soaker hose help

y2jeffr 5/20/2012, 7:31 pm

hi all

back with another question.

this is my first season with a raised bed and mels mix. i have a 16x4x12in bed filled with mels mix in exact proportions.

how much do i need to water my bed with a soaker hose?

i understand my question can not be answered(many variables) so instead i would like to know how much YOU water your bed with a soaker hose? also roughly where are you located?

givvmistamps 5/22/2012, 1:43 am

Bumping in hopes of someone having a response...

hruten 5/22/2012, 7:02 am

I'm not sure there really is an answer.

I'm in Southwester NH and currently I seem to be watering every other day (with can or shower sprayer). However, my containers are wind protected but still receive afternoon sun. I think where you are, the wind, and the sun will all effect the necessary time. You may have to set the spigot timer, try it out, and then adjust.

One comforting thought is that if you do start out over watering, the MM will correct for you. Wink

**walshevak** 5/22/2012, 8:42 am

I'm still working on getting a soaker hose installed.

Kay

**llama momma** 5/22/2012, 8:51 am

I agree there is no real clear answer because of the variables but I've heard people say 20 minutes but who knows at what rate of pressure? And sometimes they water twice a day. Sooo - perhaps try 15 minutes, stick your finger down to the bottom. If its wet all the way down then obviously its enough. Personally I hand spray and/or cup-water everything. Either way it's good to make the time to get up close. Not only to appreciate good growth but especially catch problems early like over/under watering, bugs, diseases. And say hi to visiting toads : )

1airdoc 5/22/2012, 10:38 am

I use a soaker hose, and find that in order to water deeply and cover the whole width of each square foot, I need to let the hose run for an hour. I only do that every other day or so. I think these hoses are extremely variable in how much water comes through them, however.

Squat_Johnson 5/22/2012, 12:37 pm

I use a soaker hose for an hour twice a week when it is really hot and dry.

Because your mileage may vary, try this:
Run your hose for 30 minutes. Find an empty square (or a space between two squares) and dig down to see if it is saturated. Adjust as needed.

**snibb** 5/22/2012, 2:54 pm

Don't waste your time on a soaker hose. They work great-where the hose it. But because you have to round the corners off in order to not reduce water pressure later in the length of the hose, you'll end up hand-watering the corners and also in the middle-where you round your hoses off. You get what you pay for. These are cheap to buy-and you will be out there repairing them by the end of the first year. Certainly by the second year. Once you start repairing them, they will always be in a constant state of repair. If your gardens are small enough to water by hand, that's great. If you have bigger gardens, try to get yourself a drip-irrigation system. They can also be make pretty cheap and they water the whole area. then put it on a timer and see how much free time you've got on your hands. I'm not sure but I think I've got a picture of what I'm talking about on my site in the photo gallery. I think...

y2jeffr 5/22/2012, 3:01 pm

if i was using the SFG method i would def get drip irrigation. however i have two short soaker hoses split at the regular hose. i am only growing a few tomato plants. the reason i am here on this forum asking the question is because everyone uses mels mix and i am trying to figure out how fast it dries out.

i will be away from my location for days or maybe even weeks at this time of the year. its impossible for me to adjust based on rainfall and temperature. all i can go on is the 10 day forecast and hope i chose a timer setting to adequately get the job done during that span.

1airdoc 5/22/2012, 3:37 pm

snibb may be right, but I've used one of my soaker hoses for at least 4 years, maybe more, and it developed only one small leak so far, which I was easily able to repair. It is true that it won't water the whole square unless you leave it running long enough, so that's why I let it run for an hour.

**snibb** 5/22/2012, 4:00 pm

wow 1airdoc...I hear you on that but that's an awful lot of water! This system is supposed to save you water, not make you use more :-)

I will water every day-twice a day in the heat of summer, for a total of 8 minutes. That's it. Mel's mix shouldn't dry out if you've mixed it in right. You will be out there repairing that thing though

1airdoc 5/22/2012, 5:26 pm

The water drips really slowly out of my soaker hoses - it's almost like they are sweating. I can't even hear the water running in the plumbing, unlike any other time water is running anywhere in the house or yard.

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