Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the
tomato cages or so for watering tomato plants? Traditional watering
just doesn't go very deep here judging from last years exoeriences
so the root system is quite shallow thus my thought on using a piece
of PVC and filling it maybe daily. I'm in New Mexico if that helps
at all. The tomato plants would be of the 'Roma' variety.

Now that I think of it, any thoughts on how this might do for other
veggies & flowers?

--
John S. DeBoo

On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 19:22:55 -0700, "John S. DeBoo"
wrote:

Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the
tomato cages or so for watering tomato plants? Traditional watering
just doesn't go very deep here judging from last years exoeriences
so the root system is quite shallow thus my thought on using a piece
of PVC and filling it maybe daily. I'm in New Mexico if that helps
at all. The tomato plants would be of the 'Roma' variety.

Now that I think of it, any thoughts on how this might do for other
veggies & flowers?

We sunk plastic gallon (milk) jugs with several pin holes in the
bottom. We filled the jugs with water (sometimes with fertilizer)
and screwed the cap back on so mosquitoes did not breed. It worked
fine, but mulching is so important. Straw is good for tomatoes
because you don't need to stake them and the fruit is kept off the
ground dur to the mulch.

I, too, bury gallon plastic milk jugs beside the tomato plants. It
helps a lot.


On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 19:22:55 -0700, "John S. DeBoo"
wrote:

Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the
tomato cages or so for watering tomato plants? Traditional watering
just doesn't go very deep here judging from last years exoeriences
so the root system is quite shallow thus my thought on using a piece
of PVC and filling it maybe daily. I'm in New Mexico if that helps
at all. The tomato plants would be of the 'Roma' variety.

Now that I think of it, any thoughts on how this might do for other
veggies & flowers?

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

John S. DeBoo wrote:

Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the
tomato cages or so for watering tomato plants? Traditional watering
just doesn't go very deep here judging from last years exoeriences
so the root system is quite shallow thus my thought on using a piece
of PVC and filling it maybe daily. I'm in New Mexico

Plastic mulch.

if that helps
at all. The tomato plants would be of the 'Roma' variety.

Now that I think of it, any thoughts on how this might do for other
veggies & flowers?

--
John S. DeBoo

Phisherman wrote:

On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 19:22:55 -0700, "John S. DeBoo"
wrote:

Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the
tomato cages or so for watering tomato plants?...


We sunk plastic gallon (milk) jugs with several pin holes in the
bottom. We filled the jugs with water (sometimes with fertilizer)
and screwed the cap back on so mosquitoes did not breed...




Depending on the type of soil you have you don't want to supply the
water too deep, so burying the pipe or the jug all the way might not be
the best idea. In sandy soil the water will go primarily downwards and
sideways diffusion will be small. You will only be watering the deeper
roots of the plant. I would recommend that either the water be released
no more than 6" below the surface or else as close as possible to the
stem of the plant. Placing it close to the plant might make it hard to
reach the opening of the jug/pipe to fill it.

Also, leaving the top section of the pipe/jug out of the ground will
make it easier to find when the leaves get dense.

In general it's better to water tomato plants underground because it
keeps the leaves dry and reduces disease pressure.

I used the "buried milk jug" method for years. Worked great for me. I used
concrete reinforcing wire for my tomato cages so I had a cage several feet
across and 4 feet high. I planted 3 tomatoes in each cage with a jug in the
middle. I used one of those very long spouted plastic funnels you can find
in an auto parts/supply store when I wanted to put fertilizer water in the
jug from a watering can, otherwise I just took the sprinkler end off my
water wand and stuck the pipe into the jug. I also used the buried jugs for
my squash and melon plants.

I heated an ice pick on the burner of the stove till it was red hot and then
made 2-4 holes on the bottom edge of the jug, depending on how much watering
the jug was required to take care of.

Val

Valkyrie wrote:

I heated an ice pick on the burner of the stove till it was red hot
and then
made 2-4 holes on the bottom edge of the jug, depending on how much
watering
the jug was required to take care of.


I would say that just using a drill would be better. I'm not sure it's a
good idea to be melting the plastic, and breathing the fumes.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

"John S. DeBoo" wrote:

Any thoughts as to the effectivness of using a 2"-3" or thereabouts
PVC pipe embedded in the ground maybe 12" & about as tall as the

Thanks all for the many plastic milk container watering idea/response.
I think I'll give it a shot.
--
John S. DeBoo