Non-toxic soaker hose for veg garden?
sgreszcz
13 years ago
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lacysue2
13 years agoDan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years agoRelated Discussions
non-toxic water
Comments (8)OK, I found the hose-end filter I used and plan to use again. Anyone who thinks that what comes out of a hose is hte same as what comes out of a sink needs to read what hoses are made of, how toxic many plastics, etc. are (and remember that cheap hoses are often made with recycled materials of unknown origin) and SMELL or TASTE The water that comes out of our 200 feet of hose. I learned in college organic chemistry (I was in pre-veterinary) that if you can smell or taste something, IT'S THERE. Particles of the substance are what causes smells and tastes. Anyway, here is the URL: http://www.pacificsands.biz/html/hose_filter.html --- a plastic hater ;-) (Have a look at this... not my site:) http://www.culturechange.org/e-letter-plastics.html Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific Sands hose end filter...See MoreHas anyone installed soaker hoses?
Comments (38)I have soaker hoses in four separate garden areas, all running off one timer. There are lots of Y connections, which come with 2 valves each. I use sections of garden hose to connect the areas. Where the garden hose needed to cross a lawn, I cut a slot with a straight-edged shovel, pushed the hose to the bottom of the slot, then by stepping on the slot, the grass closed up. I don't have soaker hoses longer than 50 to 60 feet, and I sometimes take the cap off the far end to check that all the water hasn't soaked out before it reaches the end. On one long perennial bed 6 ft wide, I have four soaker hoses in parallel 18" apart. On shorter beds, I wind the soakers back and forth in a serpentine pattern. I try to put the hoses between the flowers, not too close to them. I have a potted plant hanging from a shepherd's crook at the end of one of these beds, so I plugged a drip line into a soaker hose and ran it up the shepherd's crook. It needs a little more pressure to get the water up to the hanging pot, but it works. The pot gets water much longer than it needs, but the extra water just drains out the bottom. Some years I've had the soaker hose on top of the ground, and other years nearly buried in the mulch (barely visible). The water flows faster when above-ground, but when buried, it seems that the flow nearly stops when rain has already soaked the ground. (I have high clay content.) So I don't turn it off when it rains. Squirrels, shipmunks, and winter frost haven't done any harm to the system, but I remove the outdoor timer over winter. I also have a drip system for a potted herb garden, but that's on a separate timer. Jim...See MoreSoaker Hoses in Veg Garden w/ Pond Water
Comments (1)I don't know what PSI you have at the end of your supply line, but I have had poor results with soaker hoses. They tend to clog in a few months and no amount of filtering helps. I've had great success with micro sprinklers instead. Installation is fairly simple and you can install the 1/2" dia sprinkler heads close to your plants. There are different spray patterns and a valve on each head to adjust the spray/volume. There are also drippers for your larger plants and trees. Here is a link that might be useful: Mr. Drip Irrigation Supply....See MorePlacement of soaker hoses
Comments (7)I don't know anyone who has rain all season. I sure don't and have to make sure the barrels are empty before they freeze and burst. I set the barrels up to collect the early season rainfall. Sometimes I use it all other times I don't. If the barrels get empty I fill a couple from the hose which allows time for the chlorine to dissipate and for the sun to warm the water. I have nothing to measure the pressure in the hose but I do know that soaker hoses require pressure to move the water from the inside of the hose to the outside. I have learned to use gravity where available and having a downhill slope to the garden does help the water to run to the end of the hose. One secret to using rain barrels is to make certain they are on a level surface and they are elevated high enuff (alright two secrets) to get a 5 gal bucket under if you want to use gravity. I use cinder blocks, two high, with 2x lumber (say 2x8) across the cinder blocks to hold two 55 gal barrels. A full barrel is extremely heavy say a 55 gallon barrel might be 50gal x8lbs = 400lbs. So you'll want to make sure the cinders are level BEFORE filling with water. I do have to use a sump pump to get some rainwater up the slope to the barrels closer to the garden which I either use the soaker hoses on or just an open end hose for watering or simply washing/rinsing hands, etc. These are the barrels that I fill with city water if the need arises; been a couple yrs since that was needed. I also use 30 gal garbage pails under the down spouts to facilitate using the sump pump (or buckets dipped in the water). I squirt baby oil on the water to deter insects such as mosquitoes. The barrels have a cover and are not a problem with insects. I do have another 30 gal garbage can with a spigot on the bottom I make compost tea in. Of course you can also just use a bucket to dip into the barrel. I use an aquarium pump in that to help brew but that is another topic entirely....See Moresgreszcz
13 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agosowngrow (8a)
13 years agoveeta
13 years agoKimmsr
13 years agoflora_uk
13 years agojaxonj
13 years agogardningscomplicated
13 years agojohngordon54_hotmail_com
12 years agoS Clark
8 years agospedigrees z4VT
8 years agocarol_the_dabbler
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agojamesvanleuven
8 years ago
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