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Montoursville, PA

I plan to do this. Am somewhat surprised that I have seen no talk of it here. The consistancy of even watering and feeding should produce gains we are all looking for.

The ability to keep the top inch of soil dry slows or stops surface germination of weeds.

The process encourages deep rooting away from drying peaks and valleys.

Early research indicates that feeding and watering can be by gravity. There are lines that include weepers that do not depend on pressure to maintain even flow.

12/23/2002 1:13:04 AM

Caceres, Spain

I have friends using it in olive trees farms and vineyards and it work pretty well here, less weeds and less evaporation, and tractors can work the soil without nuisance. But for pumpkins sure I prefer sprinkleres and spray sprinkleres in my warm climate, as far as they cool down the dry and warm summer air and put the water on the secondary root system. The pumpkin leaves shape is designed to get the rain and to drives it down directly to the secondary roots, the plant is asking you for a irrigation system that copies the rain way, I think.
Don Quijote

12/23/2002 1:54:43 AM

Deer Park WA

Very perceptive Don, I have tried about every type of watering system you can imagine, and I still find the good old "Rainbird" to be the most effective.

12/23/2002 2:17:19 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I am planning 3 types of irrigation.

1.)The bronze impact heads that are currently in the patch.
These will be (finally) hooked up to the same contoller
that irrigates my lawn.
2.)A drip system for fertilizer. Low pressure via black
plastic 55 gallon drums.
3.)Overhead mist system. TeeJet nozzle bodies clamped to
3/4" galvanized conduit with (presumably) conejet
nozzles. For evaporative cooling.

I've wrestled with the below ground issue for a while. I like the concept of watering soil & not leaves. We have Powdery Mildew issues here with the summers humidity. But this also will limit tilling. Proper placement is critical too. And the possibility of accumulated fertilizer salts clogging the emitters concerns me, though a final straight water flush should prevent this.

Biggest challenge is finding a controller that can provide the desired 48+ start times per day. Someone saw a prior thread here where I made this comment. She sent me the name of the outfit in CA she uses. Though they have no retailers here in the cooler Northeast. I may have to link multiple controllers on a manifold.

I too would like to hear more about what folks are doing both in & above ground.

Steve

12/23/2002 7:33:53 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I should elaborate. The 48 start time controller is for the overhead misters. The Rainbird controller I fund that can operated this way cost more money than I have invested in my entire irrigation system. LOL

The drip system is currently intended to be manually operated. I agree with doc here. Our summers are too humid for daily fulltime overhead irrigation. Some days, the leaves will stay wet well into the early afternoon. Fungal diseases proliferate under these conditions.

Excellent point about weeds too. I'd like to cut out the pre-emergent herbicides if possible.

Steve

12/23/2002 7:46:32 AM

Caceres, Spain

For low humidity summer place as mine, I found that the most eficient method to turn down temp is with sprinkler irrigation. The open air misters tend to evaporate too quickly. After irrigation in the middle of the day I noticed temp went down 18 F. My controller is a Rainbird able to 16 starts/day, combining two electrovalbs, and setting each one with a different program. It costed me $130.
Don

12/23/2002 11:13:24 AM

Commack, NY

STeve, check out www.dripworksusa.com they have a large selection of timers that might be suitable for your needs. i bought my timer that i use for misting purposes there. its a very flexible unit, and im very happy with it. it cost about $115 if i remember correctly

Scott

12/23/2002 11:58:04 AM

Montoursville, PA

Steve and others. http://www.dripworksusa.com/content.html
This is the company that has a couple of very interesting products. We are talking and they say gravety feed should be fine. Like nearly all they do not have records on pumpkins specificallyl.

There are three products I am digging into: Inline Emitter Tubing...even pressure compensating watering. Pressure Compensating heavy duty tubing and the Magnetic Conditioner that claims to keep what we are concerned about in suspension.

What I have not come even close to finding is real misters that shoot 180 degrees in fine enough mist to hit and cool plants but not also soak the ground. The ideal would be evaportion taking place about a foot above the ground in theory.

