That's not the problem. I can, with a bit of force, push the black tubing on to the drippers/connectors/T-pieces. What IS the problem is that the tube has its own idea as to where to form loops and turns and it's a heck of a job to keep it straight. Whereas a thin copper tube would not have that problem.
MM
Yep, also an idea to try. Or try a soaker hose.
MM
Agreed. My basic problem is that I *assumed* it would all just work! I should have started planning the system weeks ago. Too late now, because my British Airways plane is already on the tarmac, so to speak. But all your tips will be looked into when I get back.
I, too, thought of an inline pump (e.g. Whale Standard 12V Submersible Electric Pump) somehow wired into the Hozelock so that when the Hozelock opens the valve the pump comes on. That would surely provide enough pressure to feed twenty pots.
It worked/works very well when I was living very frugally while waiting for the pensions to kick in and couldn't justify a sprinkler, which I now have treated myself to a couple of years ago (from Wilko).
Ah, yes! Good point. Where I used to live in Bucks we had no meters! It wouldn't have mattered (well, my conscience would have pricked a bit).
How weird! No, not that you took it to bits, but that *I* had EXACTLY the same thought myself over the past day or two, especially when I started considering that inline pump and what would be involved in hooking up a Raspberry pi or Basic Stamp to the circuitry. However, I haven't dismantled mine yet, as it wasn't cheap. What is actually inside these timers?
I love technology!
Okay, well, wtatch this space, because as soon as I've worked out a viable *long-term* solution, I'll document it. Probably re-inventing the wheel, but there ya go. It's all rather too daft for some people, who say you can buy tomatoes at Tesco or Asda any day of the week, why Bother? But you have to try these things! (I tell 'em.)
Ditto
MM
I'll look into adjustable drippers. Got any recommendations as to make?
MM
Quite, and it didn't seem like it was designed to be taken apart.
Well, in mine there was a fairly traditional (and well greased) nylon ball-valve with a little gear train driving it from a fairly small motor and an end-stop switch. Also a neat PCB. ;-)
Cool.
Hey, you never know when you come up with a new / alternative design. ;-)
Well, I did have a go and growing my own for a couple of years and can say that whilst I had some success (runners and onions mainly) the rest was more time, effort and faff than was worth the cost saving or taste improvement for me. [1]
Unfortunately I'm not a fan of veg as such (but eat quite a bit because I 'should') and whilst I can sometimes taste the difference between 'home grown' toms and 'forced' mass produced stuff, it's not enough (for me) to justify the extra effort.
I think the biggest example of a 'complete waste of time' was trying to grow 4 Brussel sprout plants. Constantly trying to stop creatures eating them before I could and then I ended up with 4 stalks with marble sized sprouts on them and I could buy fully formed versions for £1 / stick in Sainsbury's. ;-(
Cheers, T i m
[1] I think I'm what they call a 'Supertaster' and believe the nasty side taste I get from most brassicas is the same as I get with most sweetness etc. I now have no sugar in tea of coffee (after have two teaspoons most of my life) and went 'cold turkey' rather than put up with sweeteners. Mrs has sweeteners and has no issues with them?[snip]
Stop Press!!!
The heating engineer was here today to service the boiler. He's the same chap who replaced my leaky single-skin oil tank with a bunded one last October. So we got talking and I pointed to the water butt and pipes. First thing he said was, the 4mm pipe is offering too much friction for the very small volume of water flowing through it. His suggestion was: Get a piece of standard 13mm garden hose, put a bog-standard push/click connector on one end and connect it to the Hozelock. Then drill very small holes along the hose in the right places. Oh, and block off the end of the hose after the last plant.
I did it and it works perfectly! I had to have two goes, though. The first time I drilled the holes with a 3mm drill, but the water consumption would have been quite high over two weeks, so I did it again, this time with a 1mm drill. All six plants are getting a nice watering for 2 minutes every 6 hours. I topped up the water butt to the brim and that's going to be it for now. The hose sits nicely across the top of the pots, but I stuck short lengths of bamboo cane down the side of the hose at each pot, just to ensure the hose stays in place. That is, imagine a tuning fork placed over the hose pipe and then stuck into the compost. I formed "tuning forks" out of two pieces of cane.
MM
I've only used Gardena, and they seemed to be ok. I bought them years ago when a garden centre was stopping stocking them. They had a basketful of various Gardena drip-watering stuff at less than 25% of normal prices!
There are quite a few different ones listed here:
I just looked at the Gardena inline adjustable drippers on Amazon and that twowests site and they're quite cheap. 10 for £12.99 on Amazon with free delivery over £20, or £10.99 + £4.99 delivery from twowests.
Thanks for the feedback.
MM
Hmmm, I could imagine that the case if you were looking for a good flow as that requires 'volume' but for a dripper role? I bet if you had just left one open ended 4mm pipe on the floor with the time on 'On' it would empty the butt before you thought. Even a small leak will spread water all over the place pretty quickly.
So more like a 'leaky hose' solution or the std Hoselock 'distribution' size hose for a std water distribution system (that you pierce and fit the thinner hose that go to each pot).
Which sounds very close to the idea of P2 and just taking the drippers off your initial system. ;-)
As long as you ended up with something that works, that's the main thing.
Now relax and enjoy yer hols. ;-)
Cheers, T i m
Follow-up after holiday:
I returned on Friday. The tomato watering system obviously worked, and was still working. Unfortunately, the tomato plants don't look too brilliant. They have brown flecks on some of the leaves. Too much watering? Apparently, it has been very wet in South Lincs.
Anyway, the principle worked!
MM
Tomatoes, like potatoes, are subject to blight in warm humid conditions, although I don't think brown spots are a feature, rather it's yellowing, then browning, shriveling and dying off of leaves and stems. What you have may be harmless, or may be treatable with a simple fungicide from your local garden centre. There's plenty of articles on diseases of tomatoes here
replying to MM, SH wrote: Dear MM, Your last three drippers are "sucking hind tit". Imagine a sow feeding
8 piglets. One or two of them really don't thrive because they are relegated to the "hind tit" and just don't get the nutrition that the others have. Your first three drippers are "using" all of your available water pressure and so none gets beyond them. This is common in a barrel or any other very low pressure system. You have to equalize by using two or even three feed lines and a manifold so that each line feeds only two or three drippers. The suggestion in one response that you have debris or blockages of some kind I think is unlikely. Of course this can occur and does but since you appear to be using a new system it is probably not the case. Set up your system so that the first drippers in line are not starving the later ones and you should be OK.
You need your water butt to be higher off the ground. Much higher. Things will be even worse when it's nearly empty.
replying to MM, Neil Linfield wrote: Hi I have played around with a system in my allotment for a double greenhouse. After much playing I have raised the rain butt on blocks. Plastic tap to Hozelock, pipe tightly into a slug pellet bottle after drilling for a very tight fit. Drilled and sealed the top with little connectors very tight tie rap on hose inside bottle to stop it slipping out with the weight of the water.. adjustable drillers. Works perfectly as the slight pressure pushes the air out of the drillers and prevents the need for bleeding the system. Ideal when away as mates simply top up the system daily with hosepipe. Brilliant!
Just take the large bore feed to a point near the plants then create a manifold where all your laterals are fed with water. Make all laterals equal bore and length coiling spare length out of the way so the flow resistance of each is the same.
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