Drip irrigation concern - Page 2

epenna · May 3, 2018

Update:

I bought a soil moisture tester, and based on the past week, I think I might have been overwatering last year.

More to come.

E

epenna · May 9, 2018

Here's an update...

So I am pretty sure that I over-watered last year, which explains many of the problems I had.

So this year I am being more careful... speaking of which, is there a consensus on those moisture/ph/light meters? I hear different things about their trustworthiness, but I am using one, and waiting till the soil in the middle of the pot is close to dry before re-watering.

E

elight · May 17, 2018

I use the same emitters as Worth and they work for me, too. They're not an exact science even if you can find their GPH ratings based on the number of clicks. Easier and more accurate to put one in a buck for five minutes, measure the amount of water and multiply by 12 to get the GPH.

I run mine for 3 minutes in the morning and three in the evening. Started with 2 minutes in February, maybe will need to go to 4 or 5 if it ever gets hot here (unusually mild April and May). Here in Florida it seems it would be almost impossible to over water.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

garyjr · May 17, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

For a pot that size your emitters are too small. I use 3.2GPH Netafim Spray stakes. You also want about 10 percent runoff, that will keep you from getting a build up of salts if you have a long growing season.

Mark is right on. I use similar size pots and I use 2 1gph emitters in those. Early season once per day. Later in the year I run these twice per day until the point where some drains out of the bottom of the pot. As a side by side comparison last season I had several that were designed to leave water in the bottom and wick up. Others may have had success with those but for me they just did not perform well. Those plants seemed stunted in growth until I finally drilled holes in the bottom and treated those like my other pots. Those plants caught up quickly. Good luck.

KarenO · May 17, 2018

how many plants do you grow?
KarenO

May 3, 2018	#16
epenna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 17	Update: I bought a soil moisture tester, and based on the past week, I think I might have been overwatering last year. More to come. E

May 9, 2018	#17
epenna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Glendale, CA Posts: 17	Here's an update... So I am pretty sure that I over-watered last year, which explains many of the problems I had. So this year I am being more careful... speaking of which, is there a consensus on those moisture/ph/light meters? I hear different things about their trustworthiness, but I am using one, and waiting till the soil in the middle of the pot is close to dry before re-watering. E

May 17, 2018	#18
elight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 349	I use the same emitters as Worth and they work for me, too. They're not an exact science even if you can find their GPH ratings based on the number of clicks. Easier and more accurate to put one in a buck for five minutes, measure the amount of water and multiply by 12 to get the GPH. I run mine for 3 minutes in the morning and three in the evening. Started with 2 minutes in February, maybe will need to go to 4 or 5 if it ever gets hot here (unusually mild April and May). Here in Florida it seems it would be almost impossible to over water. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

May 17, 2018	#20
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	how many plants do you grow? KarenO