No matter what I do underground I will have the overhead ready to suppliment or take over since I have no experience with pumpkins.

I do not think any existing water volume requirements will apply to underground because of high evaporation taking place above ground. Evaporation above ground overhead is very high.

Anyway we are in the doldrums. This company has the best tubing and emmitters I have located yet. Go look see and think it through. I am talking with them and will share here if anything exciting appears.

12/27/2002 9:25:27 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Also interested in something like this "Misting"...Wouldn't the height of the stand ups have to vary if 1 foot above for total evaporation to occur...as the plant stands up the leaves will get closer to the mister and eventually collect the mist and run off down the vine as nature intended...and is this a bad thing since the misting system would be watering the tap roots! Or on the other hand the mist on the leaves could just burn the leaves in a hot sun...Scott gonna have to do a follow up "How to" with what you've learned since you installed the misters..Temperature conditions and relative humidity have to have some effect..and can the time on cycles be adjusted as the weather conditions change...we're hot in August but also very humid will misting also promote fungi??? Lots of things to think about to get this right.

12/27/2002 10:00:55 AM

Montoursville, PA

Food for thought. As we overhead water and feed at least I seem to flood the top two inches. This seems to bring the next four inches into proper moisture for the pumpkin. It is my concern that this places a lack of oxygen factor in the first two inches and creates the best moisture where the roots stay with reach up for down coming moisture and food. In the dry periods the close to the surface roots get cooked. Yet they reach up for the water.

Putting the water under satisfies by wicking up not flowing down. There is no concern for ambient temperature changes in the consistant mass. The plant roots reach down into safer territory with less variables in temperature, moisture and water born food. The hoter days do not burn any roots near the surface because they are to a large degree not there. Tilling is reduced because germination is reduced in the arid very top surface....and shading by the leaf structure.

I did this many years ago in general gardening. At that time we had recycled weepy hose that caused plug up problems and required consistant pressure. Apparently that is not an issue today.

What I would like to figure out is how many lines I need of which hose, how far apart to saturated properly the five to eight inch underground zone with near perfect moisture conditions.

I understand that I may do things that a market grower could not put into the fair cost and returns consideration. Intellegent tinkering on a small scale can get costly. That is however how good 'ole Ben found tunston and lighted the world.

12/27/2002 10:05:02 AM

Caceres, Spain

Hey Doc, how apart the lines and holes (emiteers) would be depend in the kind of soil you have and the water flow per hour they drop. In very clay soils you can put the lines even 3 ft apart and holes the same; the water will move lateraly from one line till the other. In the other hand, if you work with a sandy soil, you will need to put the lines 1 ft apart and holes about the same. In those sandy soils, working with a high flow emiteers (1 gallon per hour) water goes out a little bit quicker and expands more horizontally; with low flow emiteers (1/4-1/2 gallon per hour) it goes deep like drilling a hole in the ground.
In vineyards we use to put the lines 1 ft deep and with a air valb over the ground on the free extreme.
Don

12/27/2002 12:24:45 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

For the very low volume that I'm after, I've elected to not use irrigation equipment at all. I'm using sprayer tips. The same Tee-Jet tips used on boom sprayers for golf course, big lawn, & agriculture use. The highest volume tips don't exceed 1gpm as a rule.

I tried the dripworks website to sneak a peak at their controllers. Maybe it's me, but I couldn't find any controllers on the website. Perhaps in the catalog.

Steve

12/27/2002 2:33:45 PM

Montoursville, PA

Steve I originally had the idea to use 180 degree misters on the side edge fence posts. My patch is 20 feet wide and about fifty feet long. Can't find a ten foot radius emmiter. Of course the Rainbirds with tons of water would cover the patch. It appears that all this equipment is designed for inhouse bench work.

They just do not seem to understand how important our needs are.....all fifty of us. Hee Hee.

12/27/2002 9:06:12 PM

Montoursville, PA

Don I am not avoiding your carefully placed words. The gentleman is talking even distribution...yet to be fully understood...at very low pressure or even gravity feed. They talk but have little experience with gravity systems.

