How many drip emitters per plant ?

nniemiec · February 21, 2017

I'm redesigning my set-up - I previously grew in a SWC/gutter system & believe the fabric pots are the way to go now. If I'm growing in 15 gallon bags do I need more than (1) drip emitter to ensure even watering? If so, what's your experience?

Thanks!

AKmark · February 21, 2017

Try Netafim spray stakes 3.2GPH, many container growers like myself uses them.

Nematode · February 21, 2017

2 per container can avert loss of plant if 1 emitter plugs, and they can.
Otherwise not required in my experience. FWIW I use netafim pressure compensated .5GPH and a filter in line.

nniemiec · February 21, 2017

Thanks for the referral - is the netafim system connected w. 1/4" hosing or do I need to buy their microtubing?

AKmark · February 21, 2017

The drippers come as a set up, the rest of the system will vary from grower to grower. Calculate how many drippers your pump can handle, and then you can size up your lines. You may need to install some solenoids, or shut offs too.
BTW, the reason I recommended a spray stake is it will cover the entire surface of your large containers, otherwise I would use two drippers.
As Nematode mentioned they will clog, walk your plants daily, and it is also a good idea to have a hose outlet plumbed into the system too, then you can spot water any plants that need it.

ibraash · February 21, 2017

I have three water tanks (275 gallon each) that are connected to one another. I will them using a good submersible tank. When it rains for about 30 minutes, they all fill up evenly. The water tanks are about five feet higher than the highest raised bed in my 35 raised bed garden. I used about 400 feet of 1/2" poly tube. Each bed has 3 tees connected to 1/4" tubing with a one gallon per hour emitter on each end, so each bed has 6 emitters where the plants will go. Each stretch of 3 raised beds has a shut off valve, so have about 12 valves. I am using the shut off valves to control water pressure. So I have about 240 one gallon per hour emitters total. The water pressure is 75 gallons per hour, so I am thinking having three zones will be enough to water 75-80 plants one gallon per hour or two gallons per two hours. This whole thing is still work in progress, and I will be keeping you posted.

Any suggestions and feedback on my setup are highly appreciated.

Best,

Nematode · February 21, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by nniemiec

Thanks for the referral - is the netafim system connected w. 1/4" hosing or do I need to buy their microtubing?

Use their tubing, its very nice to work with, comes in bundles cut to length. Might find it as assemblies with drip emitter attached at your local growers supply house.

Won't work with 1/4"

Nematode · February 21, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibraash

I have three water tanks (275 gallon each) that are connected to one another. I will them using a good submersible tank. When it rains for about 30 minutes, they all fill up evenly. The water tanks are about five feet higher than the highest raised bed in my 35 raised bed garden. I used about 400 feet of 1/2" poly tube. Each bed has 3 tees connected to 1/4" tubing with a one gallon per hour emitter on each end, so each bed has 6 emitters where the plants will go. Each stretch of 3 raised beds has a shut off valve, so have about 12 valves. I am using the shut off valves to control water pressure. So I have about 240 one gallon per hour emitters total. The water pressure is 75 gallons per hour, so I am thinking having three zones will be enough to water 75-80 plants one gallon per hour or two gallons per two hours. This whole thing is still work in progress, and I will be keeping you posted.

Any suggestions and feedback on my setup are highly appreciated.

Best,

Not sure I got all that, but you may have low pressure problems with 5' of head.
Pc emitters need more than that to open. Non pc emitters may not water evenly with pressure variations across the system.

Worth1 · February 22, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibraash

I have three water tanks (275 gallon each) that are connected to one another. I will them using a good submersible tank. When it rains for about 30 minutes, they all fill up evenly. The water tanks are about five feet higher than the highest raised bed in my 35 raised bed garden. I used about 400 feet of 1/2" poly tube. Each bed has 3 tees connected to 1/4" tubing with a one gallon per hour emitter on each end, so each bed has 6 emitters where the plants will go. Each stretch of 3 raised beds has a shut off valve, so have about 12 valves. I am using the shut off valves to control water pressure. So I have about 240 one gallon per hour emitters total. The water pressure is 75 gallons per hour, so I am thinking having three zones will be enough to water 75-80 plants one gallon per hour or two gallons per two hours. This whole thing is still work in progress, and I will be keeping you posted.

Any suggestions and feedback on my setup are highly appreciated.

Best,

Your water pressure is static pressure not gallons per hour, that is flow rate. That is determined by water pressure and pipe size.
The emitters are a set gallons per hour at a set pressure more than likely around 10 PSI or higher?
Your tanks at 5 feet and full will only have 2.15 PSI static pressure.
You cant control static pressure with a valve only flow which will only effect residual pressure while the system is running.

Worth

ibraash · February 22, 2017

Thanks Worth and Nematode,

Do you think if I add a 240 gph submersible pump with a 1/2" outlet will do a better job? They are about 10 bucks.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Your water pressure is static pressure not gallons per hour, that is flow rate. That is determined by water pressure and pipe size.
The emitters are a set gallons per hour at a set pressure more than likely around 10 PSI or higher?
Your tanks at 5 feet and full will only have 2.15 PSI static pressure.
You cant control static pressure with a valve only flow which will only effect residual pressure while the system is running.

