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Penryn CA

Anyone use these in the patch.... your thoughts. I was thinking about putting one on a separate watering hose in the middle of the main stem for overhead, but still water with my soaker hoses ground level.

2/6/2021 11:19:44 AM

soaker hose will water uneven. lowest part hose will get most water, and farthest from start of hose get less. drip tape instead a better deal

2/6/2021 11:44:43 AM

Central Ca

Mr. Young, do you have a preference in drip tape brands?

2/6/2021 12:49:14 PM

toro aguatrax, 12 inch apart emiters or slashes for water come out for me about 14 inch apart lines works everyone soil different. roll I got about a mile or 5200 ft

2/6/2021 7:00:39 PM

Cheshire Ma USA

I have been using them for years they work great and they don't plug up, you can regulate the radius of the spray with pressure and volume.

2/6/2021 7:05:30 PM

Syracuse, NY

Okay, the first link is to a Whizzer sprinkler head and is just the first I happened upon;
The second is to a 'spike base', which is what you connect your garden hose to and shove into the ground with your foot.

https://www.shelllumber.com/orbit-irrigation-products-54190n/54190-sprinkler-head.html?feed=Froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItZzI0M3W7gIVSAiICR3oSw8EEAQYAyABEgJ1NfD_BwE

https://www.dripdepot.com/item/orbit-half-inch-zinc-flow-thru-spike-base?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5s735czW7gIVgeKzCh1r2Q4SEAQYASABEgKpS_D_BwE

Okay, what you need to so is get at least SIX (don't chintz out on me, I mean, it's for the pumpkins!) of EACH of the above, from wherever you find the best deal - probably right on your screen already; This depends on how many on each plant you'll want for complete coverage - I STRONGLY recommend a minimum of 3 per plant - the first one at the exact planting spot, because the plant does NOT ONLY grow roots in the direction of the plant's surface growth; I have been intending for a long time to make use of this fact, but, right now you can, lol---So, one at the planting point, (0 feet) for early-on growth and to water the plant we do not see, yes? Then, one at the one-third point (16.33? feet) of the plant's growing area and one at the two-thirds of the weigh point (33.66? feet) to still reach the very end of the plant. I have enough to follow my own advice this year. Hoo-ray.
Season to taste and they can always be moved.

ONCE gotten, take one of each to a hardware store, tell the nice man you need
3 pieces of 1/2-inch X 10-foot white PVC and they need to be cut in half for a giant-pumpkin-growing project and the sprinkler needs to attach to the spike base THROUGH that PVC pipe;

2/6/2021 9:18:28 PM

Syracuse, NY

TWO FITTINGS will be needed for each sprinkler, each called a 1/2-inch FPT thread (I believe) slip-on adapter. Do not try to attach the adapter to the PVC pipe - it will get stuck! Thinking forwardly, though, once each adapter is attached to each end of one pipe piece with special CEMENT, the sprinkler head goes on one end and the spike base goes on the other.
You may have to answer a bunch of Giant Pumpkin questions, but by then,
you'll know alllll the answers!
TRICKY - if you've never done pipe cementing, watch someone else do it first;
each slip-on connector needs to be cemented onto each pipe end by an avid pipe cementer. You could easily learn to do it by Googling or checking YouTube.
One can of glue and one can of 'cleaner' will last you for years...
WHEN attaching the sprinkler head to the pipe as well as the spike base, thread seal tape needs to be applied to the threads as well, to prevent leaks, but
you may get away with it without needing it. It'll be right there so get a small roll or two (Like $1.59 - no shelf life, so...);

Long story short, after a half hour+ for the cement to be all set, lol, you would attach a hose to the spike base, make sure your fitting is VERY tight to it and
place the sprinkler as aforementioned; Using the very edge of your hardest shoe,
step the spike base into the ground firmly and even slightly below the soil surface.

