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Re: automatic watering

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

Olin,

Thanks for the excellent, detailed post on T-Tape. I tried something
similar (not T-Tape brand), however, and found that it did not fit
securely in the fittings and it wasted more water at the fittings than
it put down for the plants! It also had the annoying habit of coming
out of the fittings completely so I never felt comfortable using it
without watching it. Does the T-Tape brand fit securely? I bought this
stuff three years ago and I have seen mentioned that newer products of
this type are much improved.

I have replaced the 50' of tape with 1/8" laser-drilled tubing. This
type of tubing is available locally (3 different brands) with the laser
holes 6" or 12" apart. I have seen somewhere that there is tubing with
18" and 24" spacing but I haven't checked into it. The 1/8" tubing is
easily flexible enough to make circles around perennials or small
shrubs.

I would certainly agree with you that describing drip irrigation is way
more complicated than installing it. If you can play with tinker toys
you can *easily* install drip irrigation for home purposes. You don't
have to dig deep trenches in your yard--a shallow slit in the turf is
all that is needed to hide the tubing. You don't need a plumber--the
stuff all will go on a simple hose connection. You don't need an
electrician--the battery-operated timer works just fine. I do find,
however, that dipping the end of the large tubes in a thermos of hot
water makes doing the fittings easier.

One of the great things about drip are there are always several ways of
doing the same job effectively. You can mix the T-Tape, laser-drilled
tubing, separate emitters, misters and mini-sprinklers. My newest
favorite is an inline emitter that makes it very fast to do irregular
spacing. I also use a separate drip line on a timer for all my
containers, hanging baskets, seeds, transplants and it does a fine job
of filling the bird bath.

It seems that nearly all the brands I see offer a starter kit for
around $25 that are good values. They have a big enough assortment of
doodads to get a feel for what you prefer. This is what I started with
and have suggested to family and friends. They have all remarked that
they didn't believe it was so easy and all feel it is more than worth
the up-front time to install. Schlepping hoses in 90 plus degree heat
with matching humidity is not my idea of gardening fun.

I have not ordered from these companies but they might be useful if you
don't have a local source for drip supplies:
     The Drip Store - http://www.dripirrigation.com/
     Dripworks http://www.dripworks.com/


At 1:37 AM -0500 10/30/98, "Olin" <millero@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard F. Dillon <rfdillon@hal-pc.org>
> Subject: Your irrigation system
>
> > ...It would sure be nice to set this up when
> >we go on vacation so that the next door neighbor wouldn't have to be relied
> >upon.  What is T-Tape, and do you bury it in the soil, or exactly how did
> >you implement this irrigation system?  Thanks so much in advance for all
> >your help,
> >

> T-Tape is one of several brand names for drip tape.  It has worked very well
> for me once I learned how to use it.  Not everybody likes it (see a previous
> post archived at url http://www.mallorn.com/lists/sqft/aug98/msg00038.html
> for a different opinion).

> This all sounds complex but it is really pretty easy and takes longer to
> talk about it than to do it.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> om: Melissa Wise <mwise@simreal.com>
> Subject: automatic watering
>
>
> >  ... You didn't mention what kind of timer you used.....where  was it
> set.....where did you purchase it.....obviously one more great idea from
> from the sq ftrs
>
> I use a battery-operated timer on a hose bibb.  Brand name is RainMatic but
> I don't believe that's important.  Bought at Price Club several years ago.
> It is supposed to be weather-sealed but I always put a plastic bag over it
> and also a #10 can to shade it because it isn't UV resistant.  Always put in
> fresh batteries if we're gone for longer than one week.  The sequence is:
> Water Supply, hose bibb, timer, vacuum breaker, filter, 10 psi pressure
> regulator, garden hose, drip tubing, T-Tapes.



---
Peggy Enes (peggy@unicom.net)   Zone 5/6    NE KS     AHS Heat Zone 7


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