Re: Pumpkinguy on drip irrigation
- To:
- Subject: Re: Pumpkinguy on drip irrigation
- From: S* D*
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 20:08:26 +1000
Folks
I have avoided overhead watering in an attempt to stop powdery mildue but
find it does not make any difference the leaves are now almost completely
white and where I have had sprinklers on the foliage it is no worse than
elsewhere. Perhaps it is better just to give it the works.
Stewart
Canberra Aust
the nation's capital
sdeans@pcug.org.au
-----Original Message-----
From: Pumkinguy@aol.com <Pumkinguy@aol.com>
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Date: Tuesday, 16 March 1999 13:44
Subject: Re: Pumpkinguy on drip irrigation
In a message dated 3/15/99 5:09:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, WBobier@aol.com
writes:
<<
You said you use overhead watering instead of drip irrigation. I'm curious
to
why you stopped using drip and prefer overhead. I am considering installing
an
Irrigro drip system this spring. I used to do overhead, but have read that
it
can help promote disease especially bacteria wilt from cucumber beetles.
Also
it would make sense to reduce water loss due to evaporation. It would also
help to keep a more uniform and constant soil moisture level. Just my
thoughts. Anyway, just wondering why you switched.
Thanks
Bill
>>
Bill,
Some people prefer not to water their foliage. Others water the leaves on
purpose , to take advantage of the evaporative cooling to keep the plant
cooler. I need the evaporative cooling for the temperature in inland
Connecticut gets too hot. I usually grow 4 plants...1,000 square feet per
plant so that will take a few feet of drip tape. The spacing of the drip
tape
will depend on soil type. A sandy soil will require closer spacing....the
water tends to go down and not far laterally. A heavy soil, you might spread
the tapes 2 or 3 feet apart. I might need 1,600 feet of tape for 4 plants.
It's easier for me to put out two netafim mini sprinklers to cover the
entire
1,000 square feet. They use about one third of a gallon per minute each.
Throw
on a fertilizer injector and a automatic valve and I'm under the tree
drinking
iced tea. Well....maybe not that easy. Disease will not be a problem with
overhead watering if you have on/off cycles where the foliage is allowed to
dry out completely, in between watering cycles. Knock the beetles out once a
week and use a fungicide containing Chlorothalonil once a week. Note: I have
a
good drip irrigation system that is free, that you can use when the plant is
small. Take a plastic, 1 gallon milk jug and prick it with a pin. If it
doesn't drip fast enough, use a bigger pin. Plant gets bigger ....use 4 of
them. Put a little peters or miracle grow in the milk jug,....now you have
fertigation.I do alot of high tech stuff, but you don't have to. I've been
overhead watering on time clocks for 15 years. Don't let anybody tell you
that
the water droplets act like magnifying glasses and burn the plants....it's a
bunch of bull. To each his own.
pumkinguy
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