Worth

Worth1 · February 22, 2017

It might I'm not a pump expert how many psi does it put out at that rate?
Worth

AKmark · February 22, 2017

Some people who use gravity feed systems just drill tiny holes in their feed tubes, it is not perfect, but it does work. Other than that, I would use a shallow well or an inline pump with a pressure tank, continuous duty pumps can be spendy.

jpop · February 22, 2017

How much water usage per plant/per day are you guys seeing for a mature plant in full production?

PureHarvest · February 23, 2017

I used a Shurflo diaphragm pump last year. I hooked a 1/2" black poly tubing to it sucked the solution out of a 275 gallon tank.
Its is a 3 GPM size. They cost around $100. You can get AC if you have an electric outlet/cord, or DC if you want to hook it to a marine battery (which is what I did).
That size pump could run half my plants/emitters, which for me was 46. I used the 3.2 GPH emitters. Basically 3.2 GPH is .05 gallons per minute. So 46 emitters x .05 = 2.3 gallons per minute needed from the pump (my pump being 3 GPM). I could have done 60 bags, but it was easier to split my plot into two zones of 46.
As far as usage, I have two plants/stems per bag, so I wanted to supply 50 ounces per plant per day. The .05 gallons per minute is 6.4 ounces per minute. So 100 ounces per bag/emitter per day divided by 6.4 =15.6 minutes per day.
I usually split this up into 5 minutes in the morning at 8am, 5 at 10am, 2 at noon, 2 at 2pm, and 2 at 4 pm.
I don't know that I'll do this again, because I don't feel the bag gets wet enough going into the heat of the day. That schedule is really for controlled environment where it is not 90+ degrees at noon and the plant can be trickled throughout the day.

Ricky Shaw · February 23, 2017

If it's small scale hydroponics, like me with a couple dozen plants, handfeeding/watering is an available option if you're already walking the plants everyday. Archaic, but sure-fire. You'll know exactly what that plant is getting, without the worry of stuck emitters and variable flow rates.

Not recommended for everyone, but it made a man out of me. Popeye's arms and stamina like bull. I might be writing smack here till I'm a hundred.

February 21, 2017	#1
nniemiec Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: chicago Posts: 48	How many drip emitters per plant ? I'm redesigning my set-up - I previously grew in a SWC/gutter system & believe the fabric pots are the way to go now. If I'm growing in 15 gallon bags do I need more than (1) drip emitter to ensure even watering? If so, what's your experience? Thanks!

February 23, 2017	#14
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	I used a Shurflo diaphragm pump last year. I hooked a 1/2" black poly tubing to it sucked the solution out of a 275 gallon tank. Its is a 3 GPM size. They cost around $100. You can get AC if you have an electric outlet/cord, or DC if you want to hook it to a marine battery (which is what I did). That size pump could run half my plants/emitters, which for me was 46. I used the 3.2 GPH emitters. Basically 3.2 GPH is .05 gallons per minute. So 46 emitters x .05 = 2.3 gallons per minute needed from the pump (my pump being 3 GPM). I could have done 60 bags, but it was easier to split my plot into two zones of 46. As far as usage, I have two plants/stems per bag, so I wanted to supply 50 ounces per plant per day. The .05 gallons per minute is 6.4 ounces per minute. So 100 ounces per bag/emitter per day divided by 6.4 =15.6 minutes per day. I usually split this up into 5 minutes in the morning at 8am, 5 at 10am, 2 at noon, 2 at 2pm, and 2 at 4 pm. I don't know that I'll do this again, because I don't feel the bag gets wet enough going into the heat of the day. That schedule is really for controlled environment where it is not 90+ degrees at noon and the plant can be trickled throughout the day. Last edited by PureHarvest; February 23, 2017 at 08:57 AM.

February 21, 2017	#2
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	Try Netafim spray stakes 3.2GPH, many container growers like myself uses them.

February 21, 2017	#3
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	2 per container can avert loss of plant if 1 emitter plugs, and they can. Otherwise not required in my experience. FWIW I use netafim pressure compensated .5GPH and a filter in line.

February 21, 2017	#6
ibraash Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Lawrenceville, GA Posts: 164	I have three water tanks (275 gallon each) that are connected to one another. I will them using a good submersible tank. When it rains for about 30 minutes, they all fill up evenly. The water tanks are about five feet higher than the highest raised bed in my 35 raised bed garden. I used about 400 feet of 1/2" poly tube. Each bed has 3 tees connected to 1/4" tubing with a one gallon per hour emitter on each end, so each bed has 6 emitters where the plants will go. Each stretch of 3 raised beds has a shut off valve, so have about 12 valves. I am using the shut off valves to control water pressure. So I have about 240 one gallon per hour emitters total. The water pressure is 75 gallons per hour, so I am thinking having three zones will be enough to water 75-80 plants one gallon per hour or two gallons per two hours. This whole thing is still work in progress, and I will be keeping you posted. Any suggestions and feedback on my setup are highly appreciated. Best,

February 22, 2017	#11
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	It might I'm not a pump expert how many psi does it put out at that rate? Worth

February 22, 2017	#13
jpop Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: SE Florida Zone 10 Posts: 319	How much water usage per plant/per day are you guys seeing for a mature plant in full production?

February 23, 2017	#15
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	If it's small scale hydroponics, like me with a couple dozen plants, handfeeding/watering is an available option if you're already walking the plants everyday. Archaic, but sure-fire. You'll know exactly what that plant is getting, without the worry of stuck emitters and variable flow rates. Not recommended for everyone, but it made a man out of me. Popeye's arms and stamina like bull. I might be writing smack here till I'm a hundred.