Need advice regarding soaker hose usage

[Fert1]

After practically no rainfall for the last 3 weeks, I finally broke down and purchased a soaker hose. I've never used one before. The last 3 years, we've had record rainfall in the summers and I didn't need to water my garden. In fact, there was way too much water, and disease due to all the water.

This year, it rained every day for 3 weeks, then suddenly stopped and hasn't rained since, other than a 5 minute sprinkle a couple of times. Now that I have the soaker hose, I'm wondering how often to use it. We turned it on and let it run for around 6 hours last night. It's been getting into the 90's every day for the past week or so. It's supposed to reach 96 or so today. At those kinds of temperatures, how often do I need to water my garden roughly?

I also have a few melon and pepper plants. My tomato plants are about 2 feet high now, and can stand a little dryness, but my pepper plants are tiny, and they seem to die if not watered daily. Can anyone give me some good advice?

[cecilsgarden1958]

I have been all soaker hose now for about 10 years. I never have them on longer then 3 hours. 3 is plenty. I water about every other day to just 3 times a week. Have you mulched? I have straw over the hose. I have found that those soaker hoses will squirt streams at the maters and cause blight & disease.

Mulch helps keep in the moisture anyway and is always good, especially if you get dry weather, which you obviously have. I just watered last eve and won't do it again until probably Thursday, unless it rains.

CECIL

[JimM_SC]

Holly,
I also run my soakers under my mulch. I use splitters to connect my single hose to four 75ft soakers. There is still enough pressure to create a spray or stream if they weren't covered.
Jim

[Fert1]

I kept the pressure low, so that it was more of a drip...drip...drip. Our yard is on a gently sloping hill. So I just put the soaker on the uphill side so that the water can run downhill. It's not really causing any kind of splash back at all. I haven't mulched yet, because I planted basil at the base of my plants. I do intend to mulch, but wanted to let the basil get a wee bit taller first. So far the pressure in the line has been pretty much even all the way across.

[Adenn1]

I am using soaker hoses again this year. I am making one change...last year I had them sitting on top of the mulch...worked fine...but it did allow for the plants to get wet where small holes allowed for spraying. This year they are covered with ground leaves and grass clippings... and I also put shut off valves on each hose...which allows me to adjust pressure and drip rate.

[Sorellina]

Ciao Holly,

I put basil clumps in front of my eggplants and they're only about 3" tall right now but I went ahead and put straw mulch down over the soaker hoses anyway because we're getting a severe heat wave at the moment right after brutally cold weather and right now we've got thunderstorms going on. It's a great place to live if you want to be a meteorologist, but it's tough for gardeners at times. Anyhow, the basil doesn't seem to mind occasional straw "hats" that cover it slightly. It's loving this heat and now with all the rain, it should be growing like crazy over the weekend.

[moucheur]

I use soakers too, under perforated black plastic "landscaping cloth" for mulch. How much to water is a trial and error thing. You don't want to keep the roots constantly saturated; the soil should dry out a bit between waterings. If the leaves just barely start to droop it's been a little too long since the last time -- but only a little.

[QAGuy]

Even though I don't use a soaker hose, I do know that it's not a thing you can say "you need to use it for X number of hours". You have to take all the ciircumstances into consideration.

Too long and you'll was away all the nutrients. No mater how you water.

Just do enough to keep the soil under the mulch just a bit damp. If you've soaked in well to start, that should be your guide. When the soil starts to dry, give it a drink.

Every hose is a little different depending on water pressure. You gotta experiment some to get that right balance. Your soil must also be factored in. Sandy soil will drain much faster.

Don't forget also to keep the soaker a foot or so away from the main stem. Remember, tomato roots can extend up to 2 feet or more from the base of the plant. That way you'll water the entire root zone.

[cecilsgarden1958]

Originally Posted by QAGuy

"Don't forget also to keep the soaker a foot or so away from the main stem. Remember, tomato roots can extend up to 2 feet or more from the base of the plant. That way you'll water the entire root zone."

A foot or so away. I have never heard this. I usually put as close to plant as possible. Is this a generally used distance for everyone?

CECIL

[elkwc36]

Cecil I tend to put them close myself. So I can soak on both sides of the plant well. Have used drip hoses mainly for tomatoes the last several years. Trying a small soaker hose in a circle around some of my plants this year. I just add this to the end of my drip hose. I have sand and usually don't soak as long as most on here are saying. Thirty minutes at the most. And try to water at least twice a week in this 100 degree heat if needed. JD

[QAGuy]

Cecil - perhaps I should explain my suggestion further.

I based my recommendation on the fact that roots can extend up to 2 feet or more from the base of the plant.

A soaker hose will water about a foot on either side of the hose.

Common sense tells me that the soaker hose should be about a foot away from the base of the plant since water will cover that distance. Perhaps the soaker hose could be closer than that when the plant is first put out, but I would suggest that it be moved further out as the plant grows.

It is desirable to cover the entire root area with proper watering...no?

For an excellent article (first recommended by our temporarily missing friend Carolyn) on roots on tomato plants, go here http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglib...10137ch26.html

Now I'll admit that this is probably not common practice, but I believe that when people think about the situation outlined above, it makes sense.

Just trying to help everyone grow more and better tomatoes.

[landarc]

I would also recommend spacing a little distance away from the base of the plant. Cecil, it will not really affect the plant one way of the other to be tight to the basal stem, but, the way soaker hoses districbute moisture, you will find you are a little more efficient by giving some space there. I use a spacing of 8 to 10 inches based upon my use of 1/4" soakers and the type of soil I have in my garden. The heavier the soil, the farther away you can go, but the longer you will run your system. lighter, more vertically draining soils, you can move the hose closer.

Obviously there is no one answer for all of us.

[landarc]

Use of the washer would be based upon how much pressure you have. It is not my preference for pressure regulation, and in theory, does not work anyway. I tend to prefer using a pressure regulating device attached to the hose bib if it is necessary at all. Still, the washer is better than trying to use the hose bib, as the flow will be constant, as opposed to trying to throttle the bib consistently.

[cecilsgarden1958]

It might be good if you have lots of pressure. I have low pressure, so I yanked that washer first thing.

CECIL