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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Old drip tape--why does some last longer?
  • Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011 19:48:01 -0400


On Jun 5, 2011, at 7:34 PM, Richard Moyer wrote:

--Why is my drip tape lasting so long? We leave it out in the field
for years at a time, not even bothering to bring it in. For those of
you where it only lasts one year, are you using the thinnest weight
possible?

I am using 10 mil for most purposes; 15 mil if I expect to leave it in place for several years. I gave up on 8 mil, which often doesn't stay usable for one season.

I have rocks; there are assorted critters; and we do a lot of handweeding. All of these things can nick the tape. Cultivating equipment can really do a job on it -- or occasionally, like the handweeding, just barely nick it, so the damage isn't obvious till the water's turned on. Even pulling it out of the field and re-laying it can do damage, if it gets stuck on a sharp piece of shale.

Again, I do often get a couple of years from it; but not always. If you routinely get four, I think you're doing very well.

If you leave it in the field, how do you work the fields up with it in there? Are you using a no-till system, and relying on herbicides?


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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