Setting up a timer

11 years ago

OK,

I finally got a soaker hose setup. The perennial bed that it is watering narrow, so that the soaker hose should work. I switched it on and watch it water the area.

Next, I am going to set up a timer. Ideally, it should be setup to water deeply. How does one figure out how often and how long to run the irrigation system?

Paul

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Comments (3)

lehua49
11 years ago
paul,

This is one method if you don't know the gpm per foot of the hose. Place a cup under the hose and run the hose for a certain time. Check the depth in the cup. Calculate the time to get 1 inch of water in the cup. That is the amount you should run per week so divide your watering into 3 watering interval during the week. Adjust for cloudy times or rain and for very hot and sunny periods. Watch what happens over a period of time and make adjustment to make sure the plants are getting the right amount of water. Feel the soil between waterings. The soil should not be too dry about 1 to 2 inches down or too wet at the same depth. GL Aloha
paulsiu
Original Author
11 years ago
That sound like a great idea, so I place a cup can underneath the hose. The can filled up in just 4 min (32 FLoz). That seem too short of a run, since it took less than a minute to get one inch of water.

I am wondering if I am measuring incorrectly? A lot of sites suggest running it for about 30 minutes weekly or twice weekly.

Paul
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I looked in the Monterey Yellow Pages, and see that there is a Ewing Irrigation Supply outlet in Monterey, and they would have a better selection of Drip Irrigation supplies than Home Depot does. Just be aware that the component drip tubing and connectors that correspond to 1/2" size tubing are not the same between Irrigation Supply companies and Home Depot/Orchard Supply Hardware drip tubing. The 1/4" tubing is interchangeable, but the larger sizes are not. Another problem I often have with shopping for drip irrigation at places like Home Depot, is that they are not fully stocked, and often missing exactly what you might need. Ewing will also have information pamphlets on designing and installing drip irrigation, but is not match for companies like The Urban Farmer, which will actually design a system at no cost if you buy all your materials from them. There may also be similar Irrigation Supply companies in your area that offer the similar service. Last comments, I would recommend you not install the 1/4" laser tubing which acts as a soaker hose, as the 1/4" tubing with in-line emitters at either 6 or 12" spacing is much more reliable, and makes less noise when operating. Also, you should be aware that drip emitters should be moved as plants grow larger, or have emitters added further away from plants to encourage wider/deeper rooting. Too often, no further work is done to systems after initial installation, and you may provoke root rot on some plants because all the water is concentrated right at the base of the plant, rather than further out as they grow larger.
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lehua49
11 years ago
Paul,

Well, your supposed to time depth not volume but you have an idea of your flow rate as well. There are 128 oz per gallon. You watered 1/4 gallon in 4 mins from about 4 inches of hose. So that is 1/16 of a gallon per minute(gpm). Per foot of hose you would get 1/4 gpm. Time is dependent on flow rate and your soil type. Most of the time it is trial and error. You run the water and see if the area around the plants gets a good soaking and it penetrates into the soil(good drainage). The frequency is when then soil at about 1" in depth is dry to the touch then soak the area again. This usually is in a couple of days but timing differs with climate as well. You have to watch how your plants are behaving over a certain period of time. The science of it only gets you so far and it is not exact, sometime not even close because of all the differing variables. Nothing like sticking your finger in the soil and seeing how moist it is and adjust your timing accordingly. Set your timer to once every two days and see if it is getting things too moist or not moist enough then adjust the timer. Check your pressure on the hose. Soaker hoses usually need a pressure reducer for optimum flow rate. That is why you are getting a high flow rate is my guess. Let us know how it goes. JMHO Aloha

Setting up a timer

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lehua49

paulsiu
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Setting up a timer

Comments (3)

lehua49

paulsiuOriginal Author

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lehua49

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paulsiu
Original Author