By overhead standards I think my patch would want or need about fifty gal. water a day...less whatever nature provides. I think I would best use a moisture meter to controll input of water from all sources. I am going to camp out there by the patch untill I understand the water and the feeding...not to mention the insect control.

I am retired. Save for "honey dos" I can play to my hearts content. The weeds won't have a chance this summer.

12/27/2002 9:19:00 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Hey Doc,

My spray nozzles wont come anywhere near 20' coverage. When mounted on a spray boom, they should be installed every 18".
But that's also considering they'll travel about 18-24" off the ground. Since they'll be about 5-6' off the ground, spacing can be wider. I still expect to place them every 3' though. In my case, I've begun driving galvanized fence post into the ground. At the perimenter, these will actually support a fence. (wind & security) Here & elsewhere throughout the patch, I intend to drop conduit down into the posts. These will be bent into radii (sp?) that will allow for support of the misting nozzles, shade structure, floating row covers, & primarily my early season frost protection. The patch currently has a portion of it with steel cables overhead. They were to support frost protection. I doubt they're rigid enough to control the pressurized nozzles without deflection, so they're going to go this year.
So far, I've salvaged enough fence posts, clamps, & link fencing to do virtually the whole job for free. The conduit is very cheap.

Steve

12/27/2002 10:10:06 PM

Sloughhouse, CA

This is Suzy. I replied to Tremor's thread. I use a misting system based on Scott's article. I found a NOMIS timmer. It has 8 Zones and 8 times that can be doubled to 16 by using AM and PM. I bought it a Home Depot. Where else do we go? The company is located in San Francisco. Web site. www.nomistimer.com. When my elec. engineer husband tried to do something fancy they even mailed a new electronic part. They just wanted to know what he did so they could prevent it next time. The system and timer worked find until Mike wanted to add the lawn to and the other pumpkin patch to it. Suzy in Sloughhouse

12/27/2002 10:17:48 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Hi Suzy,

I did get a hold of NOMIS. Nice folks. The timer looked good to. But they regret that they have no vendor support here in thye Northeast. The NOMIS rep even complained he can't get them in Oregon HomeDepots where he lives!

Too bad. Looked like the perfect unit, especially for the money. I'm jst leary about mail ordering the thing. If lightning ever took out the board, there's no place to pick up a replacement for it anywhere outside of CA. Maybe in time these guys will branch out some more.

In California, all growers should at least consider this timer.

Steve

12/27/2002 11:14:56 PM

porterville,california usa

hey; i`m currently working to design a pumpkin lifting device, after seeing a need for one on this site last year. as soon as i`m finished with that i`m going to start on a timer for us pumpkin growers. i already have a lot of ideas . i`m looking into a design that won`t need electrical power, be portable,(small, liteweight), and cheap. unlike doc i`m not retired yet. another 5 years or so. but i am self employed so that gives me a lot of time to ponder the mysteries of the universe or what-ever.i`m constantly inventing things for what-ever purpose. i know, you probably are LOL but i guess i`m to dumb to care. i`ll keep you posted as i grow nearer to completion. i welcome anybodys input and ideas. booth P.S. tremor, there is a few hundred irrigation specialty companys in my area. Fruit Growers Supply Co. is one of the best. they carry anything from flow regulators to ANYTHING you could imagine in the lines of misters, emiters drip systems. i`m constantly amazed at how many varieties of devices there are that are made to deliver water, at any p.s.i., g.p.m. or method. look them up on the web. if you can`t find them,anyone here at bp.com, e-mail me and i will get you the hook-up. best of all is it costs less than 100 bucks for a complete system to cover a 5 acre patch. mine cost under 30. booth

12/28/2002 12:21:09 AM

porterville,california usa

that price doesn`t include the timer

12/28/2002 1:05:08 AM

Montoursville, PA

Booth... I'm always asking questions. I visualize a patch without spagetti like waterline running about the surface.

I have been known to screw up the line of parade in a two man Dutch funeral. In so doing I learn a lot and can laugh with anyone not at anyone.

