Garden Irrigation Idea ... Comments Please

[LRTX1]

Yet another way to do it is with "soaker hoses". That's just a layman's term for drip irrigation, and again, if you google that phrase you can get an on-line Masters Degree in the subject

The concept of the system is to deliver water (and fertilizer, if you chose) to the root zone of the plants, where it is needed. No wasting water between the rows, and no danger of getting the 'over-watering diseases' on the leafy plant parts.

What he said, a drip system is a low psi requirement, more effiecient placement of water and the ability to fertilize at the same time. You can also work in the garden and water at the same time without getting wet.

 

[firefighter9208]

I watered 3 acres of pumpkins last year with a 2" Pacer Pump Pacer Pumps - Gas Driven S Series Pumps - EconoAg (200 gpm). I used T tape T-Tape (Drip Tape) - Dripworks Drip Tape For Row Crops drip irrigation tape. A total of 12,000 feet of tape. This tape was buried beside the row. I made a plow for my Farmall to plow it in about 6" deep.

I could water the entire field at one time with this 2" pump. I would crank the pump and let it run until all the lines were pressurized. I bought fittings to go on the end lines that were cut off valves. I would go to the end of each row and open the valve until clear water ran out. I then would turn the pump down until I had about 15-20 psi of pressure on the lines. I could water over 2 hours on a tank of gas (about 1 gallon)

I did not run a filter on the line and had no problems. About once a week I would run Clorox through the lines to kill any bacteria or algae.

On Edit: I can post pics of how I set up my pump with a pressure guage and induction line, so you can use liquid fertilizer and pump it directly into the lines with the water if you want.

I plan to buy another of these pumps for this year. One to use at my grandads to pump water onto a patch of pumpkins and another to use at my house to water another field of pumpkins.

Chris

 

[zzvyb6]

Windmill, elevated tank, pump jack, hit & miss engine would have a high cool factor.

 

[DAY]

Windmill, elevated tank, pump jack, hit & miss engine would have a high cool factor.

When I bought this place there was a ram that pumped water into a 1200 gallon tank in the top of the barn, gravity feed from there. Too bad i had to tear it out- needed to turn the barn into a ceramic studio.

For anybody with a water drop of even a few feet, a hydraulic ram is the closest thing to 'perpetual motion' that exists- google it!

 

[boggen]

Koiphen.com goto the construction forum.

there are many folks there, that have ponds. (mud or liner ponds) and many folks have enough filters, that it requires a sump, to drain all there filters to. and then use a trash pump that can handle solids to send the waste water / fish poo up to a garden hose. so they can water there lawn / garden / trees / flower beds.

due to they are using water with fish poo and like mixed into the water. there is clogging problems that have to be addressed. and that is. providing ""clean outs"" every so often. so they can run a "plumbers snake" or garden hose down the pipes to clear out the mess.

generally these folks use a trash pump that can handle say 3/4 inch solids. some have gotten by with trash pumps that can handle smaller solids. while others. get trash pumps that can handle larger size solids. due to they also send leafs and twigs directly to the pump to get crunched up and sent out.

becuase of larger size muck being sent out. folks have taken pvc pipe or flex pipe. and simply drilled holes to accomodate the muck coming from the trash pump. vs trying to even think about sprinkler heads. sprinklers can clog rather fast. if you don't have half way clean water. some folks have taken a drill and made the holes bigger on them though.

while others, have just used a regular end cap that fits over the pipe. and driled holes into it. to create a DIY sprinkler head.

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as far as plumbing goes. i would not place things on a grid.

but rather for example run a hose to each sprinkler and then run all the hoses from each sprinkler back to a common area were you can setup a manifold. manifold being a bunch of tees / wyes. and in your case ball valves or gate valves

if ya don't do the manifold. you will experience sprinklers nearest to the pump getting majorty of the water. while sprinklers furthest way seeing hardly any water form them.

if ya try and do a single main 2" pipe for example and place a tee were ever. you want sprinkler. ((see above about un even flow of water to sprinklers))

also by making a single spot were all the valves are. it is much easier to protect the valves from "lawn mower" weedeater, hot sun, and the cold.

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as far as strainer out in the pond. you will be most like having an ugly face a few times. more so due to weeds and vegitation in the water plugging the strainer up. my suggestion would be, getting some sort of float. perhaps old propane tank that is completely empty. and use a chain (not a nylon rope or other type of rope but a good chain) to hook to end of strainer / pipe. and then also tieing on a couple concrete bricks to end of pipe with some chains. this will allow you to get the strainer out past the weeds (4 feet or deeper areas of the pond / lake. and keep the pipe from moving up into shore on you. while also keeping the strainer up and out of the mud. ((assuming pond = a mud bottom pond/lake))

pending on type pipe you go with. you may need to make a couple saddle bags or something to place over the pipe as it enters the water. to help keep the pipe down under water. so you don't have to see the ugly thing.

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without knowing specs or rather ((GPH gallons per hour or minute to head loss chart for the pump)) it is rather hard sizing pipes for ya. but on general rule of thumb. go with 3" pipe between strainer in pond and inlet on pump. with exception of the last couple feet reduce to 2" on the pump.

on the outlet side running to manifold. it depends on distance it will most likely be either 2" or 3". to manifold. then from manifold to sprinklers 1/2" to 3/4" maybe 1" depends how many and length of pipe.

forgot to add, you will most likely either want a foot valve or rather a check valve. right after the strainer. and then a tee just after the pump (between pump and manifold) so if you need to prime the line with water. you can do so.

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as far as pumps and like. even cheap trash pumps for 100 bucks. should work for ya. granted you may not be able to run / water everything at once.

if you end up going with a pool pump, or well pump. and you always want pressure within the water lines. then you would need a tank like a well tank. to deal with pressure switch for the pump and keep the pump from doing rapid on/off doings that could quickly kill the pump. or rather the starter for the pump.

