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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64486
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Two ways Bob, I prefer to unscrew the cannister and remove the filter screen and wash it.
The other method is to attach a garden hose to the flush clean outlet (at the bottom) and turn on the drip valve. Any dirt will flush down the hose.
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larryC
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Posts: 1482
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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Well its been a month since I installed my drip system, and so far it has worked flawlessly. The Melnor timer works well on just gravity pressure from
the pila as do the emitters. the only modification I made to the timer was to do away with the battery pack and run a wire from inside the garage to
the timer and now I power the timer with a 6 volt transformer instead of 4 AA batteries. I wasn't sure how long the batteries would last and didn't
want them to go dead when I wasn't here.
The improvement in the plants is dramatic, they actually look healthy, and are growing like weeds, no pun intended. I realize that one month is not
the ultimate test, so it remains to be seen how the system does over the summer when noone is here. But so far all is well.
Thanks DavidK for the info,
Larry
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64486
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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| Quote: | Originally posted by larryC
Well its been a month since I installed my drip system, and so far it has worked flawlessly. The Melnor timer works well on just gravity pressure from
the pila as do the emitters. the only modification I made to the timer was to do away with the battery pack and run a wire from inside the garage to
the timer and now I power the timer with a 6 volt transformer instead of 4 AA batteries. I wasn't sure how long the batteries would last and didn't
want them to go dead when I wasn't here.
The improvement in the plants is dramatic, they actually look healthy, and are growing like weeds, no pun intended. I realize that one month is not
the ultimate test, so it remains to be seen how the system does over the summer when noone is here. But so far all is well.
Thanks DavidK for the info,
Larry |
Happy to be of service!
It is quite dramatic at how well plants grow on drip irrigation and regular on and off cycles instead of sporadic watering!
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John M
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Posts: 1907
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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timer
Hi David - you've probably answered this in one of the pages of posts but I loose patience going through them, and I know you like to answer directly
anyway.
I saw the reference to DIG 9000 battery timer and that may be my answer, but here is the question.
I have no electricy readily available where I need it. I do have a regular hose bib.
The job is simply to water 7 rose bushes. I had run a drip line with emitters to them but as you guess, watering is sporadic since I have to think
about it and turn the hose bib on manually, and the plants usually look terrible.
So, it's one drip line, 7 emitters, and I need a suitable timer - I suppose I ought to be watering once a day, number of days a week up in the (dry
desert) air.
John M
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David K
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Posts: 64486
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Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by John M
Hi David - you've probably answered this in one of the pages of posts but I loose patience going through them, and I know you like to answer directly
anyway.
I saw the reference to DIG 9000 battery timer and that may be my answer, but here is the question.
I have no electricy readily available where I need it. I do have a regular hose bib.
The job is simply to water 7 rose bushes. I had run a drip line with emitters to them but as you guess, watering is sporadic since I have to think
about it and turn the hose bib on manually, and the plants usually look terrible.
So, it's one drip line, 7 emitters, and I need a suitable timer - I suppose I ought to be watering once a day, number of days a week up in the (dry
desert) air.
John M |
Hi John,
I am not sure what your question is exactly... but in general:
In hot weather, maybe once a day or perhpas every 2 days... 1 hour (depends on the flow rate of the emitter) or more.
A small rose needs perhaps one emitter (2 GPH best) and a large rose bush use two emitters on opposite sides of the plant, near the edge of the leaf
canopy (not next to the trunk).
A battery timer would be the ticket and they make ones that connect to the hose bib, too.
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John M
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Posts: 1907
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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timer
Thanks David, I'll no doubt need to step up the water frequency.
Is that DIG9000 at $40 the least expensive, reliable, timer?
John
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64486
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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| Quote: | Originally posted by John M
Thanks David, I'll no doubt need to step up the water frequency.
Is that DIG9000 at $40 the least expensive, reliable, timer?
John |
I think so... http://www.digcorp.com/Landscape_Irrigation/174-9001DC_Batte...
But, you also have the other brand named above to check out.
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David K
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Posts: 64486
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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I had a question sent via u2u on emitter type and placement... so I am bumping this to Today's Posts as there are charts in the first couple of pages
of this thread that address the quetion with illustrations.
Any other irrigation questions, I will happily answer if I can!
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msawin
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Posts: 371
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: Grass Valley,Ca / Tripui
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drip set up
So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.
Marty
[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]
[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by msawin
So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.
Marty |
Hi Marty... photo is too tiny to see what you did. The emitters are 2 gph (hour), I hope!
Looking forward to seeing your lemon harvest!
