View Single Post
  #4   Report Post  
Old 06-07-2006, 10:10 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
shazzbat
 
Posts: n/a
Default Heavy watering cans are inefficient and bad for your back


"Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
When you've got lots of closely planted thriving plants with thick
foliage and flowers, it can be pretty slow, hard and careful work
bending and gently pushing through the "jungle canopy" to see the
small patch of soil around the base of the plant where you actually
need to direct the stream of water from your watering can - rather
than wasting it on the leaves, which can't absorb it anyway. Even
when the water reaches the soil, you wonder how much is going to
evaporate, and whether it's reaching the root system of your particular
plant.

What's needed is a portable reservoir (preferably carried on the back)
connected to a long rigid tube attachment tipped with a pointed metal
nozzle. You would simply penetrate the soil around the plant with
the tip and squeeze a spray trigger to inject a standard amount of
water directly into the soil. The tube would push through the foliage
and you could do a lot of plants quickly without having to bend down
all the time to see what you were doing.

It sounds so obvious but I haven't seen anything like this. Does
anyone know if a gadget like this is available?


Ken Cohen

~~~~~~~~~~
The foliage of all plants directs water flow to where it is most needed.
This is a natural secondary function of leaves and is most obvious during
rain. Accordingly watering on the leaves seems quite the best solution.


What he said. Plus, when the soil is covered by the foliage it keeps cooler
and moister for far longer.

Steve