats (!), in the evening after I get home.

I thought you'd left us - how are your trees going??

Cheers
Carol

matty p · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:03 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

thanks for the info on that people i guess I'm doing the right thing then.

hey carol my trees are still going good(at least the elm and cedar are good) my juniper is dead my serrisa is dead mostly from lack of care because i got bored of them, they were to small lol.

i recently bought a big(2 metre high) wollemi pine and a really nice jap red pine nursery plant in a black plastic pot, it has a fair amount of pine cones on it and looks nice. Ive been looking at it and pruning it for 3 days(afternoons mainly) now. the wollemi underwent a bib chop with me cutting it almost in half and removed the long growth. Ive read that you can cut alot off them without trouble. i hope it copes because i really like it and it has really bubbly bark. Very Happy

matty p · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:08 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

oh and no i haven't left lol, Ive just been coming on and reading without posting. i read an old post on watering which prompted me to ask that question. he he.

how are your trees coping with the 40 degree heat carol i read that you have alot of trees, hope they are OK.

oh and can anyone give me pointers on pruning red pines and how to avoid disease on it i don't want it to get sick.

Smithy · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:45 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

Are you going to make cuttings with your wollemi pine
I hear they take quite easily and they are very expensive.
I pruned my Redwood awhile back and pushed a load into a pot and just left them and they all rooted and i now have about 30 small plants.

Carol · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:39 am Post subject: watering with tap water

Glad to hear your trees are going OK, but you were very naughty to let the juniper and serissa die because you were bored! As for mine, let's just say I haven't as many as I had at the beginning of summer! Crying or Very sad

Will be interested to hear how your Wollemi goes - I'm planning on air layering mine, probably in August/September.

Autumn - and it was 41C today!!

Cheers
Carol

matty p · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:00 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

hey smithy how you going, i defiantly thought of potting my cuttings but i had no room to put them all Crying or Very sad

. it did seem quite a waste to cut so much and throw it in the bin, in fact i had so much that i could have made a cutting forest. but i just had to buy a big one so i have the awesome trunk they develop,once i seen them i had to get one.It cost 350 dollars Au. so it is not that expensive compared to even an average finished bonsai.

Embarassed

and yes carol i know i was naughty to just let them die but i was angry at them Evil or Very Mad

lol. the serissa was to temperamental so i decided to be the same way back Twisted Evil

you can punish me if you want lol. but my other 4 trees i will do anything to keep alive cause i love them. now i am starting to really like the big bonsai's that i see in photos. but they are so expensive.

Smithy · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:25 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

Hi Matty
How big is your tree. Over here i think they want about £70 for a little tree. I can't justify to the wife its essential.
I too have not much room but can't seem to help myself . I guess it will be a forest one day.
have you got a photo of yours.

matty p · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:49 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

smithy my tree was about 1.5-2metres high quite an advanced tree they call them specimens over here. but now it is about 2-3 feet tall i cut it good and proper! Shocked

. how much is 70pounds in Au dollars?. over here it seems like we get three or four different sizes. starting at 70-90 dollars then 100+dollars then to the big ones that are 350-400 dollars. mine has (or did have) good coppacing that is what they call its multi growth trunk thing going on but now is basically shaped just like the letter "Y" with just the old trunk and one of the original coppice things it has 2 more little ones low down on the main trunk that i will leave awhile till it comes back to life in spring i cant wait.

and i will take photos of it as well, i still have photos on my camera that i need to download that are of my other trees i said i would do months ago (lazy).

they are a very different tree indeed i got wrapped up in the history of them!!

matty p · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:56 am Post subject: Re: watering with tap water

actually if i stand at about 6 foot and a bit the tree was about another half an arm taller than me. it was numbered 36 of 36. that is </