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msawin
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Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: Grass Valley,Ca / Tripui
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So here is a close up view. I used #80 sunscreen to keep the seeds out. covered with lose small stones...
marty
Mexican "lemons" [small limes]
[Edited on 3-26-2011 by msawin]
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
| Quote: | Originally posted by msawin
So I have 3- 2 gmp. drip per tree. Planted lemon trees in back yard, March 2011.
Marty |
Hi Marty... photo is too tiny to see what you did. The emitters are 2 gph (hour), I hope!
Looking forward to seeing your lemon harvest! |
I may have said this before, but David did our Drip system in our front yard over a year ago, and it still works great.
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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David K
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Posts: 64486
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Location: San Diego County
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Thanks Marty for making the photo bigger... and it looks fine...
You have E-2 type 'flag' emitters there... They are available in 1, 2 and 4 GPH flow rates at 15 psi.
They are the type of emitter that can easily get clogged (laminar flow), so they are made to be taken apart to clean the spiral flow path. Grab the
flag and turn it 180° then pull it apart. The flag normally should point towards the water outlet.
They are also not pressure compensating... That means if the pressure goes up, the flow rate goes up, etc. However, this is good if your pressure is
low (like from a pila), as there is no minimum pressure for it to work... it will just drip less if under 15 psi.
Bob... once again, thanks for posting the good report (your check is in the mail LOL)! Are you back from Maui, Hawaii yet?
[Edited on 12-13-2019 by David K]
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MitchMan
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Posts: 1855
Registered: 3-9-2009
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FWIW, if you just need a couple of trees or certain few plants irrigated in your absence from Baja, here's a simple solution. Home Depot or OSH or
Lowe's in USA has a AA battery operated valve that that can serve one or two hoses. Simply screw this valve directly on the spigot and leave the
spigot open. I use the spigot that would serve the outside provision for a washing machine, that way my tinaco on top of the house can supply a
constant anytime supply of water.
Once the valve is screwed onto the spigot, use reguler garden hose to get close to or in between the two or three plants you want to irrigate. At the
end of the hose, screw on a 1 foot lenght of another hose (spare hose and cut it at 1 foot length. Stuff a 1 foot length of 1/4 inch plastic tubing
in it and put a "T" at the other end of the 1 ft plastic tube. Use more 14 inch plastic tube to go from the "T" to the plants. Done.
The battery powered valve cost about $25-$35 USD. I have used this system for the past year to irrigate my orange tree, the mango tree and the lime
tree and it works flawlessly and reliably. I will be back in Baja at the end of the month and will post photos of my system to make it clearer and
easier to understand if anyone is interested.
It's cheap, it's easy to do, will work for more than three plants, only needs minimal water pressure.
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Jim/Liisa
Nomad
Posts: 192
Registered: 2-5-2011
Location: San Felipe (South Campos)
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
FWIW, if you just need a couple of trees or certain few plants irrigated in your absence from Baja, here's a simple solution. Home Depot or OSH or
Lowe's in USA has a AA battery operated valve that that can serve one or two hoses. Simply screw this valve directly on the spigot and leave the
spigot open. I use the spigot that would serve the outside provision for a washing machine, that way my tinaco on top of the house can supply a
constant anytime supply of water.
Once the valve is screwed onto the spigot, use reguler garden hose to get close to or in between the two or three plants you want to irrigate. At the
end of the hose, screw on a 1 foot lenght of another hose (spare hose and cut it at 1 foot length. Stuff a 1 foot length of 1/4 inch plastic tubing
in it and put a "T" at the other end of the 1 ft plastic tube. Use more 14 inch plastic tube to go from the "T" to the plants. Done.
The battery powered valve cost about $25-$35 USD. I have used this system for the past year to irrigate my orange tree, the mango tree and the lime
tree and it works flawlessly and reliably. I will be back in Baja at the end of the month and will post photos of my system to make it clearer and
easier to understand if anyone is interested.
It's cheap, it's easy to do, will work for more than three plants, only needs minimal water pressure. |
MitchMan,
Don't mean to scare you but if the water is very hard like it is at my home in Calif. The interior valve will build up with calcium and if your lucky,
it will freez up on the closed cycle but mine always froze up on the open cyclel.
I have tried several makes and they all have done the same thing. Had used them for my Koi pond to keep it toped off during the summer heat. Lucky for
Me they failed while I was home, not in Mexico. Lucky for Me we have our Son home most of the time.
I quite using them for that reason.
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy!
