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market-farming - Re: drip tape pick-up and storage

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  • From: Leigh Hauter <lh AT pressroom.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: drip tape pick-up and storage
  • Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 08:22:37 -0400


I think Allan makes some important points. I go back and forth with t-tape and sprinklers. (the years I put it down I don't need it, the years I think I won't need it, we have droughts). I think the advantages of t-tape are for long runs (since I'm growing only 5 acres of vegetables in fields of convoluted shapes for our csa, there are no long runs) and where you need conservative, efficient use of water (I have a great water source with enough gravity pressure to run sprinklers). And while theoretically sprinklers are going to spread disease (more so than t-tape) I haven't noticed a real enough problem to take that into consideration.

The next issue is cost. While we all would like to use t-tape more than one season, the truth is, for efficient use, almost all t-tape is only good for one season (especially when you take the damage of pulling it out of the field, storing it, and putting it down again). A sprinkling system is more cost effective.

The final consideration (for me) is time. t-tape means a lot of time putting it down in the spring and taking it up in the fall. Sprinklers mean more time moving feeder hoses and sprinklers while watering. In the long run sprinklers are cheaper.



Allan wrote:
Personally, I think t-tape is crap and won't be installing it in the future,going to a more substantial product, perhaps soaker hose, perhaps metered pvc. I can see the value of t-tape in long runs in row crops on large acreage. I feel that a relatively small garden (7 acres) should be handled with a little more reliable system.

T-tape breaks, rodents chew into it, spiney plants grow through it, and, it clogs. Strangest for me was that t-tape that appeared to work fine last fall did not pass water this spring. I assume 'something' filled the emitters from the inside. The tape did not appear to be clogged otherwise.

I have gotten more than one season from the heavier t-tapes in the past.

I have to admit that in my CSA garden, plants watered overhead seem to do better than plants watered with drip tape, but I've never found other growers who agree with this observation.

After all is said and done, As environmentalists, we have disposal to consider.






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