Watering
- To: Pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Watering
- From: L*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 08:46:50 EDT
Pumpkinheads:
Even though my plant at this point can be watered using a tea cup I have plans
for the future. Last night I was reading an article that covered how much
water a plant required. I am not going to get into a discussion here about
exactly how to deliver the water to the plant. I wrote something earlier in
response to a post by Zoo Doo on the proper use of a watering can. This is in
the archives and explains how to fill the can etc. These specific instructions
were required by the inquisitive Zoo Doo who occasionally still needs help
tying his shoe strings in the morning. He now, I have been told, wears loafers
to avoid an ongoing problem.
Anyway, the article related that a pumpkin needs 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water
per week. If the soil you are growing in is sandy you need to be at the higher
level. If you have more clay and silt and organic matter in your soil you
should be at the lower level. Chris Andersen uses a water meter to measure the
amount of water he delivers and as an example says that 1 inch per week works
in his soil. For the less sophisticated (those without water meters) you can
determine the amount of water delivered by knowing the water pressure you have
available and how your sprinkler head delivers at that pressure. I guess these
numbers are available for drip systems as well.
To supply 1 inch of water per week to a 1000 square foot patch takes 624
gallons of water. That means that if you watered a 1000 sq. ft. patch on a
daily basis you would need roughly 90 gallons of water per day. It is best to
water several times a week rather than daily so that the water sinks in to a
deeper level.
For Zoo Doo this means that if you have a 2 gallon watering can you need to
apply 312 cans full per week for a 1000 square foot garden. (Be careful not to
trip over your shoe strings.)
Does anyone out there have any information or comment that is in contrast to
the above?
Marv in Altoona
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