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Watering
SteveB wrote:
I'm a newbie. I got my 25x28 plot all tilled, added about twenty sacks of amendments, including peat moss, and turkey crap based conditioner, and some vermiculite. I made rows that were as best I could that were level. I ran a PVC line with bubblers to each trench, and I have two rain bird type sprayers. I have a few low pressure emitter lines on some tomatos. This is the first season, and a learning one. I feel that flooding the rows may not be getting water to the top of the dirt on the rows. I go out about three times a day and spray so the top is moist. This is not a good idea. The water is needed at the roots not at the surface. Frequent light watering encourages shallow root growth - which in turn requires frequent watering. Also it may encourage fungus on some species (eg tomatoes and curcurbits) and generally is a waste of water and time. If you have that much time you would be much better off if you water thoroughly by hand as required. The frequency depends on your soil and the weather but it would probably be something like once or twice a week in summer and less in the cooler seasons. Test the soil with your fingers if the soil is damp down near root level (say 4in) you don't need to water unless expecting very drying conditions of high temperature and hot winds. The exception is seedlings that have only shallow root systems or are not established which may require more frequent watering for a while. If your soil is drying out too quickly you need firstly to mulch it and over time to build up the organic content. I have some planted seeds germinating, and some nursery plants going. They look pretty good actually. The melons look fantastic. At the nursery, they sell a flat ribbon type watering pipe that has an emitter each few feet. The attachment comes in the form of a barb that goes into a black abs feed pipe. You cut them to length and crimp the ends shut. What is the best way to water? Flood? Spray? Emitters? Combination? Next year, we will probably have a greenhouse, and can do different things from ground watering to overhead misting and spraying, and hanging pots. But for this year, I'd just like to get maximum yield, and learn more about the process. Input appreciated. Steve Flood is the most wastefull method followed by fixed overhead sprayers. Vegetables don't need misting, it only supports fungus, in fact in some situations the garden may be arranged to encourage air circulation to lower humidity so don't raise it. Misting is used to raise the humidity for plants that came from the tropics or rainforests which excludes common veges. Drippers or emitters are the most efficient method if you can afford the gear and can manage the pipes around annual crops. Hand watering with a hose is good if you can afford the time but don't do it daily (except in extreme heat) just because it feels good. I would suggest that you have plenty to learn for a while without adding the complexity of a greenhouse. You asked all this before, repeatedly asking the same question over a short period makes people wonder if you are paying attention. David |
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