Re: Irrigation
- To: <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Re: Irrigation
- From: "* L* <h*@mindspring.com>
- Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 21:57:37 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: mark <markmos@banet.net>
To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>
Date: Friday, February 06, 1998 7:52 PM
Subject: Re: Irrigation
>Carol Cramer wrote:
>>
>> What is everyone's favorite watering system for their flower beds...
>>
>> We live in zone 5 -- low rainfall (altho we water plenty) - hot
>> summers -- often wind...
>>
>> thinking about snaking a hose thru the beds -- covering hose w/mulch --
>> and watering all nite once every 5 days or so. Do I want to use the
>> "leaky hose" system -- or the emitter system. One bed is approx 4 x 36
>> -- another bed is similar in size..
>>
>> night watering should not be a problem here (no mildew, etc)...
>>
>> thanks for input....
>>
>> carol
>
>Hi Carol,
>
>It depends on how many years you want the irrigation system to operate.
>The leaky hose, is usually called a soaker hose, and it will clog in
>time, especially in clay soils. The emitter system is generally called
>drip. there are many different drip systems. there are those that come
>preset with uniform distancing between emitters, and those that you can
>punch in the emitter yourself. This last option requires some time but
>is the most flexible and therefore the best. It is a little cheaper too.
>This option allows you to purchase a variety of different size GPM
>emitters so that you can control water flow on the same line. that means
>sections of the garden could be dryer than others.
>
>mark
Carol, the other consideration is spacing. That depends on the texture of
your soil (the ratio of clay, silt and sand). If you have a lot of clay,
the water spreads broadly and penetrates slowly, and you will want to water
very slowly to allow time for penetration. Heavy soil will hold a lot of
water (and nutrients), and keep it in the root zone. You can probably run
soaker hoses in rows 5-6' apart. If the soil is very sandy the water
penetrates too quickly to spread much, and will soon drop below the root
zone. You need to space the hoses more closely, and water more often, but
you can use a higher flow rate. You will also want to fertilize more
frequently or use a slow release form.
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