Hand holding required - setting up watering system in GH

[Scarlet]

Ok, I would like to set up a watering system in the GH. At the moment, I set in upturned milk bottles and water into those daily. The rest of the ground is completely covered in newspaper to stop the top drying out.
I would like something I could turn on everyday (prefer with a timer! ) The GH is in my garden.
I'm a DIY numpty. At the moment I use a hosepipe daily during peak growing season. It's 20ft long and it takes ages and I'd rather be doing something else with my time. I've 3 water butts outside the door but generally these are empty by summer.

What do I need to buy and where do I start...

[Kristen]

I have capillary matting on my staging
Leaky hose, under weed suppressing woven membrane, in the "cropping house" where I grow direct in the greenhouse border.

If I had large containers (9" or more) I would use drip-irrigation as I don't think capillary matting would provide enough water.

I wouldn't have mine totally automated - I'd be happy to turn it on whilst in the greenhouse fiddling - as I like to see my plants each day to check if anything needs doing, and that happens during "watering" (albeit that mine is already low-effort )

P.S. Totally automated, on a timer, does mean you can go away for the weekend though - if you have automatic openers on the vents.

[Scarlet]

I have 2 GH, this one I use just for toms, a double row each side, planted in the borders. I'm in there everyday but I fancied something "auto" as I'm usually away for a week or two just befor September. My mum comes to look after my plants. Watering seems to be a huge job for her and me actually - standing filling those milk bottles takes ages and I often put the hose in one and forget about it! As I'm on a metre I thought something that turns off itself would help

[rhonsal]

I was tempted by the sales and bought some of those bags that you hang up and they provide a drip system - this will be my first year at trying it out, so not sure how it will go but I'm hoping it will help with more even watering!

[Jungle Jane]

Hozelock watering system can be set on a timer,it's what I use when I'm away. Set the timer unit for 15 mins for example once or twice a day. I think you can get extensions for it too.

[Kristen]

toms, a double row each side, planted in the borders. I'm in there everyday but I fancied something "auto" as I'm usually away for a week or two just befor September

leaky hose would be fine - I favour that over Drip irrigation, except for containers, because it leaks all along its length so isn't prone to blocking the same way that the little drip nozzles do.

You can get a "timer" for the tap. If you want to run it off a water butt, rather than the mains, make sure you get a timer that works at low water pressure - most of them need a high pressure water supply (i.e. Mains) to properly turn On and Off.

[Scarlet]

When you say leaky hose, do you mean the black soaker hose? How much do you lay down? Is a single straight run enough, along each side?

[Kristen]

When you say leaky hose, do you mean the black soaker hose?

That's the one. Made from old recycled tyres I believe.

How much do you lay down? Is a single straight run enough, along each side?

I run one-run down each row of plants - the water spreads sideways through the soil a fair distance, but I do make sure that the pipe is in contact with the plant stem at the outset - when the rootball is small it is important that the water delivery is "close" to the plant, thereafter it is less of an issue. You might choose to handwater initially to make sure there is no chance of some plants not getting enough (probably over kill, but be prepared to the first time & first year perhaps?)

If you are anxious that a plant might not get enough water (not sure applicable to Tomatoes, but I do do this for Trees, for example) you can run the leaky hose around each plant in a loop (or several coils even ) to increase the amount of water given to each plant, compared to the gap in between the plants. Just need to be careful not to kink the pipe nor make the coil loops too tight

I plant three rows in my greenhouse. On one side its tomatoes (near central path / roof ridge, Toms are my tallest crop), then a row of Peppers / Aubergines, and then by, and climbing up, the glass I have Melons.

On the other side I have three rows of Sweetcorn, which follow three rows (interplanted) of overwintering Chard, and they are replaced (interplanted with the Corn until it is pulled out) of more Peppers. So the 3-rows of leaky pipe works for me - the rows are about 18" apart, and just have T-s at the end to interconnect them.

May be overkill but I interconnect them at the far end as well - I figure if one pipe has more water pressure than the others if I connect them at the far end it will help even out the pressure. You might want to put a pair of same-size dishes usder each end of the pipe and see if they fill up at about the same rate when you are "commissioning" the system

[roitelet]

I've used soaker pots for the last ten years. Not a lot of trouble just fill them up every 4-5 days. Some where in the dim distant past I posted pictures of them. They last for ever if you take them out of the ground in winter to stop them freezing.

[Scarlet]

I've decided to go with the soaker hose. Am I safer spending my money on "h@sel@ck" or could I get away with a non branded version?

I'm going to put it in two GH's, they are about 20+ foot apart, do I have them on the same hose? join them up with a pipe in between, or keep them separate?Gardener's Choice 30M Soaker Hose - 13mm - Sprinkler Hose, Soaker Hose & Drip Line - Garden Hose Pipes - Hoses And Watering

[bario1]

I had a bad experience with cheap soaker hose Scarlet. Reading through this thread might give you ideas/put you off altogether!

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eds_76791.html

[Scarlet]

I've bought it now Cost nearly £80 do I hopeit works. I thread your thread Bario, checked my pipe, it's really solid stuff and will need a stanley to cut it.
I've just got to get the fittings to attached it to the outside tap. I'll let you know how I get on.

# I got it from here. 50m kit, plus an extra fixing kit

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/s...s-pid7688.html

[Kristen]

it's really solid stuff and will need a stanley to cut it.

That's the leaky hose presumably (rather than any non-leaky connecting hose)?

If you lay it out in the sun it will be easier to "shape" - particularly if you want it straight, rather than "curly" but it won't bend round a tight corner without kinking, so if you need to do that best to get some barbed fittings - 90-degree elbow, or Tee connectors if you need to branch it. FWIW I have three rows of leaky house down my greenhouse borders, which are 4' wide. They are connected at both ends (with a Tee on the middle one and 2 x 90-degree on the outer ones and then another Tee at the supply end, connecting to the water supply). I connected at the "far" end too just in case it equalised the water pressure better, but it may be totally unnecessary!

I recommend you put a shallow tray under it, one at each end, when you first test it so you can see if it tends to deliver more water in one place than another. If you only have one straight run connecting the supply hose to the middle, rather than one end, might give more even dripping along the whole length.

[Scarlet]

Definately soaker hose... Came with T's and straight connectors. I got an extra pack of these as I want to do 2 GH's. It all looks a bit daunting. Do you think I can join them both up?So that I can water them at the same time? Or best keep them separate?

[bario1]

HH is always good quality I think.