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David--The three houses I've worked on since moving back to CA have all had me convert sprinklers to drip (The Netafim knockoff stuff at
Ewing)---amazing how attitudes have changed in five years! $Water probably helps too. Keep up the good work.
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ncampion
Super Nomad
Posts: 1238
Registered: 4-15-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retired and Loving it
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Jim/Liisa
| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
FWIW, if you just need a couple of trees or certain few plants irrigated in your absence from Baja, here's a simple solution. Home Depot or OSH or
Lowe's in USA has a AA battery operated valve that that can serve one or two hoses. Simply screw this valve directly on the spigot and leave the
spigot open. I use the spigot that would serve the outside provision for a washing machine, that way my tinaco on top of the house can supply a
constant anytime supply of water.
Once the valve is screwed onto the spigot, use reguler garden hose to get close to or in between the two or three plants you want to irrigate. At the
end of the hose, screw on a 1 foot lenght of another hose (spare hose and cut it at 1 foot length. Stuff a 1 foot length of 1/4 inch plastic tubing
in it and put a "T" at the other end of the 1 ft plastic tube. Use more 14 inch plastic tube to go from the "T" to the plants. Done.
The battery powered valve cost about $25-$35 USD. I have used this system for the past year to irrigate my orange tree, the mango tree and the lime
tree and it works flawlessly and reliably. I will be back in Baja at the end of the month and will post photos of my system to make it clearer and
easier to understand if anyone is interested.
It's cheap, it's easy to do, will work for more than three plants, only needs minimal water pressure. |
MitchMan,
Don't mean to scare you but if the water is very hard like it is at my home in Calif. The interior valve will build up with calcium and if your lucky,
it will freez up on the closed cycle but mine always froze up on the open cyclel.
I have tried several makes and they all have done the same thing. Had used them for my Koi pond to keep it toped off during the summer heat. Lucky for
Me they failed while I was home, not in Mexico. Lucky for Me we have our Son home most of the time.
I quite using them for that reason. |
I'm using similar valves at my house in Loreto and have heard about the "stuck open" problem from another person. Is there any way to "de-calcify"
them periodicly, maybe with viniger or something? I guess you would have to keep it from the electronics. Any thoughts, David???
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mulegemichael
Super Nomad
Posts: 2310
Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
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Mood: up on step
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marty....remember the single most important thing that you shouldn't do to meyers lemons is overwater...WAAAYYYYY reduce your watering cycle to them
and you won't have blossom drop in the spring....we cut our watering cycle way way back last spring and now have scores and scores of lemons almost
ready to harvest...that's all we did differently and it made a huge difference....learned that from a rancher down here that grows organic produce for
trader joes.
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mulegemichael
marty....remember the single most important thing that you shouldn't do to meyers lemons is overwater...WAAAYYYYY reduce your watering cycle to them
and you won't have blossom drop in the spring....we cut our watering cycle way way back last spring and now have scores and scores of lemons almost
ready to harvest...that's all we did differently and it made a huge difference....learned that from a rancher down here that grows organic produce for
trader joes. |
I wonder if that phylosophy would apply to my dwarf ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT tree that I have in a 30 gallon Mexican pot. I have had it for years, and
it always produces lots of blooms, and then lots of tiny pea-size fruit, but all but about 1 to 4 drop off fast when still pea size. The one's that
survive are delicious, but for years I never get more than 1 to 4 fruit per year. It gets automatically watered every other day in the heat (100 +)
of summer.
Barry
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Mood: Happy!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
| Quote: | Originally posted by mulegemichael
marty....remember the single most important thing that you shouldn't do to meyers lemons is overwater...WAAAYYYYY reduce your watering cycle to them
and you won't have blossom drop in the spring....we cut our watering cycle way way back last spring and now have scores and scores of lemons almost
ready to harvest...that's all we did differently and it made a huge difference....learned that from a rancher down here that grows organic produce for
trader joes. |
I wonder if that phylosophy would apply to my dwarf ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT tree that I have in a 30 gallon Mexican pot. I have had it for years, and
it always produces lots of blooms, and then lots of tiny pea-size fruit, but all but about 1 to 4 drop off fast when still pea size. The one's that
survive are delicious, but for years I never get more than 1 to 4 fruit per year. It gets automatically watered every other day in the heat (100 +)
of summer.
Barry |
Barry---I'd say it has as much to do with the plant being in a pot---even dwarf fruit trees take a lot of fertilizer and precise watering to get
significant fruit when they're in a pot. The winters in Redding might be a little cool for a grapefruit too---the OroBlanco doesn't like it much
below 30 degs---though I'm sure they love that summer heat!
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