Suggestion Drip irrigation ideas.

You could consider using cloth as a wick instead of just holes. The compression of the cloth in the holes would vary the amount of fluid that passes through but they wouldn't get clogged up.

I really liked Shawn's recommendation for the root watering apparatus.

 

I just drove by a strawberry farm and it appears that the farmer is using some sort of heavy plastic along the rows that may(?) reduce the water evaporation and conserve the water used to better feed into the root system of the strawberry plant.

There wasn't an exit on the Interstate nearby this farm or I would have stopped and looked to see what the farmer was doing and ask some questions. Water is at a premium here, too.

But now that you have raised this issue of using water more efficiently for crop production, I will keep my eyes open around here to see what any ground crop farmers are doing to use water more wisely.

I'll be up in Southern Oregon in a couple of weeks and although it is a mountainous region, there are a few valleys that are in fruit/nut production.

I'll keep my eyes open....

V/R,
nwlivewire

 

I think what you are referring to is the graphic in Wrye's post:

Shawn I think this is what you are thinking of, and it seems to be a great way to deliver water directly into the plants' root with no water on top of soil. I am not sure I would consider it a slow "drip irrigation".

When trying to use drip irrigation, I have not been able to slow the speed to less that full delivery of 1.5 liters of water in about an hour when I have any wholes in the top of the bottle. (an open bottle like shown in graphic would probably be much faster in water deliver. When I have no holes in the top of the bottle then a vacumm occurs and the 1.5 liter of water takes from 6 hours to days to delivery time water... the time varoes tremendously. I am having a difficult time determining a method to control delivery speed of the water.

The other solution I have am currently using is to just dig a deep hole when the plants are planted, Leaving the final soil top about 4 inches below the surrounding soil This plant pit hole is about 15 inch diameter, basically a watering basin. I pour the water into the basin and the water is soaked into the ground from the top surface to the root zone. There seems to be little lost to evaporation as the water soaks into the soil within a minute or two. This solution eliminates the use of drip irrigation totally. I use a watering can (bucket) to deliver the water. It allows me to know the amount and speed of water delivery to the plant, but I am not sure which is more time efficient, or water delivery efficient either. I end up delivering about 1 liter of water to the plants twice a day. Once a day I have very diluted liquid fertilizer added to the water. The plants are growing well, but this is not drip irrigation. I believe the original intent of the drip system is to provide a continuous slow amount of water to the plant from a continous water feed, this is not happening with the use of the basins as a lot of water is delivered, and then none until the next time I put water in the basin. This could also be true of the coke bottle are allowed to deliver quickly and then dry out. The main water saving is cause be focusing the water delivery specifically to a single plant.s roots, not the entire surrounding areas which is not used by the plant's roots, as would occur with an overhead sprinkler type system.
Does it really matter the method of the water delivery as long as the water is delivered specifically to the roost zone area, and not to a large surrounding soil surface area or loss to evaporation? What was the original goal of using drip type system?

 

Dave have you give a thought to the "Saline Drip Control" they use in Hospitals? I am sure the medical supply Company's hereabouts can help you.
Just a Thought

 

Good thought, probably put in a 5o gallon drum and one "Saline Drip Control' type... much more expensive than a discarded Coke bottle, but my much more actuate. The problem is I really do not know the right amount of water need by the different plants with the varying climate conditions.

The most technological advance irrigation controllers when I left the states were connected to a local internet weather station. The controller would vary the amount of watering tie based on many climatic weather factors: heat, wind, humidity etc. The problem was these controllers were new, and the operators usually were minimum type wage people, with undocumented work status (illegals) so it was a real challenge to get the controller integrated into the real world... Many operators just over rode the programs in the controller. Lost many plants because the guys in the field did not set them up properly and keep them running.... Another great idea, that was just not fully practicable at the time. .

 

A friend of mine has the condensate drain from his central A/C unit piped over to his tomato plants. If you have an A/C system you run at night while you sleep that may work for a couple of plants. If you only have a fan it won't help.

 

Has anyone tried the idea of using the filling from babies diapers in the bottom of pots to hold the water? I have some tomatoes growing well in pots but they seem to dry out very quickly because of this heat even though I water twice a day.

 

I tried that last year it seems the diapers here are not made of the same stuff the ones on the u tube clip shows .i just purchased the cheapest ones maybe the better quality do the job as they clam. tomatoes like lots of water but do not like wet feet maybe a bottle drip system would help.it is very hot n dry i water my tomatoes daily however they are in the ground.I had no l luck growing them in 2 gallon pots the soil got to hot. good luck lets know the end results