Drip Irrigation | Wow What A Difference!

Discussion in 'The Green Patch' started by Gopherman, Mar 30, 2015.


  1. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    Last year I had amazing amounts of produce throughout the summer! I then had great success with my greenhouse raised bed, however after being beaten to death by weeds, I decided that this year I was going to try something Different.
    I tilled up the 1/4 acre field and instead of spending $200 on fertilizer, I layed down Growers mesh and then took a small propane torch and burned holes in it to suit the plants the sizes I wanted. Wow, that was much faster!

    I dug a 12" deep hole and filled it with 1/2 way with rabbit pooh, then added 2" of dirt and packed it down. Then I took Potting soil and filled the rest of the hole, then I made room for my sprouted plants and watered them in. That's where I wanted to share this with you.

    I went to Lowe's and bought a 3 packs of Drip Irrig. Nipples, 30 to a pack, and a roll of 30' 1/8 id hose ($40), I then took a 100' hose ($20) and drilled a small hole in front of every Plant and installed the nipple and the hose, but when I turned it on there was all kinds of pressure in the first 5 holes and then it petered out to nothing at the end.
    I went online and looked for drip systems, and found this site I ordered 200 of the nipples and 200 of the little flow adjusters they came to a total of $114.00 including shipping. those suckers work great. I can now connect all 600' of hose together, cap the end and water my entire garden with no water being wasted feeding those stupid weeds.

    Jury is still out on the rabbit pooh method of fertilizing, but I will take Pic's and post as the season goes on.

    I was so excited after installing the little dripper's,I just had to share this site with you guys

    Drip Irrigation Supplies - Drip Irrigation Products Irrigation Direct
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 29, 2015
  2. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

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  3. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Great! I have used drip irrigation for years. Works wonders. V. O. Porter was a great advocate of drip irrigation and had his own mfg arm of the systems he used at his place. Good guy he was.

    Try this dry land plant.
    About Porter Tomato: V. O. Porter, a seed enthusiast from Stephenville, Texas, developed the Porter tomato to withstand the heat and humidity of Texas weather conditions. Porter & Son Seeds published their first seed catalog in 1914, specializing mostly in watermelon, garlic, and tomatoes. Though the company went out of business in 1994, the Porter tomato continues to be a garden favorite because of its drought hardiness, crack resistance, and huge yield of golf-ball sized, meaty tomatoes.

    Porter Tomato Germination: Start tomatoes indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring, sowing the seeds in a flat 1/4" deep and 1" apart. Keep the temperature at 70-75 degrees F until germination, as well as providing adequate light in a sunny window or under a grow light; keep the soil moist, but make sure drainage is adequate. When the second set of leaves emerges, transplant the seedlings into individual pots; bury the stems up to the lowest set of leaves to grow strongly rooted plants. A week before planting the seedlings outside, begin exposing them to the weather during the day to harden them; tomatoes cannot endure cold weather, and should not be transplanted outside until all threat of frost has passed. When the soil temperature reaches at least 70 degrees F, plant the seedlings in full sun and very rich soil; once more, bury the entire stem up to the lowest set of leaves. If providing a trellis, space the plants 2' apart, but if allowing the vines to spread, space the plants 3-4' apart. For companion planting benefits, plant tomatoes with carrots or onions, but avoid planting them with cabbage or tomatoes.

    Growing Porter Tomato Seeds: Indeterminate tomato varieties often perform best when provided with a trellis or support, since this protects them from various pests and diseases in connection with too much soil contact. Put the supports in place before the seedlings develop vines. As the vines begin to grow, tying them to the support helps their development. Since temperatures below 55 degrees F can damage production, protect the plants if temperatures drop. A thick layer of mulch helps conserve moisture and control weeds; water the plants once a week, but avoid getting the leaves wet. Pruning the "suckers," or shoots that grow between the main stem and the branches, will greatly improve the production and strength of the plant.

    Harvesting Porter Tomato: Test the ripeness of tomatoes by pressing them gently; the flesh should yield slightly. The mature color also indicates ripeness. If the stem does not come easily off the vine, cut it with a scissors. Vine ripened tomatoes have the best flavor, but as soon as frost comes, all tomatoes should be harvested, even the green ones. Unripe tomatoes will ripen eventually if kept in a warm place out of direct sunlight.

    Saving Porter Tomato Seeds: Since cross pollination between most tomato varieties is unlikely, isolation is not a concern. Pick fully ripe tomatoes and cut them in half horizontally, across the middle; squeeze out the pulp into a container. An alternative method for smaller tomatoes is to put them in a blender and pulse the mixture, since the seeds are hard and slippery and will not be harmed. Let the mixture ferment for several days or until a thick layer of mold has formed; this process removes the gelatinous layer on the seeds. Pour off the mold and debris, saving the good seeds on the bottom. Rinse the seeds in a strainer under running water until they are clean, then spread them out to dry in a protected location away from direct sunlight. Stir them twice a day, and provide a fan to speed drying if the air is humid. Once the seeds are completely dry, store them in a cool, dry location for up to four years.

    Detailed Porter Tomato Info: Lycopersicon esceluntum. Annual. 75 days. 10,000 seeds per oz. 48-72" height. 2-4' spacing. Produces globe shaped red tomatoes that average 3-5 oz. Indeterminate.
     
  4. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    My neighbor bud's son has a diverse farm application business. He put those small lines around the church's pants and they do well. He has me convinced to try it on the raised beds this year.
     