I like to tweek common demoninators not create a whole new idea.

My wife says why not just go to the market and by one. She does not seem to understand my insanities. LMAO

12/28/2002 9:32:35 AM

porterville,california usa

Doc; we must be married to sisters! mine does and says the same things. i`m like you in that i like making my own when i can.i find a product and 10 minutes later i think to myself, i could have made that. then i think ,but if i did i would have made it like this instead of that. times i will spend days tweeking something that icould buy at a store. but when i`m done it is usually better than a storebought one. not always. i was blessed with an analitical mind and parents wise enough to let me learn on my own. creativety is the product of insanity or vice-versa. laughing at me is something i got used to a long time back.i`m usually the one laughing the loudest.Heee-HAAWWWW !!!!! booth

12/29/2002 4:18:53 AM

derry n.h u.s.a.

Doc,I,ve been using a weeper or "soaker" system for the last 3 years and its works very well, i have some pics of it in action in the Photo Gallery under "John G" it goes every 18" across the garden .Had to cut the system in half as my 7 gallons per minute wouldnt feed evenly over the entire patch,so when the soil get to dry for me i just spin the spicket i use it almost every other day in the heat of the summer,and my pumpkins daily gains stay pretty consistent over the growing season,My big investment this year might be a timer.It cost me almost 200 to install,tees,fittings,Hose,caps and have to spend maybe 10.00 a year to keep it in working order.But it doesant keep the leafs from burning from heat stress!! John

1/2/2003 5:35:49 PM

Montoursville, PA

Ok folks...........Drip Works is now active on my suggested patch underground system. One thing I can tell you is that they are very confident that their one gallon "installed in line emiter" will work nicely at 10psi. spaced for sandy loam at 18" apart under all. My 55gal drums at four feet above patch average will more than provide 10psi for the gravity system. This crosses step one. Must have equal weeping or dripping. Don't need any pump or controller for this slow and easy method of delivery. I will be feeding about half of the feeding program via underground and half via overhead. It appears that I will need a center line totally supported above the plants for misters with misters on the fence lines. If this, in time is installed in a secure manor it could be a main support pole for Remay quick covering part or all of patch as covers could be quickly drawn to the center to combat an early or late frost. Remember my patch is 20 X 55. Total mist and total covering supported by one center line support. Sounds good on paper! The Remay or other Row Cover could be tucked like sails on a boat along the fence lines. Since it is very light support lines and draw lines could be perhaps as light as mason's cord. Covering and uncovering would be minutes not hours. The only problem I see at this hour is getting the better half to sew up the big top for my circus tent. Hee Hee

Yes I will need mister controls as a seperate issue....and by pass piping so I can fill my barrels from the supply line to the misters. That will keep this 66 year old ringmaster on the ground. Now I need a fertilizer lifter and stiring system. Maybe I need a duck on each barrel.

1/3/2003 8:54:20 AM

Montoursville, PA

TREMOR........We have been in severe short supply of water. The hand of the law has become stronger. When limits are posted and properly advertised we now discover that neighbors report neighbors as if they had nothing else to do.

In spite of the fact I have a very good well I want my delivery to be undergound and out of sight. I have planted line of vision blocks for my nosey neighbors. What they can not see will not concern them. They will also not be able to see me feeding with what looks like a spray can.

I have one neighbor who lost her whole onion patch to thrips and turned me in for careless use of spray. She did not find out untill the hearing that my spray was kelp and homemade onion soup. Seems another neighbor, also nosey, told her I used Roundup. They were into turning in car washers and windo washers last summer. Meanwhile the country club continued to water the greens.

I am so well protected now that I can take a leek in my garden, in the summertime. :)

1/3/2003 9:29:13 AM

Commack, NY

Doc....my patch is roughly the same size as yours.....ive found when misting (ive been using dripworks stuff for a few years now) that its alot easier to run the mainline on the ground then it will be to prop it up down the center. Last year i ran the mainline like a horseshoe around the perimeter of the patch, and tapped into it for the misters that i put on risers. it was alot easier then in years past when i ran the main line down one side of the patch.
Scott

btw, i purchased the DIG greenhouse timer a few years back and i really like it alot. dripworks has a 4 valve timer by DIG that i will be purchasing this year. With this timer you can fill up your barrels, and mist, and whatever else you need to do.

