Good results watering with hot water.

[mtorchid]

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

Idea must be brought to you by the same people that say "water with three ice cubes".

Or, this hot-is-better is from the company who is in competition with the ice cube people! ;-)

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by bil

Um, not quite. Water at 99C would take longer to freeze than water at 80C. It's the The Mpemba Effect, named after Erasto Mpemba.

The water only needs to be warm enough so that the surface is kept liquid by convection, while the water freezes solid from the sides in and from the botttom up.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect

You missed the point. If you simultaneously put two equal sized samples of water into the same freezer, one at 20 C and one at 90 C, the 90 C sample will cool at faster RATE. Put simply, in order to freeze the 20 C sample must lose 20 C. The 90 C sample will lose 20 C and reach 70 C before the 20 C sample reaches 0 C and freezes.

[Ashleyma23]

I just turn the hot faucet on and let the plants soak or just run the water. It's gets hot enough where you want to pull your hands out quickly.

This is ultimately working for me & I wanted to do this because when I would soak my plants in tempid water, the water cooled down. I figure I would experiment with hotter water and when it was time to remove them, the water would still be warm.

I never have tried the ice cube method and never will.

---------- Post added at 02:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Well the hotter something is in relation to the ambient temperature around it, the faster the rate of cooling, so............a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

This technically means my hot watering might be a good thing since the roots dry off faster but have moisture from the medium used?

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Ashleyma23

I just turn the hot faucet on and let the plants soak or just run the water. It's gets hot enough where you want to pull your hands out quickly.

Warm water is fine but water that is too hot for your hands is also too hot for orchid roots. This practice is causing damage to the roots and over time it will likely end in dead roots.

I've heard of people using hot water in terrestrial plants in order to get rid of pests but even then they don't use overly hot water PLUS the roots are protected from the brunt of the hot water by the soil that surrounds them. Orchids roots don't have that same buffer. It might appear to be working for you right now but I suspect if your water is so hot you need to pull your hands out...in time you will have a big problem.

If you're soaking your orchids in water, the water doesn't have to be warm constantly. It doesn't even have to start out warm...you just don't want it to be ice cold.

[Nexogen]

Cool and I'll try this method. I have a few that have no place in my house...

[bil]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

You missed the point. If you simultaneously put two equal sized samples of water into the same freezer, one at 20 C and one at 90 C, the 90 C sample will cool at faster RATE. Put simply, in order to freeze the 20 C sample must lose 20 C. The 90 C sample will lose 20 C and reach 70 C before the 20 C sample reaches 0 C and freezes.

Nope. Think about it. The two trays go into the freezer, one at 90C one at 20.

By the time the 90C tray reaches 20, the 20C tray will be at an unknown temp XC where X is less than 20C. By the time the 90 tray drops from 20C to XC the 20 tray will be at X-YC and so on. A bit like Zeno's tortoise.

The optimum temp would be the one that imparts JUST enough energy to the water to keep the surface open by convection.

There is a law of cooling, put forward by Newton, but it is Newton's law of FORCED cooling, so it isn't really applicable.

[dangerouseddy]

well I do like to water my plants with warm water although I do stick my finger in it to check its not too hot, I'm not into boiling my orchids roots.

I think the roots seem to be growing a bit faster with the warm water but I could just be deluding myself, maybe its my fertilizer with seaweed extract that's making the roots grow well.

[orchidsarefun]

I use an aquarium heater ( at pre-set temp ) to warm a 2g watering can and use this water for my plants indoors. I have no doubt that its made a difference to my plants, noticeably so with seedlings. Since I have raised all types of seedlings at different times with pre- and post heated water regimes ( as opposed to 'room temp' water), I feel that I can make that judgement call. The water is obviously at a consistent temp all year round.

[Ashleyma23]

Originally Posted by katrina

Warm water is fine but water that is too hot for your hands is also too hot for orchid roots. This practice is causing damage to the roots and over time it will likely end in dead roots.

I've heard of people using hot water in terrestrial plants in order to get rid of pests but even then they don't use overly hot water PLUS the roots are protected from the brunt of the hot water by the soil that surrounds them. Orchids roots don't have that same buffer. It might appear to be working for you right now but I suspect if your water is so hot you need to pull your hands out...in time you will have a big problem.

If you're soaking your orchids in water, the water doesn't have to be warm constantly. It doesn't even have to start out warm...you just don't want it to be ice cold.

I have been doing this for about 4 months and the roots are doing very well.

---------- Post added at 10:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 AM ----------

Originally Posted by dangerouseddy

well I do like to water my plants with warm water although I do stick my finger in it to check its not too hot, I'm not into boiling my orchids roots.

I think the roots seem to be growing a bit faster with the warm water but I could just be deluding myself, maybe its my fertilizer with seaweed extract that's making the roots grow well.

I ran out of fertilizer about two months ago. I do in fact feel the roots are doing better with the hotter water temp.
No I'm not boiling my orchid roots.

---------- Post added at 10:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 AM ----------

Originally Posted by orchidsarefun

I use an aquarium heater ( at pre-set temp ) to warm a 2g watering can and use this water for my plants indoors. I have no doubt that its made a difference to my plants, noticeably so with seedlings. Since I have raised all types of seedlings at different times with pre- and post heated water regimes ( as opposed to 'room temp' water), I feel that I can make that judgement call. The water is obviously at a consistent temp all year round.

That's goods to know you have seen the difference with your plants.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Ashleyma23

I ran out of fertilizer about two months ago. I do in fact feel the roots are doing better with the hotter water temp.
No I'm not boiling my orchid roots.

I use an ultra weak fertiliser. It's possible that too strong a fertiliser will stunt roots.