water question

TightenUp · May 29, 2012

how are you watering your containers? i have 3 containers that are 6 gallons and a couple really large containers maybe 20 gallons. today is the first day i really needed to water them(sooo much rain recently).

anyway today i watered by just pouring water from a gallon watering can. it took a while but thats no big deal. i watered all plants a little then refilled watering can watered all the plants again and repeated this process until water water trickled out of the bottom.

is this too much water? i doubt it is now but if i do this with large fruit on plants will i cause cracking? maybe i should water more often but with less water?

waterman1971 · June 6, 2012

I use the mister landscaper system from lowe's, you owe it to yourself to at least look at this system. Couple it with a timer and enjoy.

sprtsguy76 · June 6, 2012

Timers and irrigation set ups are really nice. Thats being said if your watering with a can its always good to have some run off each time you water. Its a good indicator that you have wet the entire soil and also helps flush the container a bit which cant hurt.

Damon

casserole · June 7, 2012

That is really not enough water,water is going to take the quickest way out ,without wetting surrounding soil much at all,this my be enough now but not when the weather heats up

odica1213 · June 7, 2012

You can make a top drip system for about $25 this will save you a lot of time all you need is some tubes and a big bin to hold the water a timer to turn it on as needed and a plant stake to hold the drip ring. A pump to pump the water to the drip ring.
Also if plants are out side you will need a out door extension cord. If you need help to get it all working PM me ill be happy to help. I like this system because you don't have to water each plant just fill your water bin each week and sit back.

this is the same system I used in a hydro set up

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

ContainerTed · June 7, 2012

My experience is that the plants seem to get comfortable with their roots being drenched on a daily basis as long as the drainage allows the growing medium to drain well. Before I was able to have an "in-ground" garden, I had as many as 80 buckets, tubs, and such each year. I watered each one until it dripped out the bottom holes every day ast least once. There were a bunch of times each year that I had to do that twice each day. The only cracking I saw was when it rained all day for a couple of days and the growing medium never got a chance to drain properly.

Don't forget to feed the plants more often. All that water washes out the NPK's very quickly.

kurt · June 7, 2012

There is a lot of talk about what kind of water, city, well,(I use)rain barrel.Chlorine kills beneficials in soil.Also chlorine interacts with other chemicals, natural and synthetic.

waterman1971 · June 7, 2012

I like to let the plants tell me how much water they need.

If the kids turn the valve off at the controller, adjusting the controller will not help.

I went from 15 min every 12 hours, slowly and incrementally up to my current setting of 25 min every 6 hours.

I am using 2 gph drippers.

May 29, 2012	#1
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	water question how are you watering your containers? i have 3 containers that are 6 gallons and a couple really large containers maybe 20 gallons. today is the first day i really needed to water them(sooo much rain recently). anyway today i watered by just pouring water from a gallon watering can. it took a while but thats no big deal. i watered all plants a little then refilled watering can watered all the plants again and repeated this process until water water trickled out of the bottom. is this too much water? i doubt it is now but if i do this with large fruit on plants will i cause cracking? maybe i should water more often but with less water?

June 7, 2012	#6
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	My experience is that the plants seem to get comfortable with their roots being drenched on a daily basis as long as the drainage allows the growing medium to drain well. Before I was able to have an "in-ground" garden, I had as many as 80 buckets, tubs, and such each year. I watered each one until it dripped out the bottom holes every day ast least once. There were a bunch of times each year that I had to do that twice each day. The only cracking I saw was when it rained all day for a couple of days and the growing medium never got a chance to drain properly. Don't forget to feed the plants more often. All that water washes out the NPK's very quickly. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

June 6, 2012	#2
waterman1971 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: The great state of Texas Posts: 43	I use the mister landscaper system from lowe's, you owe it to yourself to at least look at this system. Couple it with a timer and enjoy.

June 6, 2012	#3
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Timers and irrigation set ups are really nice. Thats being said if your watering with a can its always good to have some run off each time you water. Its a good indicator that you have wet the entire soil and also helps flush the container a bit which cant hurt. Damon

June 7, 2012	#4
casserole Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Dousman, WI Z5 Posts: 95	That is really not enough water,water is going to take the quickest way out ,without wetting surrounding soil much at all,this my be enough now but not when the weather heats up

June 7, 2012	#5
odica1213 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: rhode island Posts: 12	You can make a top drip system for about $25 this will save you a lot of time all you need is some tubes and a big bin to hold the water a timer to turn it on as needed and a plant stake to hold the drip ring. A pump to pump the water to the drip ring. Also if plants are out side you will need a out door extension cord. If you need help to get it all working PM me ill be happy to help. I like this system because you don't have to water each plant just fill your water bin each week and sit back. this is the same system I used in a hydro set up Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

June 7, 2012	#7
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,501	There is a lot of talk about what kind of water, city, well,(I use)rain barrel.Chlorine kills beneficials in soil.Also chlorine interacts with other chemicals, natural and synthetic.