WNC Bonsai
Masterpiece
Or the outer pots are secured to the wire mesh table and the pots are just dropped into them. A much more secure arrangement, keeps them from blowing or tilting over.
Question for the folks with an automatic watering system
- Thread starter VAFisher
- Start date
River's Edge
Masterpiece
I have seen that principle at work in a tree nursery. They formed concrete reinforcing wire into racks by bending sides to create raised framework. Then placed the pots in the wire openings. Essentially linking all the pots as one, kept the wind,animals and clients from tipping over the pots and grouped them for watering purposes with over head sprinklers
. That was at Telperion Farms in Oregon. I think it might have been Gary Woods inspiration
.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
So my initial thoughts on this turned out to not be very effective. The sprinklers near the end of my line were just not getting enough pressure. I eliminated as much pipe as I could and it still wasn't enough. So I switched directions and went wit the dripworks spot spitters. I ran 1/2" pvc to each bench and then 1/2 poly off of that. Then 1/8" poly to the spot spitters.
I set everything up and buried the pipe yesterday. It was about 2000% humidity here in VA And I thought I was going to pass out several times but got it done.
I ran out of 1/8" tubing so still have a little ways to go.
I set everything up and buried the pipe yesterday. It was about 2000% humidity here in VA And I thought I was going to pass out several times but got it done.
I ran out of 1/8" tubing so still have a little ways to go.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
Oh, also an additional question for those of you that have used this type of system for a while. The hose that will connect to all of this will be exposed to the sun during the day and the water inside will get hot. Do I need to worry about that hot water harming the trees?
WNC Bonsai
Masterpiece
If it is the white PVC it won’t get very hot. I buried all my lines and ran them behind the bases of the monkey poles and ran the 1/4” poly up them to the trees. I found that the individual drippers were inadequate at distributing water throughout the pots so I relpaced those with dripper hose. This has a 2 liter per hour dripper embedded in the hose every 6”. I then hooked sections up in circles around the base of the trees with anywhere from 3 to 6 emitters per pot. This distributes the water around the pot instead if just hwere a single dripper would be.
You should use two spitters on the larger pots.
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
Agreed. Or three. Or four. Larger trees will have a trunk shadow and it’s important to have 100% coverage. Some redundancy isn’t a bad thing either. Those emitters can clog. That’s the biggest problem Ive had with them.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
Yeah I will fine tune now that I have it all set up. Some trees will definitely need some more stakes.
How about that hot water issue? The pvc is buried but the hose that connects faucet to pvc is exposed and will get hot.
How about that hot water issue? The pvc is buried but the hose that connects faucet to pvc is exposed and will get hot.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
???
markyscott
Imperial Masterpiece
When are you planning on setting them off? Mine go off at 6:30 in the morning and at 4:30 in the afternoon. They just went off and I checked the water temp - it wasn’t hot to the touch anyway, but ive never measured the temperature of the first burst of water that came out.
Zach Smith
Omono
The water cools remarkably fast once it exits the tubing. I water overhead all summer using Dripworks mist heads and don't have any issues with hot water.
americanelmer
Shohin
My system here in florida waters 3 times a day 9:30 AM 1:30 PM and 5:30 PM.
I am using reclaimed water so I have to use a fungicide or Hydrogen Peroxide once a year or so to kill black mold.
I use a combo of misters and spray heads. The system has to be de-calciumed once or twice a year. It is controlled as 1 zone of the landscape irregation system.
I have had it in use since 2012 and makes growing in the intense Florida sun simple and watering worry free.
I am using reclaimed water so I have to use a fungicide or Hydrogen Peroxide once a year or so to kill black mold.
I use a combo of misters and spray heads. The system has to be de-calciumed once or twice a year. It is controlled as 1 zone of the landscape irregation system.
I have had it in use since 2012 and makes growing in the intense Florida sun simple and watering worry free.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
I'm planning a simular schedule. It's the afternoon watering that had me concerned. I have a 50 foot hose that runs from faucet to pvc that will be exposed. My eventual plan is to install a new faucet on the corner of the house that is closest to the trees. I can run pvc all the way to that faucet once completed. That's beyond my skill level and will require hiring a plumber though. Until then it's the exposed hose.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
Thanks Zach. My hope is hot water from exposed hose will mix with cooler water still trapped in the buried pipe and that it will be fine.
VAFisher
Masterpiece
I'm not kidding. Maybe I'm just not acclimated this year yet.
Hartinez
Masterpiece
I live in the high desert where we have -2000 humidity. I just thought the exaggeration was hilarious! I’m sure it feels that way!
Zach Smith
Omono
The mist from the mist heads is cooled by the ambient air plus the cooling effect of evaporation. If you walk out in your bench area when the misters are doing their thing, it's actually cool no matter how hot the ambient air is. And I've got over a hundred feet of black plastic tubing overhead delivering the water.
Yamamomiji
Seed
That is a great advantage of the mist heads indeed.
Started with drippers, went to sprinklers but they really put out some hot water into the soil for 20 - 30 s (as part of the irrigation tubing is overground), so I was not comfortable with, using them too late or too soon into the day.
