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Finksburg, Md

I am a first year grower. I only water with watering cans. I have three plants growing and I am wondering how much water I should be giving them. When I water I only water at the base of the main, is this ok? Usually about 4 gallons per plant. Thanks for any help or suggestions. Joe Z.

7/2/2010 7:52:31 PM

Anchorage, Alaska

Hey Joe, 4 gallons seems pretty dry to me. I try to get my plant a couple hundred gallons a week during hot weather. 1 inch of rainfall or 0.62 gallons per square foot of plant seems like an appropriate amount per week in my area.

It might also be a good idea to water at least the footprint of the plant because there are likely tons of other roots coming out of the vine itself. Also, watering only at the stump causes the roots to bunch up instead of spread out and it can lead to heat stress when there isn't enough water. We generally try to keep the stump itself dry due to problems such as "foaming stumps".

It is important to be consistent with your watering. Throwing down an inch of water after several dry days can make a pumpkin rip itself apart by growing too fast.

Good luck

7/2/2010 11:27:50 PM

Anchorage, Alaska

And I'd like to add that if you can't get your plant that much water, don't worry. These plants can do a whole lot with very little. I did 5 gallons a day during my first year and still grew a few hundred pounds of fruit.

7/2/2010 11:30:41 PM

East Jordan, MI

My dad always taught me to dig down 6 - 8 inches, the dirt should be MOIST but not slimy wet. If you get a handful and squeeze it, it should form a ball, but should easily break apart when rubbed through your fingers. This general rule has worked for me for almost 30 years of growing vegetables and SO FAR hasn't failed me in my first year of growing AGs.

ALSO,
you need to water THE ENTIRE ROOT system, not just where the plant comes out of the ground. These roots stretch out for several feet past the vine. I have dug some up as far as 5 feet from any part of my vine while weeding or burying side vines.

7/2/2010 11:31:08 PM

Harrisville, Pa

If I was you I would go to Lowes or Home Depot and get tower sprinkler. This will make it alot easier to water. Also figure out how many gallons a minute your spigot puts out. You can do this by getting a five gallon bucket see how much water fills the bucket in a minute from your hose. For instance my well pump will put out about say 5 gallons a minute so if I want to put 70 gallons of water on the one plant with sprinkler I will have to run the sprinkler for 14 minutes.
Next the amount of water depends on the size the plant. You ussually can get away with a watering pail for first few weeks but after that you need put the sprinkler in place. A full size plant 500 to 750 square ft will need 100 gallons every other day. Also you are in a hot area so turning on the sprinkler a couple time for a few minutes during the day will also help to keep the plants from over heating.

Basicly the 100 gallons is roughly the equivilant of a inch of rain for the sq. ft area of the plant. So if you get a inch of rain you do not have to water the plant.

Hopefully this helps you.

7/3/2010 7:37:06 AM

long Island

Next year order some drip tape from dripworks.com
You wont regret it. This is my first year using the drip-tape and it is as good as everyone says it is.

7/3/2010 5:15:06 PM

Aurora, IL

What is a tower sprayer? I thought overhead watering was a no-no.

7/4/2010 7:25:40 PM

East Jordan, MI

It's true that 1 inch per week is the general rule of thumb, but it really depends on how well your soil drains. If your soil leans toward clay, 1 inch a week might be too much.

I like automatic timers and drip tape. It can water in the heat of the day, when I'm not there, gives me more time to do other things, allows for better control of watering and puts the water right were you want it. It's not too late to buy and install drip tape if you want. It's going to be a long time till fall. Dripworks has everything you need.

7/4/2010 10:23:46 PM

Aurora, IL

How do the drip tapes work and where do you install them?

7/4/2010 10:38:28 PM

East Jordan, MI

Yorunk
www.dripworks.com explore away -- Awesome site.
They have tutorials
http://www.dripworksusa.com/tutorial.php?left#flowcalc

Free design help
http://www.dripworksusa.com/designsubmit.php?left

Calculator to help you determine how much you need to buy and if you need to create more than one zone (because you don't have enough water to supply the amount you are installing). There is a sketch at the bottom that shows one way to lay it out.
http://www.dripworksusa.com/ttape-2.php

And before you ask, NO I don't work for dripworks. Just passing on what I found and decided to use.

7/5/2010 10:33:05 AM