Underground watering spikes?

[Gas Bag]

X-No-Archie:

I live in South Australia, and I was recently down at my local
hardware store and happened to notice this "new" sort of underground
spike watering system. I’m not sure exactly what brand it was, but it
was the same sort of principle as this:

http://www.wisewally.com.au/howitworks.html

The Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike System has been developed to reduce the
amount of water evaporation that occurs when watering your garden.
Other deep watering spikes currently available use plastic drink or
detergent bottles that click into the spike. The idea is great, but
the bottles are unsightly.
Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike Systems use a single aqua tank placed in the
corner of a garden bed and out of sight. The spikes connect to the
tank using standard 13mm irrigation tubing. Cover the tubing with
mulch or soil and you have a hidden irrigation system delivering water
directly to the root system of your plants.

I am trying to find out if anyone has used this watering system, or
anything similar? Any comments? In principle, it looks fantastic. What
I especially like about it is the fact that you only need to fill one
tank of water, rather than walking around your whole garden watering
everything. I’m fairly sure my soil has a fairly high clay content,
and I’m worried that the irrigation spikes might block up to the point
where the water simply won’t drain at all. If the water drainage
becomes slow, but doesn’t actually stop, that’s fine. I’m just
concerned about a total blockage. I’m also not interested in spending
mega bucks – can’t stress that enough.
Any advice at all? Different brands better than others? Etc.

[Terryc]

Gas Bag wrote:

> I am trying to find out if anyone has used this watering system, or
> anything similar? Any comments? In principle, it looks fantastic.

They all look fantastic, but everything that I've tried wasn't that
great. Basically, unless thay are applying water 24x7, then only the
bits near the holes get moist and the rest of the garden is very dry.
So, you could probably get something to work for a flower garden bed
containing bushes, etc, but the best thing, IMO would be that brown tube
with 3mm holes spaced along it.

My approach now, for our vege garden, is to heavily mulch and then use a
spray strip or noddy (useless shite/low pressure head) over the top.
Water early morning or late afternoon(some crops apparently don't like
this.) and just let is soak in through the mulch.

> What I especially like about it is the fact that you only need to fill one
> tank of water,
That is just a matter of putting in a water distribution system.

> rather than walking around your whole garden watering everything.
Currently a legal requirment atm here.

[Bob F]

"Gas Bag" > wrote in message
...
X-No-Archie:

I live in South Australia, and I was recently down at my local
hardware store and happened to notice this "new" sort of underground
spike watering system. I’m not sure exactly what brand it was, but it
was the same sort of principle as this:

http://www.wisewally.com.au/howitworks.html

The Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike System has been developed to reduce the
amount of water evaporation that occurs when watering your garden.
Other deep watering spikes currently available use plastic drink or
detergent bottles that click into the spike. The idea is great, but
the bottles are unsightly.
Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike Systems use a single aqua tank placed in the
corner of a garden bed and out of sight. The spikes connect to the
tank using standard 13mm irrigation tubing. Cover the tubing with
mulch or soil and you have a hidden irrigation system delivering water
directly to the root system of your plants.

I am trying to find out if anyone has used this watering system, or
anything similar? Any comments? In principle, it looks fantastic. What
I especially like about it is the fact that you only need to fill one
tank of water, rather than walking around your whole garden watering
everything. I’m fairly sure my soil has a fairly high clay content,
and I’m worried that the irrigation spikes might block up to the point
where the water simply won’t drain at all. If the water drainage
becomes slow, but doesn’t actually stop, that’s fine. I’m just
concerned about a total blockage. I’m also not interested in spending
mega bucks – can’t stress that enough.
Any advice at all? Different brands better than others? Etc.

A standard drip irrigation system with a timer would make more sense. You can
bury the outlet hoses from the drippers.

[Luke]

you could also do what was on Better Homes and Gardens the other day and use
a small post hole digger to dig 30cm holes in the ground and then place some
AG pipe in them. You thern simply water into the pipe and it gets straight
to the roots, you still have to go around and water the garden but at least
the water is getting where it needs to with little wastage

[Terryc]

Luke wrote:
> you could also do what was on Better Homes and Gardens the other day and
> use a small post hole digger to dig 30cm holes in the ground and then
> place some AG pipe in them. You thern simply water into the pipe and it
> gets straight to the roots, you still have to go around and water the
> garden but at least the water is getting where it needs to with little
> wastage

Umm, this idea only works for transplanted established bushes and trees
where the pipe is buried beneaththe root ball. Otherwise, most of the
water goes downward and can only be collected by established big plants,
unless your soil is heavy, in which cast it has a greater chance of
spreading sideways through the soil.