You could see about placing a valve into the PVC pipe on each one to turn on/off each one or you'll have to use a separate hose for EACH sprinkler, probably very costly/inefficient, I dunno that.

Good Luck, if you do it. AND also if you don't, lol---eric g

2/6/2021 9:18:43 PM

Penryn CA

Pumpkinpal2 - Wow - that is very detailed info. Ok I'm going to make (03) for one pumpkin and see how it works. Based on all of the above schematics info and a trip to home depot I'm pretty sure I can built it and glue it! I like the valve idea because my water pressure is not great - not sure if I could run all three lines at the same time. Thank you!

2/6/2021 11:04:31 PM

Central Ca

Thanks for the post penryngarden and thanks for the answer Mr. Young.

2/6/2021 11:16:32 PM

Syracuse, NY

I think the ones I discovered are cheaper than the ones I had gotten in '17, so, win-win!
To answer you, ha ha ha, now you'll have that ONE piece of PVC pipe leaned up against the wall, lol...
Thank You for the 'Thank You' - that can make anything worth everything. Later---eg

2/7/2021 2:36:12 AM

Cheshire Ma USA

I use a "t" post with a short piece of pvc pipe with the proper fitting on each end. I am able to relocate them as needed thoughout the year.

2/7/2021 9:26:31 AM

Rochester, NY

I gave these Orbit rotating sprinkler heads a try last year and like them very much - when they work. However, I had very frequent trouble with them somehow getting stuck in place, failing to rotate and therefore spraying a steady stream in one spot. I don't know how true it is but I have heard that the current design has removed a tiny washer that was present in the older units. The other plausible cause I could think of is insufficient water pressure, but they still get stuck even when I use only one sprinkler head at a time, and it does spray a good 35-40 foot diameter. I would really like to use them this year provided I can get them to rotate all the time. Has anyone else encountered this problem and been able to address it? Thanks.

2/7/2021 9:39:20 AM

Ironton, ohio

http://melnor.com/product/multi-adjust-spike-sprinkler/ I used two of these to adequately cover a 625sqft patch. Produces a pretty fine mist and fully adjustable 0-360 degrees zip tied to post. Believe home depot has a 5pack for 20bucks. Of course those are my one and only attempt at irrigation, so these cat probly know better.

2/7/2021 11:15:00 AM

Shingle Springs, CA

I used them several years ago and experienced the "stuck" problem as well. Resolved it by putting a sediment filter on the water line upstream from the whizzers.

2/7/2021 12:11:31 PM

Cheshire Ma USA

If they stick you don't have enough pressure or volume. The most I can use when using my dosamatic is 4 at a time.

2/7/2021 12:17:35 PM

Syracuse, NY

When mine get stuck it is from lack of use since i use liquid molasses and there may occasionally be actual residual seaweed growing in my barrel - hence, when i mix the molasses with the 55 gals. H2O with a broom handle, any debris goes through the pump and to the whizzer(s). Once there, and stuckage occurs, i have to twist off the whizzer and stick (pun) a piece of grass/weed stalk into it to clear it. back in business! yes, the low water pressure, no filter and there are times, too, when yes, they get stuck 'mysteriously' even under mucho pressure; THEN, i have been known to put a short, maybe 1/2-inch sheet metal screw on the LEFTWARD side of the 'paddle' IN the water stream to offset the flow and that causes it to SPRAY more than stream, but WORK, and i probably swap in a new whizzer anyway and hope for the best from there. that add-a-screw tactic might be beneficial if you WANT, as i do sometimes, to have a shorter diameter, with a better, more-soaking coverage - such as on a whizzer that is right where the plant gets initially planted. eg

2/7/2021 12:51:30 PM

Syracuse, NY

Adjusting the depth of the stainless steel pin at the top with a strong grip through pliers may help, but DON'T lose that little ball bearing that makes it all happen - the water pressure pushes the impeller up against that. so cool! eg

2/7/2021 12:55:58 PM