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i was wondering if you think its a good idea to have a water butt inside my polytunnel i was told that watering the plants from a water butt that was inside was better for the plants, does it really make a difference ?

The water in the butt would be warmer, but don't know if thats better for the plants than cooler water

BUT, the main difference would be the increased humidity in the poly. It depends on the ventilation and what your growing.

I have a water butt in my tunnel but now hardly ever use it. It is handy for the occasional watering in late autumn or very early spring but for the main growing season it is a waste of space. A lot will depend on how far you have to walk to the mains tap.

The main problem is the time it takes to fill a watering can once the level in the barrel has dropped a bit, and from May when everything has to be watered copiously on a daily basis I found that it was best to just water direct with a hose. I would have had to bring the hose into the tunnel every night anyway just to fill the barrel.

I did not notice any condensation problems but did manage to somehow get a small snail in the tap from the inside resulting in the need to bail out the water from the top just to remove the blockage.

i might not bother then, i've got a butt just outside the tunnel which i can fill easy from the hose i just thought i might put one inside if it made a difference  ;D

plants prefer water to be at the ambient temperature. also the waterbutt will act as a heat store and therefore be a buffer to temperature fluctuations. If you do the 'dip can in butt to fill' sketch, no problem with time taken to fill can. ;)

Quote from: tonybloke on April 15, 2009, 09:30:16
plants prefer water to be at the ambient temperature. also the waterbutt will act as a heat store and therefore be a buffer to temperature fluctuations. If you do the 'dip can in butt to fill' sketch, no problem with time taken to fill can. ;)

that's kind of what i had been told by somene else as well so i think i will put one inside, thanks  ;D

It's been my experience that the ambient temp within the poly rapidly drops to equal the outside temp after sundown.

QuoteIf you do the 'dip can in butt to fill' sketch, no problem with time taken to fill can.

This is true but requires leaving the lid off the tank and there is still the problem of having to refill it. It would be nice to use warm water but again, lifting cans of water out of the barrel is both tiring and difficult once the water level has dropped.

run irrigation hozes down the length of your tunnel (note the down, waterbarrel should be at the top end and by irrigation hoze I mean special from the £1 shop jabbed with some thing small to make the water trickle and the end is blocked)

leave tap on on water butt.  No need to water, just top up the butt when it needs it.  also prevents the soil being washed away by other enthusiastic waterers.  I've never done it personally but I saw one in action.  Only point it failed was where it had to run uphill.

I have one inside my polytunnel which I don't use at the moment.  It takes too long for the watering can to fill - but what I do have just at the entrance of the tunnel is an old bath - which I fill from a large tank which collects rainwater!

It is fantastic as it does heat the water a fair bit when the sun is out and I just scoop out watering cans full as with a trough.
I wouldn't be without it now and as it cost nowt - it is even better! I even have a waterboatman on it - as of yesterday!

Old Bird

;D