1/3/2003 9:34:46 AM

Long Island,New York

If there is any consistent breeze direction you wanna take that into account with your mister locations....and, since the tips are the most prone to heat damage, locating the stub-ups down the middle and furtherst from the vine tips might not be where you want them...a gentle breeze from the west and half the plant doesnt get the mist...... 2 cents .....

1/3/2003 10:13:11 AM

Montoursville, PA

My misters "lines" three in number, one in center and one one each edge should account for full coverage. I can pinch off some of the patch and open them up as the vines reach out. The lines will be totally supported and spray their cone down in the center and up from the two sides of the patch. Yes of course we have winds of all types. It is my bet that no one watches this and moves misters hourly that are on stand points about the patch. Even on a calm day the mist will drift to and from any misting point as the breeze shifts. All of this judgement is on average guestimates as we set them up. In reserve for that one real mean day will be the 3/4" Rainbird that will soak down anything but use tons of water in the process.

1/3/2003 2:39:39 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I guess we're pretty luck then. This summer when it was very dry, we didn't have any mandatory water use limts. Near here did though. So I did back off on the lawn a little. Felt more guilty than anything else. The resevoir did get low, but it always does in the summer. Thing is, it's more supply than we need. So we don't get hit with restrictions. Boy am I glad too. I'd hate to see neighbors turning on each other. But then my Richdel timer & Hardy valves run the Hunter heads at 3AM. And they're very quiet. Now the patch is differnt. Those are currently the bronze impact units. Noisy buggers.
I've got some black 55 gal drums. The more I read & think about it, the more I think I'll stage them up at 4 feet like Doc, & then let them gravity feed the drip system. A friend of mine does commercial irrigation installation & has picked up a drip system for me from a local wholesaler. Not sure what the make is yet. That should work well for early summer watering & maybe some soluble ferts.
I still need to rig up the summer cooling misters though. And for that, I'd would like to have the option of running on for 1-2 minutes, once every 10-15 minutes (depending on temperature & humidity) from around 11AM till maybe 4PM on very hot days. And that means 24 start times. Maybe I'll just use a 6 zone clock with 4 start times (like the Richdel) controlling 6 valves on a manifold. That's a couple bucks for the 6 valves though and I'm not sure how they'll respond to the reverse pressure potential on the out side.

Steve

1/6/2003 8:23:17 PM

Montoursville, PA

Steve.........Within this week I will have the full support of Drip Works support. Rather than say what I think will be the start theory I shall hold up untill I hear them out.

Last week we were very close together. I ask a few questions and we both went back to the think tank.

It is my belief that they were not considering the full wicking ability of a high humus top eight inches.

It pleased me to see it shaping up not at all outside of some things I had percieved as "in the right ball park".

I intend to play with capped pipe drilled with small numbered drills to see what kind of 180 degree mist I can create without moving parts. The cost of that tinkering in next to nothing. I will have a pump in the package to support different psi experiments. In the meantime I will use the only misters that seem to be available....those used in a greenhouse to cover a bench. This of course does not look like a pumbkin patch and has little or no wind.

I will photograph the progress and save for sharing the good and also that which may not work.

1/6/2003 10:32:51 PM

porterville,california usa

doc; as soon as i figure out how to use my camera i`ll send you some pics of my system.it`s too easy and cheap!!!! any luck at all and it will be soon . booth

1/7/2003 12:40:42 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Doc,

Interesting. Look forward to hearing results of soil/drip.

With regard to overhead misting for temp control:

This URL will display the Tee-Jet nozzles that are used for boom & spot application of pesticides (golf or AG).
I may use the ConeJet nozzle (last one down on the first chart). The tips are $4.00 each. I allready own the nozzle bodies.

http://www.teejet.com/techcent/broad_sel.htm

Comments?

