Re: watering
- Subject: Re: watering
- From: Hal Lanktree h*@comcast.net
- Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 13:01:29 -0400
I use drip irrigation, and this is an issue with that as well. How fast
water penetrates down in to the soil, compared to how fast/far it spreads to
the sides depends on the soil texture. Sandier soil wets deeper and does
not spread as far as finer clay or silt rich soil textures. So for sandy
soil you apply the water at a fast rate, forcing more spread. In a clay or
silt rich soil you apply the water more slowly, so it penetrates before it
spreads too far or runs off. With drip systems, you usually have choices
from 0.5 gal/hour to 2 or even 5 gal/hour for each emitter. With leaky
black soaker hoses, the only control you have is by changing the water
pressure. And with age leaky black soaker hoses begin to plug up and get
slower and slower. The drip equipment I use I bought from Dripworks, and
was quit inexpensive and easy to set up. Their web site is
http://www.dripworksusa.com/ . They offered design assistance when I
started. Fax them a sketch of the bed and how fast your faucet delivers
water (I timed filling a 5 gal pail).
Hal Lanktree
Rochester, Mi
Sometimes zone 5b, recently more like 6b
> > Marge,
> > This is the problem I had with burying my leaky black soaker hoses in
> my veggie raised beds- the water didn't go sideways at all - leaving the
> > middle 1 foot (wide)deeply watered and the 2 foot (wide) sides dry as
could be.
> > :( For me it does better laying them on top of the soil, even though
> you
> > lose some water to evaporation.
> >
> > Marilyn Dube'
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
