Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["David Inglis" <mhcsa@verizon.net>]

I have found Irrigro tubing to work very well, especially in longer term
installations and/or under mulch.
http://www.irrigro.com/
The advantages I see are:
It can be cut to any length but should be shorter than 400'.
Water does not need expensive filters, the tape is a filter in itself.
The drip tape  does not clog. Large particles work their way down to the end
and small ones don't inhibit the flow as long as you keep the pressure in
the recommended range.
The flow is continuous along the pipe.
We turn it on in the Spring and leave it on all season which is another
thing not to have to worry about.
It can be gravity fed and flow rate is easily adjusted. The tape will start
leaking at about 3 - 5 psi which is about 7 -12 feet of head.
Because it is on continuously the water has more time to spread laterally
through the soil and water is also available all the time for crops and soil
processes rather than in pulses. 
On the down side, it is more expensive, has to be covered to last, should be
installed on only gently sloping ground, wont put on large amounts of water
in a hurry [but will if your not in a hurry] and must have a continuous
supply of water.
I understand the rational for the BioIntensive folk not using sub soil drip
but I have often wondered what their yields would be if they did.
Happy watering.
David


 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:livingontheland-
> bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of TradingPostPaul
> Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 1:34 PM
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Group Encourages Relocalization of Food
> 
> 
> The drip tape thing has been problematic for me. Too slow. Soaker hoses
> seem to put more water where it's needed faster. My main hangup is the
> length of beds. Due to a compound slope I made 3x8 beds to be able to
level
> each bed more easily. But soaker hoses are too long for 8' beds. I
normally
> water a row of six beds one day, then on to the next row of six and so
> forth to the end of the fenced garden. In that mode I need to distribute
> water evenly to six 3x8 beds at once using a timer, and then move the
> feeder hose to the next row of six beds. And I need to cut my time spent
> watering in order to quadruple production this year, but all the other
> methods I've heard of involve some time. I need to spend the time seeding,
> mulching, transplanting, and harvesting, not watering. No time weeding
> mulched raised beds. And it may take three different markets to unload all
> our produce, which means less time in the garden. Ah, the challenges of a
> semiarid climate ;-)
> 
> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
> 
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
> 
> On 2/5/2008 at 11:40 AM bruce smith wrote:
> 
> >Hi,
> >
> >Thanks for all the encouragement.. I just ordered some native edibles for
> >my
> >forest garden project.  Beach Plums, Persimmons, and pawpaw's..
> >
> >I will be taking out some Norway maples in my small woodlot and replacing
> >them with  Shag bark Hickories, and a Black Walnut.. Black walnut will be
> >going at the very Back corner of my lot replacing a dead American Elm..
> >Fully aware of the Black walnuts issues and researching under canopy
small
> >trees, shrubs, vines, perennial edibles, and mushrooms that will be
> alright
> >to plant under it.  Any suggestions?
> >
> >I will be planting sekel and a couple other pears within the areas I take
> >out the Norway maples.. Under canopy small trees persimmons, shrub layer
> >beach plums, red currents, service berries, mulched with wood chips..
With
> >Wine cap mushrooms.. Vine may be Grapes and or Sandra Berries..
> >
> >I have a Sloping hillside which is planted on top with Bush cherries and
I
> 
> >will be putting horse manure and wood chips down soon.  Putting up a
small
> >hoop house soon and getting more rain barrels.. Setting up a gravity feed
> >water system seeing I am on a South East running slope.. I will utilized
a
> >sears pump to run water to a good size water tank with a tap at the
> bottom.
> >each of the beds will get drip tape added this year..  Equipped with
quick
> >disconnects..
> >
> >The celery is up that I seeded and I will be buy onion seed ASAP..
> >
> >The Garlic I planed last fall looks like it is doing well..  The weather
> is
> >mild and then cold and then mild again.. About 43 degrees F today in
> >SouthEastern CT.. zone 7?
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Livingontheland mailing list
> >Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> >http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
> 
> 
> 
> 
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