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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Irrigation Systems
  • Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:01:40 -0400

>Allan, can you please share the citation (title, author, etc.) of the
>University article on drip lines and their impact on roots? Thanks.

On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 5:49 AM, Allan.Balliett
<allan.balliett AT gmail.com>wrote:

> a fear I substantiate earlier this week when I read a university paper on
> how drip lines concentrate plant roots and root activity under the drip,
> reducing the availability of soil nutrients, particularly broadcast
> fertilizers, to the plants. It was the case for us that we saw little
> 'mushrooming' of the t-tape irrigation water during the drought and, rather,
> deep narrow mud areas under the tape. (I'm talking about first year beds
> that lacked much soil structure and probably lost any they had as they
> became more dry.)

Dr. Ron Morse, VA Tech, at a recent field day showed us a no-till
system that cuts the soil up to 10" deep, and can deliver fertilizer
at three different points within this 10". He said delivering the
fertilizer vertically instead of broadcasting horizontally puts the
nutrition where the plant needs it, and allows less fertilizer use per
square foot of bed. In this system, drip tape at each row, even if it
doesn't spread wide due to soil type or poor structure, is still
effective. I'm trying a simpler version of this, banding fertilizer
only in the rows of fall beets and carrots.

Have read on this list of running drip irrigation overnight at or
before planting, to ensure deep and wide moisture levels in beds of
new transplants or seeds.

As for soil structure and its effect on irrigation effectiveness, a
newcomer recently polled this list about frequency of tillage, in
light of concerns about overdoing it. (Few of us replied, at least to
the list). I've all but abandoned two areas in my fields that were
tilled frequently as previous owners garden, hence quickly ranging
between muck when wet and brick when dry. Abyssmal yields of crops
therein, despite equal rates of drip irrigation and fertilizer and
same starting soil type within the same 100' row. Am sheet composting
these poor areas this fall and winter with feet of organic material,
on recommendation from a regional NRCS soil scientist.

Richard Moyer
SW VA




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