Steve Jepsen

1/7/2003 7:23:41 AM

Montoursville, PA

Steve...What these folks and others do not show is pattern per specific psi and flow.

I would think that looks good as a spray type nozzle. I am hoping to create little more than a fog for misting. I may end up with something similar to what you have this year.

It is the evaporation that controlls the temperature and reduces the stress. The finer one can get it the easier it is to get maximum evaporation. In theory it could all evaporate before hitting the ground. That may be wishfull thinking. The drawing board will hold still for anything.

1/7/2003 10:34:15 PM

Montoursville, PA

alexsdad....The plant has to be wet to benefit from evaporation. No harm what so ever with to much and rundown as long as it would not be to much water and flood the patch.

The process can be done with Rainbird Type sprinklers. My insanity involves trying to have a dry arid top inch of soil. I have done this thirty five years ago but did not have the need for misting to buffer or eliminate stress.

I would think that plants remaining wet for long periods of time is an issue. Misting in my area and yours need to be tuned to need by observation. This year if I stopped the overhead sprinkling by four PM the patch was dry by six. I saw no stress earlier than eleven AM. This bed had no milldew while another twenty feet away did. I did not water the other bed as much. The difference may have been kelp added to the uninfected bed and/or the fact the other bed stayed in more shade and when wet remained wet longer.

I do not believe there will ever be a patch specific practice absolutely standard for all. We have to many micro differences.

1/7/2003 10:53:10 PM

porterville,california usa

doc; the misters i use put out a very fine fog. i can leave them on for 10 minutes at a time without wetting the soil. they come with GPH flows in tenth of a gallon per hour increments. for misting only i use a 2 tenths gallon per hour nozzle at about 20 PSI. i hang the misters from my shade so that they are a foot above the leaves.some of them i put about 6" below the leaves pointing in various directions.that is one advantage of using spaghetti line to connect the misters,just cut it to any length you want for optimum use of the water. i don`t use enough water for misting to effect irrigation.each mister will cover a circle of cooling around 15' in diameter, depending on pressure,and if placed 1' above the leaves pointing upward.along the fence i turn them horizontally to spray in a 180 degree pattern.nozzle sizes range from 1 tenth gallon to 5 gallons per hour so they can be used to irrigate if desired.best of all is the price,around .10 cents each,and there are NO moving parts to wear out!! a screw-in tip and the base it screws into. thats all!!! drip systems made by the same company are adjustable to flow per hour,use the same tubing and spaghetti line,if desired, and cost the same. plus it`s gravity flow or pressurized, below ground or above. dripper wet pattern seeps outward to about 6' diameter circle and down in a cone shape about 12' diameter at 3' deep. if you use the 2 GPH in sandy loam soil. i like to use spaghetti line on my drippers so i can keep adding more as my plants grow. bury it 6" deep, nobody knows when you`re watering, and it`s easy access for adding more if needed. e-mail me if you want more info. booth

1/8/2003 2:23:10 AM

Montoursville, PA

Booth That mister/irrigator is where my mind has been. Question: Will ten minutes out of an hour maintain stress relief on most days? If I can hold for ninety degree days I will not mind adding overhead for the ten days over a hundred we get or permitting minor stress if I should be away for a day or so. The ten foot cone is what has been eluding me in the form of fog.

The company is to call me for another package discussion almost as we speak. This is Wednesday. They have missed my eight hour day. I'll need to charge overtime for sales talk after 5PM EDST.

1/8/2003 4:35:30 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Doc,

Coverage data may be found here:

http://www.teejet.com/techcent/techcent.htm

Then click "Spray Coverage Information" for theoretical data.

I just got home from a Pro Turf conference. I spoke with the folks from Toro & a local Hunter/Richdel distributor. Neither was familiar with misting. We did confirm the obscure nature of a clock that can turn on for 30 seconds once every 10-15 minutes throughout the day. The brightest guy I spoke with suggested a programmable electric timer that he claims Radio Shack sells. This could be used to break the 24V AC line voltage that turns on a conventional irrigation valve intermittently for as long as a zone was programmed to stay on for.
Hmmmmm.......He's got me thinking.....smell the smoke?