[Father Haskell]

On Apr 19, 10:50 pm, Gas Bag > wrote:
> X-No-Archie:
>
> I live in South Australia, and I was recently down at my local
> hardware store and happened to notice this "new" sort of underground
> spike watering system. I’m not sure exactly what brand it was, but it
> was the same sort of principle as this:
>
> http://www.wisewally.com.au/howitworks.html
>
> The Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike System has been developed to reduce the
> amount of water evaporation that occurs when watering your garden.
> Other deep watering spikes currently available use plastic drink or
> detergent bottles that click into the spike. The idea is great, but
> the bottles are unsightly.
> Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike Systems use a single aqua tank placed in the
> corner of a garden bed and out of sight. The spikes connect to the
> tank using standard 13mm irrigation tubing. Cover the tubing with
> mulch or soil and you have a hidden irrigation system delivering water
> directly to the root system of your plants.
>
> I am trying to find out if anyone has used this watering system, or
> anything similar? Any comments? In principle, it looks fantastic. What
> I especially like about it is the fact that you only need to fill one
> tank of water, rather than walking around your whole garden watering
> everything. I’m fairly sure my soil has a fairly high clay content,
> and I’m worried that the irrigation spikes might block up to the point
> where the water simply won’t drain at all. If the water drainage
> becomes slow, but doesn’t actually stop, that’s fine. I’m just
> concerned about a total blockage. I’m also not interested in spending
> mega bucks – can’t stress that enough.
> Any advice at all? Different brands better than others? Etc.

Looks maybe useful for fertigating. Most water is lost
not through evaporation from soil, but through transpiration
through leaves, however.

What is the price? Can you build it yourself for a lot less
from discards like used 5 gallon pails?

[FarmI]

"Terryc" > wrote in message

> noddy (useless shite/low pressure head) over the top.

You don't like the noddys? I love mine and must have about 10 of them
around the garden somewhere or other (but of course can never find one of
the blighters when I'm looking for one). They seem to be about the only
decent way of delivering water in my garden.

[Terryc]

FarmI wrote:
> "Terryc" > wrote in message
>
>
>>noddy (useless shite/low pressure head) over the top.
>
>
> You don't like the noddys? I love mine and must have about 10 of them
> around the garden somewhere or other (but of course can never find one of
> the blighters when I'm looking for one). They seem to be about the only
> decent way of delivering water in my garden.

When they work, they are great.
When they decide to sulk, they are absolute mongrels.
Nor can they be intmidated with a big stick.
So finicky about being level. I suspect our brand of end of hose socket
is the problem.

We have three atm.

[FarmI]

"Terryc" > wrote in message
> FarmI wrote:
>> "Terryc" > wrote in message
>>
>>
>>>noddy (useless shite/low pressure head) over the top.
>>
>>
>> You don't like the noddys? I love mine and must have about 10 of them
>> around the garden somewhere or other (but of course can never find one of
>> the blighters when I'm looking for one). They seem to be about the only
>> decent way of delivering water in my garden.
>
> When they work, they are great.
> When they decide to sulk, they are absolute mongrels.

Yes. They can be mongrels at times, but then nothing else I have is so good
for watering from a low header.

[Gas Bag]

X-No-Archive:

I apprecaite your reply to my post, but can you please explain what
you mean by "noddys"?
You have me completely beffudled. And then some.

[terryc]

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:54:40 -0700, Gas Bag wrote:

> X-No-Archive:
>
> I apprecaite your reply to my post, but can you please explain what
> you mean by "noddys"?
> You have me completely beffudled. And then some.

Here you are;
http://www.greenharvest.com.au/tools/sprinkler_prod.html

[FarmI]

"terryc" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:54:40 -0700, Gas Bag wrote:
>
>> X-No-Archive:
>>
>> I apprecaite your reply to my post, but can you please explain what
>> you mean by "noddys"?
>> You have me completely beffudled. And then some.
>
> Here you are;
> http://www.greenharvest.com.au/tools/sprinkler_prod.html

Diggers also sell them. They are very good if you have to use low pressure
water such as we do living on a farm. We only have a low head of water
(which means that the tank that hold sour garden water is set on a low
hill - if it was on a higher hill, we'd get better pressure.
>
>