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micro irrigation
Suzanne D. wrote:
"jeff" wrote in message ... I'm thinking about micro irrigation (drip irrigation) for my micro garden. I've noticed that leaving the garden alone for a few days during the dog days of summer is not beneficial. Any pointers om either equipment or technique? It is good to get one of the little Raindrip brochures at your local home improvement stores--it outlines the types of hoses, connections, and outlets they offer, and helps you figure out what you need. If your local place doesn't sell Raindrip, see if they have informational brochures on a different brand. I got started by buying a basic Raindrip kit. (I would assume other brands have similar kits.) It comes with a sampling of their products, and it's a good way to get acquainted with them. After you set up a line or two, you'll start to intuitively figure out what you need and can then go to the home improvement store and get specific supplies. (NOTE: in places like Lowe's and Home Depot, this stuff is in the Plumbing section rather than the Garden section.) OK, the kits look pretty cheap, as cheap as anything these days! I use 6' hoses and splitters to maintain lots of different lines all over my yard. (You can't have too many splitters, as far as I'm concerned!) This enables me to open just a few streams at any given time, so I can rotate my watering. I like this idea, instead of one serpentine line, that way you can reposition the drippers easily as the garden changes. Are there valves or adjustments to control the rate, or is it all done by time and fixed rates? It looks like some timers have multiple controls. The only caution I have is that you need to check on the drippers and connections regularly, to make sure the drips are not clogged and that the lines stay intact. There have been many times my pipes have popped off of their main lines and deposited gallons of water all over the yard. (Keeping a rather low flow helps to ease this.) The drippers have worked pretty well for two years, but every now and then one will get clogged and will need to be replaced. It's best to notice this before the plant is affected. I have a small enough garden to check all the plants. If you ever want to talk about various configurations, let me know and I will be more than happy to share some of my garden plans. I largely operate out of rows of 3X6 foot raised wooden beds, but I've got all sorts of other configurations too. Despite the occasional clogged dripper or popped-out pipe, I find drip irrigation to be immensely beneficial, and I highly recommend it. Thanks. Let me get started and I'll take up your offer of advice later. I'm a bit too ignorant at the moment! Jeff --S. |
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