Steve

1/8/2003 6:26:00 PM

porterville,california usa

hi doc; when it becomes necessary for me to cool my patch i do so with misters AND a shade combined. the shade is above the leaves about 5 or 6 feet. the shade contains the fog somewhat and helps to keep it around the leaves for a longer period of time. the shade keeps large amounts of sunshine off the plants at a time, thus keeping moisture on the leaves for a longer period of time to cool longer. the longer time to cool, the lower the temp.the lower the temp, the longer time it takes to reach a temp high enough to need cooling again. see the cycle here? in windy areas change the GPH with a larger nozzle to provide more water for longer evaporation times. but to answer your question, no i don`t think that 10 minutes an hour is enough time to eliminate stress on 100 degree + days. on days in the 90s, i consistantly protect my patch with 10 minutes per hour.

1/9/2003 1:39:51 AM

Montoursville, PA

Hi Guys and girls. You have all been great with your helps and concerns.

I RAN AN EXPERIMENT: Used a twelve inch piece of 4" drain pipe filled with my soil taken at random from the patch. Placed sitting up in a puddle of water it wicked to the top in about twenty four hours. The soil was damp when I started. This is about what I am looking for.

EDUCATED GUESSING: If I run a 3/4 inch header from the water source six feet in the air I will have modest pressure. We chose T-Tape for the delivery choice of several with emitters 3/4 gal an hour every eight inches in the tape. The tapes will be spaced every eighteen inches and placed twelve inches deep below tilling zone.

JOCK STRAP ENGINEERING: None other exists for a wicking system. Figure I can deliver up to 100 gal. water to the twelve inch deep zone in twelve hours. Longer than that will be alright. Once wicking to near the surface is completed I am thinking I may have to slow the delivery even more so I added a ball valve in line to play with flow.

I still can not get into the patch for a month or more but this is how I intend to start.

You will be able to see the rest of my supporting equipment on my diary. The goodies are all here to make this application work. Keep an eye on it as it goes in. I will document success as well as less than success.

Underground this system is projected to last seven or more years. The folks a Drip Works have been great. They are as interested as I to see this working.

The snow cover is gone but you Mid-Western and Northern folks keep planning more snow and below freezing weather for me. Phil my groundhog buddy saw his shadow. I'm boarded up for a while yet.

2/5/2003 7:41:11 PM

Montoursville, PA

THIS IS FERTILIZING RELATED: It will be added to my feeding program. I may hide it under the category of Goat's Milk.

Here's one! Garden's Alive product BioBost, all natural biostimulant. Essentially, it speeds up plant metabolism. I have used successfully the earlier product "Root Boost" with excellent results on lopes and mellons. Can be mixed with liquid fertilizers for application. Dip seeds and bare roots in a 5% solution. Contains "metabolic triggers that enhance photosynthesis, converting more sunlight energy into carbon compounds. At least 25% of a plants energy, fixed in the leaves as carbohydrates, amino acids and other compounds, is released through the roots to the surrounding soil. Billions of soil microorganisms feed on these carbon compounds, and this symbiotic relationship benefits the plant in many ways.

...Microorganisms secrete enzymes, acids, antibiotics, growth regulators, hormones and other substances that are absorbed by the roots and transported to the leaves. they also dissolve phosphorus, copper and other minerals for plants to use, increase water absorption and fix airborne nitrogen. The product accelerates this whole symbiotic cycle and significantly increases the growth rate of plants.

....Application is foliage spray or on soil surface followed by watering. Must have water. Applied at planting time and first bloom. Used sparingly, two teaspoons, of concentrate per 1000 sq. ft. Dilution rate not important as long as the application rate is correct. (Idiot proof)??? Cost 8 oz. $14.95. May be mixed with or applied with other liquid fertilzers or sprays. I will likely work it in with the kelps. This is in addition to any inplace fertilization.

2/5/2003 7:53:11 PM