    HK_User likes this.
  5. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    I am going to grow watermelons, honeydew, sugar baby, spaghetti squash and butternut squash. Last year I tried watermelon and they were all over the place, got a couple over 50 lbs. This year I am planting them over the growers mesh and I am going to try and contain them.(Yeah Right).:)
    I'm excited to see what the honey dew melons do, their a first as well as the squashes. This drip system is definitely the ticket for growing different varieties, they can be adjusted to give as much water as required. Squash and zucchini require a lot more water than my sweet peppers.I am growing Passion fruit as well, started about 60 seeds but also have 3 healthy cuttings that I wintered ready to go in the ground. I love those things!
    I'll get some pics going tomorrow.
    Good luck to all this year with the fruits of your labor," We Reap What We Sow!"
     
    Ganado, Motomom34, Tully Mars and 2 others like this.
  6. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    I usually use a belt around my pants, but I'll try just about anything once!
     
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  7. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    Their really cheap compared to Retail Outlets. 1/8" id rubber hose for fuel line or automotive is a heck of a lot cheaper than the dripline stuff in the garden dept. and its the same stuff! A rose by any other name.....
     
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  8. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    When I worked in the nursery biz, we could not keep enough Porter tomatoes in stock! People would come in and buy entire flats of them the second we unloaded the truck. I'd been holding out for Romas but since no one up here seems to have them this year I'll probably just do all Porters.

    Drip irrigation is awesome.
     
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  9. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    The wife has hundreds of feet of excess air line for breathing equipment. (She uses another set every hospital trip, and it can not be reused with another patient) she has thrown out several rolls of it. Some of it I have saved for projects. This might be one of those projects....:cautious:
     
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  10. Airtime

    Airtime Monkey+++

    A current trend in agriculture is "fertigation" which is applying fertilizers, most commonly urea for nitrogen, through the irrigation system along with the water.

    There is also a trend used in conjunction with "precision farming" to put irrigation systems under ground and water and fertilize corn and soybeans directly at the roots. This is feasible because precision farming employs RTK GPS measurement systems and autosteer systems can move huge equipment across fields with 2 centimeter accuracy so the irrigation plumbing is not compromised by the equipment crossing the field.

    AT
     
  11. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    The problem with underground drip is two fold. 1) clogged emmiter... Not sure why they clog more but they do 2) fertigation is based primarily on liquid inputs for fertilizers and can be expensive.

    I really liked gophermans' post. Ruth Stout is a great AL natural gardener... She uses hay and no till gardening

    Ruth Stout. A Favourite (& Naked) Gardener. - Empress of Dirt
     
  12. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Above ground and below ground emitters are of a different size. Below ground emitters must have a specific pressure and all lines to be level and of equal flow from the start of the lines to the end point. Unless they are off the self compensator type. When using fertilizer you must be sure to have check valves to prevent back flow to domestic water systems.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2015
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  13. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    I did not know that... So appreciate you saying the difference... Don't pressured line pop? Or am I missing something
     
  14. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Have you used these? Is there any issue with food safety... (asking from compete ignorance on plastic stuff)
     
  15. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    I have used this system, in fact I started a 25 tree orchard that is now gone because of the relatives short life of fruit trees. The system was on a 24/7 timer and used filtered well water. Filters are most important and should be placed before the solenoid valves.

    I had underground drip system before the self compensator type. In a layout plan you may see a pressure limiter. It is in line and looks like this. Also called a pressure regulator. [​IMG]
     
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  16. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    This is yet one more in a growing list of projects I'd like to get to. While I've never had a irrigation system in a garden(other than ditches fed by a hose) I've been thinking about it. I put in a sprinkler system for the lawn and flowers at a home I had up north years back and figured to do something along those lines here with the garden only above ground. No one around here seems to water their gardens, and I've always wondered why. When I've asked, everyone just says it rains enough, but I can't help but think that during the 100+ degree days a garden would need watering..

    I know nothing about this, but a guy that I'm doing some work for had his boys out spreading hay all over their freshly tilled garden plot just yesterday. Looked as though they had it about 2 feet thick over the entire area.

    Great post @Gopherman and great info from everyone!
     
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  17. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Works but, best for me for potatoes, that was along the coast with a drainage problem and hay is a haven for mice, rats and their nemesis Mr Snake.
     
  18. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    I would use wheat straw for ground cover. Hay is made from cut grass of different varieties, and contains lots of grass seed, which is counter productive to getting rid of weeds. Wheat Straw contains no seeds, is hollow and will break down less quickly and hold moisture better.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    I bought 200 of each of these ($114) and they are designed to work off of gravity feed.
    I have them hooked up to a garden hose that I drilled a 1/16" hole in and forced the barb in. I bought a hose bib water timer yesterday, OH YEAH easy-peasy!!
    I have not found that a pressure limiter is necessary. I just barely turn on the water and it runs 200' evenly. I will have a total of 800' hooked up by Sunday night.
    Work is pretty hectic haven't had time for a video yet, maybe tonight?
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2015
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  19. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    I have about 50 fruit trees going and I need a good movable design to water them the are spaced at 10' interval (pretty much) I was going to do a drip feed on a garden hose like I did in my Big garden but don't know if they'll get enough water.
    Good sketch of an Idea would be great. I have to mow around them.
     
  20. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Surface system allows you to move the hoses if you're in the "Gotta Mow" world.

    10' spacing? Bonsai Fruit Trees! Most trees are on a 20 to 25 foot grid. This allows proper spacing for full growth and plenty of light for good growth and production of fruit and clearance for mowing etc.
     
    Gopherman likes this.
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