Topic: Soak hose or drip method

[Marlborough]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me out. Last year I didn't grow tomatoes in my greenhouse borders, because work commitments meant that I could not get to my plot every day. I want to give them a ago this year, which method of watering would be best. I intend to use a Hozelock timer to water several times during the day. Sorry if this subject has been covered before.

[Jayb]

I've never used a Hozelock timer, so can't comment on how best to use, but I've had good results using a large tray (polystrene fish box). This I keep topped up with water and fertiliser.  The tomato or pepper plants are in large pots, raised up above the water level and watered/fed by a wick (capillary matting). They only need checking every few days or so and keep the pots nicely moist without being too wet.

[Marlborough]

Thanks Jayb, that sounds like a good option.

[lottie lou]

I found growing in bottomless pots/buckets placed on the soil in the border quite successful over the years.   Don't need as much watering as once established the roots can go in search of water if necessary.  However going to try Jayb's method this year - does anyone have any good ideas on what to use as the wick in lieu of capillary matting (sorry I am as tight as the proverbial duck's a***).

[ancellsfarmer]

http://janitorialsupplies.co.uk/socket-mop-head-py-14-yellow.html?gclid=CNmDsP_N88ICFVPJtAodgnEAfQ
Try a proper old fashioned string mop. These are easily available from hardware shops and janitorial suppliers. Simply pick one thats got the  coarse yarn filling, release the crimp and you will have upwards of 80 strands. Knot together, or bind with wire in groups of 5. They will rot but should last a season.

[lottie lou]

What a good idea.  Thank you ancellsfarmer

[kGarden]

which method of watering would be best. I intend to use a Hozelock timer to water several times during the day

If you are watering from a waterbutt (rather than Mains Water) then you need a water time that works with low pressure. I think the Hozelock one only works with mains pressure.

If using water butt water you need filter and run the risk that drip nozzles might block, so perhaps soak hose would be better; drip method should be fine with mains, but again possibility of blockage exists - including calcium build up in hard water areas; I sometimes see two drippers, per plant, to avoid that risk. If you are growing in containers, and want to use soak hose, you could perhaps put a length of soak hose around the plant, within the container, and then connect it to the next container with the semi-rigid pipe. Quite a lot of connectors and bits of pipe though, so might be a nuisance to remove at the end of the season and rebuild next year (compared to drippers).

Not sure you need to water several times a day though, I reckon once a day, for a decent length of time / amount per plant, would be better. If containers are small might need multiple times per day, but not until plants are large & weather is hot - e.g. mid Summer

Some risk that a pipe connection bursts and then mains water is running continuously until you next are able to visit.  You could counter that by using a "water fuse" - that will cut off the supply after X gallons is used in Y minutes.

[chriscross1966]

Having used both drippers and soak hozes in my greenhouse at home (mains pressure) off a timer I'd say go with hozes if you are growing in the greenhouse soil and have mains pressure to hand.... I found drippers had issues due to hard water in our area. I have used drippers with a water butt and they worked well, but you needed to clean the filters a lot and a 200 litre tank would empty itself in less than two days into a 6x8 greenhouse.... scaling that up you would probably only get three days worth of watering into my 20x10 out of one of those 1000 litre IBC tanks... as it is with the timer system I use (a cheapish one from Lidl) I can have it run an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and my tomatoes and peppers love it.... had good Yacon this year too and fabulous melons and cucumbers, only disappointment was a water melon, even the cinnamon vine recovered after a bit of a bad start.... Might try sweet potatoes this year, and make some attempt to get a solar pumped system rigged off the IBC on my allotment...

I have two lines of soaker hoze from Aldi (IIRC, it wasn't expensive) on each side of the greenhouse, with a main junction where the feed comes in so that there are balance hozes running to the far end of the greenhouse (so basically there are six hozes total running down the length of the green house, three on each side, two are soakers for the bed and one is a pressure balancer (normal hoze)

Maybe big tank of water with smaller header tank on top of it, solar fountain pump sends water to the header tank, you'll need an overflow back into the bottom tank from the top of the header. Then a low-pressure timer triggers however many times a day you decide is sensible.... on cloudy days it might not get so much water, but that might not matter....