Water Plant Suggestions for Deep Birdbath?
kr222
13 years ago
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Comments (6)
ponderpaul
13 years agoannedickinson
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Who planted in their birdbath?
Comments (15)Amazon, sedum looks great with blood grass. Wonder what a blue leaved rue would look like with it? Not sure how tall rue gets. Nannahanna I haven't tried it yet, but have read that chickenwire over the dirt, if you can hide it with the plant growth, will foil those tree rats from rooting in containers. Maybe the tricky part is fastening it down around the edges. Think I need a new birdbath now so the old one can be planted to look as great as the pictures at the top....See Moredeep water culture tomatoes too much work!
Comments (13)Thanks everyone. Broke down this weekend and converted the system to recirculating dwc. I think we went overboard with the reservoir bucket, 27 gallon container found at the home despot for $9. We made our own "bulkhead" connectors using pvc and garden gaskets, and attached dripsystem hoses. With the pond pump and parts, it was about $100 total. Drain from each bucket by gravity. Easy to reach equilibrium. We put all six bubblers into the reservoir instead of individual buckets, not sure why... probably should've left them in the buckets. Reservoir is not ideal plastic and likely full of bad contaminants, but this is all just a test anyway. We harvested soil-grown tomatoes already which were started a couple weeks AFTER we started the hydro grown ones, these are just going soooo slow, very anxious and frustrated, better be good :) Biggest mistake was putting the reservoir on the ground with no drain *face palm*. I will likely install a y-valve at the pump so we can easily pump out "most" of the water. We tried to setup the trellis on the table, however, it kept falling over, so for now, the trellis remains as is and we'll have to deal with arching tomato plants....See MoreDeep watering for heavy feeders growing on upright trellises
Comments (5)In my past row gardens I used 3gal. buckets (placed in small depression on top of the soil) with holes (size of a nail) drilled in the side near the very bottom. Though more labor intensive than soaker hoses, I found I used less water and felt I was getting the water where it was needed. I use rain water. Example- with tomatoes spaced 4ft each way T ... T ... B T ... T T=Tomatoes B=Bucket I can see buried bottles getting clogged (the buckets did) and just holding the water for the rest of the summer. I used a nail to unclog but that is a pain. Experiment with the size hole to drill. Larger hole won't get clogged as easy but once drilled you can't make it smaller. So start small. Hints: Drill all holes directly below where the handle attaches so you know where to find it when unclogging or placing bucket (they are ALL the same). I also marked arrows to point out holes. They do get dirty. Drill one hole or one on each side of handle or directly in bottom. I like the side so I can see if water is seeping out. Mark the bucket so they can be identified. Make an many as you can. I moved mine - one side today, the other side tomorrow. I could see how much water was going into soil. I think 5 gal. might be a bit much but would use whatever I could get free. You don't have to fill completely. In fact marking the inside may help to give measured amounts. Clean out buckets good, including bottom. Use bleach. I might go back to a few soakers since buckets may be difficult inside the SFG. But will likely use buckets outside the frame since roots travel a good way. Lugging buckets was/is an exercise routine for me. Last year, I tried coiling up a soaker before planting corn but the corn was uprooted by a few skunks as soon as they sprouted. I got discouraged and didn't have much in the way of corn. They didn't bother the seedlings I transplanted but the sprouts went fast. Apparently they like the seeds on the sprouts. Planning to use more rain barrels this year and will likely attach a few soakers and let gravity do the work. There goes my exercise plan. Will likely take longer. I think watering is a bit uneven this way also. Buckets - back to buckets. Maybe even coffee cans (inside frame) using the same concept. Bottles have such a small neck opening. Mulch after the soil warms but before the weeds start. Then mulch, mulch, mulch. Mulch goes along way to keep soil moist, keep the weeds down, and attract earthworms to digest the mulch and feed your plants. Hope that gives you more ideas. If I used bottles I would keep them on top to save digging them back up to unclog. Guess you could always use draino (just kidding). Good Luck, Gumby...See MoreDrip irrigation and the citrus infrequent+deep watering philosophy
Comments (8)The Arizona "advice" is for mature trees and for Arizona soils. When i have allowed drying out, i have gotten yellowing, leaf drop and severe growth delays. Therefore I avoid allowing the roots to completely dry out. [an inch at the top probably yes, but its difficult for me to judge as most all of my citrus is in clay and on a 30-45 degree slope] Keep in mind that citrus is a tropical plant - not a desert plant. It can tolerate some drying out, but prefers constant moisture (note: "moisture" - not soaking wet); water accordingly! [BTW: irrigating/drip/soak right next to the trunk will cause root rot - apply water at the drip line but don't let the root ball dry out!]. For me, trees on a long run/drip perform far better than short run/higher water application rates. In my case its because the clay based soil cannot absorb the moisture quickly and the water drains down the hill through mole tunnels. During hot summer months here in norCal, i need to irrigate [my 2 to 6 year old trees] every other day minimum during hot weather. Every 1 to 3 weeks during the cool months if no rain. zwoydziak - although i do NOT have experience with desert soils, it sounds like you do have issues with either irrigation water (pH? salinity?) or caliche?. Or maybe the watering is washing nutrients away? Or perhaps even your lower layers remain wet much longer than estimated? - good luck - George...See Morekr222
13 years agokr222
13 years agoannedickinson
13 years ago
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