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Space you need and Sunshine> Benches> Watering systems Jobs to do at different stages>
If you are going to be away for a while in the warmer months either a friendly neighbour or an automatic watering system may be needed, and even in the middle of winter watering will be needed during a dry spell. We can't help with the friendly neighbour, but here are a few a few thoughts about watering systems.
Fine Microjet sprays are suitable, however for most spray systems based on poly pipe a few things need to be considered. First is that the sprayheads need to corectly cover all of the boxes evenly. This can be a process of trial and error, both in placement of the sprayheads and the height above the seedlings. Next if the polypipe is not securely anchored it can move or twist, the sprays end up not pointing at your precious seedlings and the first you may know is a patch of seedings turning brown. Another problem may show up when a sprayhead becomes blocked, always include a suitable filter. Check the operation of all the spray heads from time to time, especially at the start of the growing season, and just prior to any extended absence. Taller gorwing seedlings can prevent the water reaching smaller neighbours in the next tube.
This spray system can be simply connected to a suitable tap and turned on whenever watering is needed. The other option is to turn the water on and off by means of an electronic timing system. While there are commercial timers on the market a rotary electronic timer ($5 - $10) and a 12 -20 volt 1/2 ampere or 500 mA plugback transformer may be found in an opportunity shop ($5) to run a water solenoid ($25). Make sure the plugback will supply the necessary current for the solenoid. Two timers with the first set to midnight to 6 am and the second on top set to 15 minutes will give watering every four days.
Now we are getting deeper into drought you may wish to investigate the use of greywater. Please note that greywater should not be sprayed onto plants so that a different watering regime will be needed. The site http://www.savewater.com.au contains a lot of information on saving water and they have information on using greywater and provide a link to a .pdf publication on chosing plant friendly detergents for use in the laundry.
As Melbourne is on stage three restrictions in Autumn 2007, and potentially going higher there have been experiments with using a dripper to water trees.
The Kitty Litter tray was purchased at a $2 shop and it held the 48 tubes from a box. Some trays are of different dimensions so check before you purchase. The dripper tube can be seen going down between the tubes and the water level can be seen around the outside. One publication suggested a layer of sand in the bottom of the tray.
The treees were River Red Gum and they seemed to cope quite well with having their roots sitting in water, this may not be the case for other varieties. Note measures such as this are still experimental.
If you have any other suggested solutions to keeping our seedlings going please share them around.
Space you need and Sunshine> Benches> Watering systems Jobs to do at different stages>
If you are going to be away for a while in the warmer months either a friendly neighbour or an automatic watering system may be needed, and even in the middle of winter watering will be needed during a dry spell. We can't help with the friendly neighbour, but here are a few a few thoughts about watering systems.
Fine Microjet sprays are suitable, however for most spray systems based on poly pipe a few things need to be considered. First is that the sprayheads need to corectly cover all of the boxes evenly. This can be a process of trial and error, both in placement of the sprayheads and the height above the seedlings. Next if the polypipe is not securely anchored it can move or twist, the sprays end up not pointing at your precious seedlings and the first you may know is a patch of seedings turning brown. Another problem may show up when a sprayhead becomes blocked, always include a suitable filter. Check the operation of all the spray heads from time to time, especially at the start of the growing season, and just prior to any extended absence. Taller gorwing seedlings can prevent the water reaching smaller neighbours in the next tube.
This spray system can be simply connected to a suitable tap and turned on whenever watering is needed. The other option is to turn the water on and off by means of an electronic timing system. While there are commercial timers on the market a rotary electronic timer ($5 - $10) and a 12 -20 volt 1/2 ampere or 500 mA plugback transformer may be found in an opportunity shop ($5) to run a water solenoid ($25). Make sure the plugback will supply the necessary current for the solenoid. Two timers with the first set to midnight to 6 am and the second on top set to 15 minutes will give watering every four days.
Now we are getting deeper into drought you may wish to investigate the use of greywater. Please note that greywater should not be sprayed onto plants so that a different watering regime will be needed. The site http://www.savewater.com.au contains a lot of information on saving water and they have information on using greywater and provide a link to a .pdf publication on chosing plant friendly detergents for use in the laundry.
As Melbourne is on stage three restrictions in Autumn 2007, and potentially going higher there have been experiments with using a dripper to water trees.
The Kitty Litter tray was purchased at a $2 shop and it held the 48 tubes from a box. Some trays are of different dimensions so check before you purchase. The dripper tube can be seen going down between the tubes and the water level can be seen around the outside. One publication suggested a layer of sand in the bottom of the tray.
The treees were River Red Gum and they seemed to cope quite well with having their roots sitting in water, this may not be the case for other varieties. Note measures such as this are still experimental.
If you have any other suggested solutions to keeping our seedlings going please share them around.
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If you have any questions that are not answered, situations that are not covered or suggested photos to add, please contact the office ph (03) 9650 9477 or email info@treeproject.asn.au
Modified August 2006