Advice on how to best set up a watering system...

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by katsparrow, Oct 12, 2010.

  1. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    Hi,

    I am after some advice about how to best set up a watering system for my veggie garden/orchard. I have espalier fruit trees, berries and four large veggie beds. The veggie beds are raised and 4.8m x 4.8m with a 'keyhole' in the middle. The fruit trees are in an 'L shape' about 12m by 12m. The berries run around the perimeter of the veggie beds again in an 'L shape'. I have put in a tank and now I am wondering what I do next. Should I use soaker hose for the beds and then a drip system over the fruit trees and berries or soaker hose for everything? Is there a better system again? Is using a timer for watering a good idea too?

    Thanks.
     
  2. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    watering

    Hi,

    I've tried a variety of different methods, and while I still prefer standing there with a hose, time sometimes dictates I need a watering system.

    The best I've come up with is a timer that you can manually set to run for 20-30 mins at a time, which will turn itself off. That way you can set and forget it when the garden needs a water, and when it's been raining, you don't need to turn it on. You can also use it if you're away for an extended period, but of course you will be watering when it rains as well. I know you can get timers that know if its rained, but who wants to pay the sort of money they want?

    I then use the brown drip hose which is quite flexible, and bend that around my garden beds as needed.

    The whole set-up can be a bit painful, but once in place is very handy. Make sure you do lots of scaled diagrams to ensure you buy all the right bits and pieces, otherwise installation becomes very tiresome as you hair off to the hardware yet again for another T junction!

    Good luck.

    Paula.
     
  3. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    Thanks Paula. Do you then put mulch over the top of the drip hose?
     
  4. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    Yes, mulch over the top of the hose. Eventually you find that as the mulch rots down into soil, the hose needs to be lifted and shaken loose of the dirt. I find that I do this every time I lay more manure and compost to the bed. Lay it all down, then find the hose, shake it to the top and then lay the mulch on top of that. You can leave it on top of the mulch, but its hard to make it stay in place with the pegs, and it looks terrible.
     
  5. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    So the brown drip hose is better than a weeping hose? Have you ever had trouble with it blocking up?
     
  6. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    I haven't used the weeping hose so can't say, but the drip hose has never blocked up on me. I guess I have concerns about the weeping hose getting all clogged up with dirt but I might wrong.
     
  7. ebunny

    ebunny Junior Member

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    I've got a mixture of systems going at the moment. In my orchard I have the weeping one. I find it OK but probably not quite as good as the drip system I've laid down under the mulch in the main garden bed. I have one attached to each of my two tanks, so in the evening, I turn them both on and then water the two raised garden beds by while the other systems work. Then later I turn them both off. I don't water every night but probably about 4 nights a week and it all seems to work pretty well.
     
  8. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    That is good to know. Thanks for your advice. The watering 4 nights a week, is that in the warmer weather? I had been told to water in the morning as watering at night attracts the pests. Is that true? Watering at night would be a lot easier to manage!
     
  9. ebunny

    ebunny Junior Member

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    I've heard that too, but a few elderly Italian food gardeners that I know swear by night time watering so I switched it around. So far so good. and yes, that's watering a newly established garden now that the weather has warmed up. The more established garden at back only gets twice a week. Have a look https://gardeninprogress.blogspot.com/
     
  10. hawkypork

    hawkypork Junior Member

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    On the dripper hose, avoid the Pope brand at Bunnings; it is shit. I use Miniscape available from reticulation shops. It comes in 15cm and 30cm spacings. I use 15cm exclusively so that I can keep a handle on how much water each area is getting.

    Ideally you should form a loop off your main retic line, eg 19mm black poly, so that there are two main connections for each off branch.

    You should put a vacuum purge valve at the end of your main lines so that water can flow freely as soon as the water is turned on.

    A friend who used a moisture meter told me that frequent short waterings are ideal for dripper line on veges because the moisture is concentrated around the root zone rather than draining away after less frequent heavier waterings.
     
  11. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Watering during the late day(in shadows) to early evening depends where you live8)8)
    Living in the south of west aussie(the dry area).rainfall of about 350 mm and rapidly getting less,used to be 600mm 20 yrs ago

    Bloody hot summers here,I gotta water/drip,splash etc.as early as the first dark shade of the day is when i start thinking.....

    I learnt that as a school gardener,watering as per instructions was to be done during reguler (school) hours...

    To water gardens .. eg Lawns,flowers,and general high maint vegetation.Meant a huge % of the water Evaporated before it had chance to soak down into the soil, properly, I hated that way,so i had to confince them to start earlier in mornings at 6 am instead of 8 am.

    It was still not much better,as in summer its hot at by 8 am...

    It was too much to convince the school to water during the evening,and 50k round trip for me was outa the question just to water the lawns and pansies =(..Though i woulda done it at night if i was a few mins away...

    Watering my fruit trees and veges all at once was hard, as they require different requirements.
    So ..Plants were planted closer to trees and waterd together,with simuler requirments if possible,watering thirsty lettuces can be loved by a nice watered jucy peach tree etc.
    I go cheaper options and wont by expensive drippers,and micro sized jets etc....They block up,and cos they buried,you never really know how good each one is working.

    Heavy weekly or fortnightly for fruit trees, especially if they are fruiting,and by intructions, for the veges...its no good waiting for garlic or onions for example, to dry out for harvesting if they growing near a banana tree... Myself, i gave up with veges after first year,and concentrated on growing my fruit forest,Id get more fruit then veges if it it worked out ok.... I then hand watered the fruit trees at the times when most needed... 1st few years and then the fruiting only times, then after about 6/7 years, it was a case of watering as or if required....Mulching and using the rainforest principles exspoused by Bill,and after 5 years i hardly ever watered, i used more water on my chooks running around under my trees, then i ever did on the trees or veges..
     

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