I wrote yesterday that I am a fan of container gardening. I don't really have a choice in our current home because we don't have any space for a real garden. Our home was built as an in-fill project in the city. Ched asked via a comment about irrigation systems for containers. As it happens, I have all my plants on a drip irrigation system. I don't hand water anything in the yard or patio.
I use a drip irrigations system connected to our house water supply and controlled by a timer, shown above.
The timer opens the valves that allow the water to flow to the plants on a schedule. Left to my own devices, I would water irregularly. One of our local gardening experts advises watering containers twice per day, due to the extreme heat, but since I have shaded much of the patio, I haven't found that necessary yet. I water at 4:30 am so that the plants get the most from the water, before any evaporates. I have one valve for the front yard and one for the patio.
I use a 1/2" plastic tubing from each valve to deliver the water supply around the perimeter of the area I am watering and it acts as a backbone for the system. You can see the pipe in this picture. Some of it is run under the eaves of my porch and down the wall. Much of it is buried, where I have acess to the earth. At each plant container I branch off the main tube with a 1/8" tube, also visible in the picture.
The small tubes have emitters on the end that drip a specific flow to the plants. I use 2 gallon or 4 gallon per hour emitters depending on the plant. In this picture you can see the button emitters. I have (2) 2-gallon per hour emitters on this rose tree. I deliver about a gallon of water each day to this plant. Any more and it just runs through the pot.
I have a single emitter on this Sweet Potato Vine.
On larger plants I use a soaker tube, rather than an emitter. I think it distributes the water more evenly. I loop it around the perimeter of the pot.
I am pleased with the results I get using this method.
There are systems that are more complex and some that are far simpler. I have seen a controller that screws directly on a faucet and the 1/2" tubing runs from that. It is battery operated and good for light duty use.
Whatever the method, the key to growing plants in our hot and dry climate is appropriate watering and good fertilizing.
Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky
Tag: Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor
4 comments:
Oh, I wish I could garden. When I lived in Florida I had tons of potted plants in my house and on my balcony, but here in NYC my little apartment faces north and has only two windows - there's not really enough light to grow anything. Plus I have the cat, who likes to gnaw. This is not a plant-friendly environment!
Now I am thinking of re-arranging my containers into a nice cluster on my patio and getting a simple irrigation system. I'm glad you explained it in this post. I'm even growing potatoes in a barrel again this year.--I got the idea from a guy who piled up old tires and grew potatoes there. as the vines grew, he;d add more soil, manure, and pop on another tire.
Oh wow, Merle! You're handier than a pocket on a shirt! I'm impressed by your watering methods. I'm also impressed any time a man does something to beautify his own home.
I used to work in an organic garden. I wish I could remember anything.
ps: Merle, can you try removing your word verification? I took mine off months ago and haven't had a problem yet.
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