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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] mini sprinklers

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  • From: bcluton AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] mini sprinklers
  • Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:33:47 -0400

Not a great deal of experience...

But we started using the mini-sprinklers last season to get small seeded crops germinated during an extremely dry growing season.(ie. lettuce mix, carrots, arugula, spinach, etc.)  Anything we do multi row / bed seeding on could be feasible.

They work pretty well.  

We created a "sprinkler main" that is a 300' piece of low density 1" plastic pipe.(you can use 3/4 but we had 1")  The sprinklers are inserted about every eight feet.  We would move this "main" around to the newly seeded beds and connect it to the irrigation header with a Combo - T (T - with a valve).  Our rotation had drip irrigated crops and small seeded crops side-by-side in beds - etc.  This was a little problematic last season with the mini-sprinklers because we had to add a second irrigation header that didn't have any drip tape connected to it.  We put a diversion valve at the irrigation main and could select either drip irrigating those beds or sending water to the header that would be higher pressure and feed the sprinklers.  We built the sprinkler headers with T-s every 15' planning on being able to water that width.  At least on our pressure thats a bit to wide.  We can water about 6 - 8'.  We also found that 300' is a bit long for a sprinkler run with our pressure.  We have about 20 - 30 psi and were at times as far as a 1000' feet from the source.

This season we'll try to consolidate crops that we expect to sprinkler irrigate.(thus eliminating the need for multiple headers)  We'll also run these fields shorter probably no more than 150' (this should help with pressure at the end of the line)  And we'll also plan to just cut in the T's where we need them and replace them with insert connectors when they're moved.  We may end up with a lead line thats pretty cut up but this will be more flexible than trying to pre-figure where we need T's (and also save us from buying a bunch more T's).

We bought them in a pinch during last seasons drought.  And purchased more this winter so that's some indication of our feelings on using the mini-sprinklers.  They're a bit of pain to move around and monkey with but they sure can make a big difference in getting things popping if the soil surface is dry.(and seems like its going to stay that way)

Brian 
Stones Throw Farm
South Onondaga, NY Zone 5 ish 


-----Original Message-----
From: Rosie Creek Farm <rosie-ck AT mosquitonet.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 1:49 pm
Subject: [Market-farming] mini sprinklers

We're thinking of switching from drip tape to mini sprinklers for our 
direct seeded crops.

does anyone have any experience with these?

Thanks

Mike Emers
Rosie Creek Farm
Ester AK - zones 1-2
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