 

[blueriver]

Alot of super good info thanks ... I believe I want to stay away from the drip and the soaker hose's seems like to me I would be moving them everytime I went to cultivate.

I am planning a "driveway" or "road" where I would run the sprinklers and could also spray from there with the tractor.

I like the idea of "floating" the strainer ...

 

[firefighter9208]

Alot of super good info thanks ... I believe I want to stay away from the drip and the soaker hose's seems like to me I would be moving them everytime I went to cultivate.

I am planning a "driveway" or "road" where I would run the sprinklers and could also spray from there with the tractor.

I like the idea of "floating" the strainer ...

I drive a fence post into the pond. Attach a piece of steel to the strainer with a piece 12 ga. fence wire about 12" long (to pull down on the strainer). I then attach a milk jug to the strainer with a 24" long piece of 12 ga. fence wire (to "float" the strainer). This puts the strainer about 24" from the top of the water. There is less debris in this layer of water. You also won't be pumping silt/mud off the bottom.

My grandfather has been using the t-tape on his garden (2 acres) that he sells to supplement his retirement (retired farmer). He cultivates with a Farmall 140 and doesn't have any problems with the t-tape. We bury it (he uses a hoe) about 4" to 6" deep. I plow mine in with my farmall 140. We place it close enough to the row that we can cultivate w/o hitting it.

Chris

 

[boggen]

a little extra info after re-reading my own post.

i use to do same thing with a mud pond and watering garden.

the problem with a mud pond is there is silt and free floating single cell algae. along with fish stirin gup the muck in th ebottom of the pond (catfish, bullheads, other bottom eating fish) the result was just a regular lawn sprinker or any sprinkler would tend to clog up at the end of the year. and someone would always have to clean out the little holes in a sprinker. i think many times it resulted in just buying anew sprinkler.

for mud ponds the first owe. its been awhile for me to remember depths of single cell algae. first 2 to 3 feet of depth i want to say is were most of your single cell algae is. if me i would try and keep strainer 3 feet deep or deeper out in the center of lake. were it is atleast 4 feet or deeper water. to help avoid weeds and vegitation growth.

if you can keep the pipe going out to the strainer below the water say at min 2 feet. or deeper. it tends to be easier to use row boats / paddle boats. etc.... and keeping fish nets and paddles getting hung up on the pipe.

bleach bottles 1 gallon size, i have found work better than any milk jug. due to the bottles are more stronger. and tend to have a much better lid.

though for me a bleach bottle or milk bottle for that case. doesn't last the cold winters here in centeral illinois. poor bottles end up sinking and being crushed. or getting a leak around the lid. or handle cracking on me. and i end up loosing the chain. ((been there done that, it no fun fishing out a pipe that has sucken down into the muck in the bottom of a pond))

tree fish are bad enough, but pipe fishing no thank you.

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i have never liked store bought soaker hoses in the lawn and garden section. more so when you are talking about more gallons per hour

a DIY soaker hose = a cheap garden hose and taking a small drill bit and drilling a small hole every so often.

and if you have to many holes in one spot. it is an easy fix with a small short screw. and if you want more water some place. drill another hole.

soaker hoses in a garden. to me would be better served if they are not perment. but easily removable when ya goto till the garden. but after plants in are easily put back in were they need to be. and allows you easier to move when and if you till between rows of plants, vs trying to hand pick all the weeds out in the middle of the row.

many folks tend to put some sort of fence up around there garden to keep rabbits and deer out. around here. the fence makes for a perfect spot for a DIY soaker hose made out of sch40 pvc pipe. if i was on koiphen. i would be calling a spray bar and not a soaker hose. though i guess i should call it in your thread a DIY sprinkler.

if you are like me and find regular sprinklers keep clogging up at the little nozzle holes. get yourself soome 1/2" to 1" sch 40 pvc. 3 tees, 4 end caps and a garden hose to pvc adator.

end cap --- 4" long pipe --- tee ---4" long pipe --- end cap
spray bar (pipe with 2 rows of small holes on top. one row facing one way. and another row of small holes facing the other direction)
tee--4" long pipe --- end cap
short 2" long pipe
tee--4" long pipe --- end cap
garden hose to pvc adaptor.

when done it would like like a ackward upper case I that would allow you to drill biger sizes holes into it or more holes into. and make shorter or longer. to deal with amount of water that is coming from your pump.

if ya grow corn. you can turn them end caps into threaded end caps. and use longer legs per say. to raise the DIY spray bar up above the corn. it would kinda like an upper case A but without the horizontal in it.

 

[blueriver]

On Edit: I can post pics of how I set up my pump with a pressure guage and induction line, so you can use liquid fertilizer and pump it directly into the lines with the water if you want.

Chris

Chris ... Please do post those pictures. Thanks

 

[blueriver]

I drive a fence post into the pond. Attach a piece of steel to the strainer with a piece 12 ga. fence wire about 12" long (to pull down on the strainer). I then attach a milk jug to the strainer with a 24" long piece of 12 ga. fence wire (to "float" the strainer). This puts the strainer about 24" from the top of the water. There is less debris in this layer of water. You also won't be pumping silt/mud off the bottom.

My grandfather has been using the t-tape on his garden (2 acres) that he sells to supplement his retirement (retired farmer). He cultivates with a Farmall 140 and doesn't have any problems with the t-tape. We bury it (he uses a hoe) about 4" to 6" deep. I plow mine in with my farmall 140. We place it close enough to the row that we can cultivate w/o hitting it.

Chris

I quess you take it up in he fall ?