Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dan Conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>]

I have used drip tapes for several years and the tubes like irrigro. I am skeptical of not filtering either because they do plug with hard water and grit. You don't need an elaborate filter, but should have at least a screen type filter which is finer than the holes in the tape or tubing.
If you want more water but not as much as soaker hoses, you can get drip tape with small spacings (down to 4" I think). I use the tapes in the field and sometimes in the greenhouse, while tubing works best for me with potted things or spot plantings for direct watering, sometimes with the dripper tubing and sometimes with separate sprinkle heads on 1/4" feeders.

I do have clay soils, though, so I get good spreading of the water from the tapes horizontally. If you have sandy soil, you will need the tape to be exactly where your root zones are, so you should lay the tape, turn it on, and plant in the wet spots. With clay soil, I can lay the tape after planting.

I reuse drip tapes, but the best results are when I don't try rolling it back up. I just pull it off one field into another or up along the side of a drive to get it off fields I work with tillage. I'm hoping to get into no-till this year and then I can just leave the tapes in place and chase the mice with the dog to keep them from chewing holes....;-) Make sure you have spare repair couplers for when you are using the sharp tools..;-(   With tape, don't buy plugs for the closed ends, just tie a knot in it.

Dan C.
Belgium,WI