Re: Re: CULT: trickle irrigation

In a message dated 10/5/2007 2:30:16 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
lmann@lock-net.com writes:

<<I guess it depends on temperature etc, but how often do you  water? 
Every day during long dry spells?>>
 
I don't water everything all the time.  
 
The only thing I water every day is the potted plants and they are in  
partial shade.  This is mainly for the tomatoes, green peppers and  other plants 
that show stress by wilting down.  Irises that are in 3 gallon  pots could 
probably go two days in anything but the hottest days.  I  planted about half a 
dozen irises  (new seedlings) in 10 inch mum pots and  I won't do it again.  This 
was not the summer to experiment with shallow  pots. I didn't lose any but 
they did need extra water.  If I have time  and can do it properly, I'll move 
them to 3 gallon pots before winter.  
 
The deer eat my tomatoes, even beside the house.   I've learned  to put them 
in large pots and surround them with irises so they can't reach  to them.  I 
love the grape tomatoes and have planted a couple of  crops.  The last crop did 
the best.  I planted seeds in 8.5 inch mum  pots, and then transplanted soil 
and all into the bottom of a 3 gallon  pot.  I let them get tall enough so the 
top leaves were above the top of  the larger pot, pinched the leaves and 
filled with soil to the top. ( Not  sure but I think I might have transplanted a 
frog in one pot!  The huge  mantis hangs out in this area too.)  Tomatoes have 
really produced  well.  There is one resident rabbit and I guess it is eating 
the tomatoes  that are hanging low or fall off.  Something is.  Oh, they were 
potted  in the Miracle Gro mix with 3 month fertilizer.  
 
As to the beds, regular garden beds are 4 X 50 foot with two (50 ft) hoses  
per bed.  In the case of seedlings that have 4 rows, the hoses are between  
each two sets of rows.  With three row permanent plantings, there are still  two 
hoses, but the plants are further apart.  As the garden renovation  continues, 
the rebloom beds will all have soaker hoses.  
 
I water seedling beds every week to 10 days, depending on the  weather.  
Transplants are watered more often, if needed, until I see  new growth.  The idea 
is to water deep, but not too often.  Even  though I've not done a cross 
section to check the depth of the soak, it appears  to be deep enough to keep the 
irises thriving.  
 
I'm really happy that I started transplanting in early June before it got  so 
hot.  At least those rows are looking great.  With the heat  and other things 
it's been difficult to get much done.  
 
The only old beds that have soaker hoses in place are the earlier reselect  
beds and seedling beds.  I have one length of soaker hose that I've been  
dragging around and putting in place to water for digging. 
 
Hope springs eternal!   The one rain (2.5 inches) and  the slightly cooler 
temps have resulted in good growth and increase on  the new seedling bed.  There 
was supplemental water in the new  seedling beds, just not as much as usual.  
And not soaker hoses early  on.  
________________________________________________________
Betty W.  in South-central KY Zone 6 ---If you don't cross them, you can't 
plant them!  
Bridge In Time Iris Garden@website:
Some seedlings planted and some still  in the pots! 
_www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/_ 
(http://www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/) 
_Reblooming Iris - Home Page_ (http://www.rebloomingiris.com/)  
_iris-photos archives_ (http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/)  
_iris-talk archives_ (http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/)  
_AIS: American Iris Society website_ (http://www.irises.org/)   






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