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Re: Trench irrigation

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Valerie:
Your choices may be limited by the length of your stay. If you will be gone a week or more, you should pay the neighbor, but for shorter time periods, you can use wick watering. Set a five gallon bucket full of water half way into the soil, cover it with fine screen netting to keep mosquitoes out, and lay out wicks that directly lay next to the base of the plants to be watered.

I have used several different materials, such as nylon cord, for wicks (just like the wick in a kerosene lamp), but I think the best material is pellon. It is that material that we use for stiffener in collars in clothing. Don't use the iron on pellon. Cut it into 1 inch strips to the length you need.

This is an option that you MUST test before you leave. It is cheap, but everything must be set up correctly and tested first.

Hope this helps,
Sheryl A. McCoy
---
"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her
patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric
reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
-Richard Feynman
















On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 08:35:46    Valerie Harris wrote:
>Hello All!!!
>   I also have a question concerning watering or irrigating. I live in
>Northern Florida, and I have to water almost on a daily basis. We're
>going to be traveling a lot this summer.What would you guys suggest I
>use for watering besides paying a neighbor to come over and do it?? 
>I've already tried soaker hoses and that didn't work to well. Any
>suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  
>   Thanks in advance,  
>      Valerie
>
>--- S McCoy <smccoy@eudoramail.com> wrote:
>> Square Foot Gardening List -
>> http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>> 
>> Elizabeth:
>> I agree that sprinklers are very unsatisfactory, and
>> that type of generalized watering encourages weed
>> growth. 
>> 
>> What I call a trench can be described more as a lip.
>> I drag just a little soil from the outside edge of
>> the garden area (square) and surround each plant or
>> a grouping of plants with a lip of soil. Then I lay
>> the garden hose about 3 inches from the base or in
>> the middle of a grouping. That prevents weakening
>> the stalk or root system. If there is a weak spot in
>> my "trench, I drag some more soil to that area.
>> Sometimes I put a clod in the weak spot. 
>> 
>> I let water run (slowly, but more than a drip) in
>> the trench until it begins to puddle almost to the
>> top all around the plant or grouping. I live in Zone
>> 6, and this method of watering means that I usually
>> water again in 2 to 3 days.
>> 
>> Over time your planted areas will develop a shallow
>> lip that holds just enough water to help the plants
>> grow. This type of saturation watering helps keep
>> the roots deep and prevents fungus on the leaves.
>> 
>> Let me know if some of this is not clear;-)
>> Sheryl
>> ---
>> "Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her
>> patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric
>> reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
>> -Richard Feynman
>> 
>> On Fri, 4 Jun 1999 21:09:49    Elizwelch wrote:
>> >Hi, Sheryl
>> >Could you explain the trench irrigation method you
>> use in your sqft garden?  
>> >I find irrigation a major problem in my yard, and
>> find sprinklers 
>> >unsatisfactory.
>> >TIA
>> >Elizabeth Welch
>> >Zone 6/7 (Long Island, NY)
>> >
>> 
>> 
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