Soaker hose with pots

[rshortt]

Hi everyone,

I have roughly 80 pepper plants that I will be starting to pot up to 2800 size pots (real 4.6 gallons) this week. However in 2 weeks I will be taking a 3 week vacation so I need to rig up an irrigation system for my absence.

My plants will be grouped together in a rectangle on my front deck (plenty of sun) where they will be nice and protected from pests - no animals; and less insect pests than any other area of my property.

For waterings I picked up a digital programmable hose timer that I intend on using with soaker hose. I plan to run the hose around the base of each plant in a loop, then on to the next, until each is covered. The weather has been super damp here lately but it is starting to dry up. I plan to test the timer setup next week and set it to water them conservatively in case we also get rain when I'm away.

Does anyone else here use soaker hose with potted plants? Does this sound like an OK plan?

Thanks.

 

[Toleman]

Have you thought about creating a manifold using hose or 1/2" irrigation tubing. Then tap off next to each plant using 1/4" barb then 1/4" line to a 'T' piece. Then use 1/4" soaker hose around in the loop?

Chris

 

[rshortt]

I had thought about using irrigation tubing but this is only a temporary home for the plants while I'm away. I figure I have a better chance to reuse the soaker hose than the tubing around the yard.

 

[Toleman]

I had thought about using irrigation tubing but this is only a temporary home for the plants while I'm away. I figure I have a better chance to reuse the soaker hose than the tubing around the yard.

Fair enough. Be sure to post up some pictures and let us know how well it works.

Chris

 

[ZanderSpice]

I wonder if the hose is flexible enough; if it is, that's probably the best option. Individual drippers does seem like a waste, but what if you tried setting it up with your plants in their final location? Sprinklers aren't the best, but it sure would be easy to thoroughly soak them twice a week in the early morning. Last idea is putting them in a large tray/pool and bottom watering either with a timer or "smart valve". Please post pics when you figure this out. If I had to leave for 3 weeks I would do drippers and have someone check twice a week.

 

[rshortt]

Good point about the flexibility - that's something I'll watch out for when I pick out the hose. I'm going to try to find something decent instead of picking the cheapest one I can find. Will post pics for sure.

 

[Josh]

Also I think it is important to realize that even if the hose feels flexible it may not be once you pump water through it. Test this first with empty pots so your plants aren't at risk of being damaged.

 

[rshortt]

Also I think it is important to realize that even if the hose feels flexible it may not be once you pump water through it. Test this first with empty pots so your plants aren't at risk of being damaged.

Ooh, good point. I don't want the hose to flip or unwind, decapitating my plants. I have some plastic zip ties I'll use to secure the hose to itself in the loop.