by John Callaway

After reading John's article, I went to the DripWorks site and found that they have improved their site immensely.. If you are considering an automatic system, you should read their Basic watering 101 under the calculator section. It gives everything you should consider before ordering - ED

I read the article by our own George Buehler on automatic watering and took his advice. I contacted DripWorks and setup a basic system using their "Heart of the Garden" kit, an inexpensive battery operated timer and several different types of spray heads.

I chose a different method of watering than George did. Instead of individual watering heads and/or drip lines for each tree, I opted for a broader watering pattern. The system I set up uses the lowest rated gallon per hour (gph) Mini-Jets (180 degree spray patter, 6.8gph @ 30 psi) placed strategically along my benches. I felt that the broad spray pattern would help keep the humidity level up around the benches, as well as to help water the trays of moss under the benches.

Each Mini-Jet is supported by a valve stake so that I can control the amount of spray each head puts out, or shut it off completely. Each valve stake is attached to the side of the benches by a stainless screw, mounted low so that the spray hits the soil without too much water hitting the foliage. The numerous spray heads and 180 degree spray pattern give me optimal coverage along the benches, and the freedom to move my trees as needed.

 

The low gph rating allows for longer watering times at more frequent intervals. This also means that I can have more spray heads without using too much of the available flow (see the flow calculator on DripWorks' site). I felt that lower flow heads and watering more often and for longer amounts of time would more closely resemble a spring shower than the all-at-once soaking that busy people tend to do.

The battery timer that I chose is the least expensive digital timer that DripWorks had to offer. Among the features it has, are 4 programmable start times per day which I find quite useful. There is also a "rain shutoff" button that you can choose to manually disable the watering system and a manual override so that you can turn on your watering system whenever you like. For the money this battery timer is well worth it.

 

I have found that I leave the system in "rain shutoff" mode more than I thought I would. With our Ohio Valley weather, I am finding that the spring rains and temperature fluctuations are enough to keep anyone guessing, so it's just easier to manually turn the system on as needed, or stick to the old watering can on most days. Once summer arrives this will be the time when the auto-watering system will really be invaluable; watering early in the morning, a quick splash in the afternoon to cool down the pots, and a final watering in the evening.