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Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 13:55
| I was trying to figure out how much an inch of water is since so many references talk about the quantity of water a plant needs in inches. I was musing: if you assume the drip line is a perfect circle, find the radius of the drip line, square the radius, multiply it by Pi, then multiply by the height. Now take the answer in cubic inches and divide it into the number of cubic inches in a gallon...
I'm thinking that's not what normal people do. ;-) Assuming you are normal, how do YOU know how much to water if you want to water "an inch?" |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| sprinklers: set out a catfood (short) can and turn on the sprinklers. See how long it takes an inch of water to accumulate in the can. drippers: 5 gallons/week per rose (summer) is a good place to start. Adjust for soil (sand more, clay maybe less) and weather. See what the manufacturer claims is the output of the line. |
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| I was also intrigued by the inch measurement. When rosarians are watering roses, they eventually use a a preset amount of water per bush - 1 gallon, 1/2 gallon, etc. (They aren't watering in inches). But than, I figured out that it depends on the size of the bush. Someone who grows bushes in containers uses a different amount of water than for bushes planted in the ground with a large drip circle. Therefore, I think your calculation is on the right track, and eventually the results will be close to what you know from practice. |
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- Posted by karl_bapst_rosenut 5a, NW Indiana (rosenut@rosenut.com) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 15:04
| I use the catfood/tuna can as it's close to an inch deep. I place several around the area being watered. When the last one is full, I've applied an inch of water. If it took 45 minutes to fill the can, I know I have to water for 45 minutes to apply an inch to the area. My watering system takes an hour to fill a can, so my 8 zones are set for an hour each. Forget the math, catfood /tuna cans are easier. |
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- Posted by Ibanez540r none (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 15:34
| This is a good thread. I've been trying to tune in my drip system for the past year. The tuna/cat can is the standard for overhead, but what about drip? |
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| This will work out crazy convenient for me. The dogs already pull the open cat food cans out of the garbage and distribute them in the garden. And they even leave them open side up. All I have to do is turn on the sprinklers! |
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| It is very roughly 1/2 gallon per square foot, or 5 gallons for a square yard. Reckoning in inches allows you to incorporate rainfall. |
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- Posted by karl_bapst_rosenut 5a, NW Indiana (rosenut@rosenut.com) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 23:32
| For drippers, you have to use the gph measurement as the water placement is very localized. While you may get an inch in a certain amount of time right under the dripper, 6 inches away it could be dry. When I had drippers, I used low gph ones and left them on most of the time or until I noticed the soil was getting very saturated. In my sandy soil, that was never a problem. |
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