I just finished automating all my pot watering with spotspitters. This is the third time I have done it. When it takes over an hour to water them, it is time to convert. I used all the colors this time, though I think I will need to add more black spitters to the larger pots to even out the watering. OTW the small ones will get too much water and the big ones not enough since the orange spitter has a quarter of the output of the black, but a 15 gallon pot has 15 times the volume of soil. I used four separate valves this time to try to even out the pressure. The directions would indicate that I should have even more valves but it seems to be getting enough pressure everywhere. It is nice to not have to worry about pot watering in hot weather or when you go away for more than a couple of days. It is essentially the same technology as drip systems and is available at Farm Supply type places. The pots tucked away behind other pots do not get missed either. I used a separate controller for the pots as they need to be watered far more frequently than the stuff in the ground. Has anyone else used spot spitters? What has been your experience with them?
Spot Spitters for pots.
I have some 200 containerized plants, perhaps more, that require watering every day. At this time of year, the hottest part of summer, about 30 of them require watering attention twice daily. Drip irrigation systems offer convenience, but there are four reasons I don't use one.
1) It's a sure bet you'll become dependent on it. When you do, you're at the mercy of any system failure which can easily result in the demise of all/some/most of your plantings.
2) You'll never get the proper volume for individual plants. Water requirements change daily, if not hourly. More often than not, plants will be consistently over/under-watered. It would take longer to properly regulate the water volume than water the plants individually.
3) It's very easy to be lax during periods of rain &/or cool weather & over-water to the degree that roots rot.
4) When you manually water every day, you get up-close & personal with your plantings as you water. This is the time you should be looking for signs of over/under watering, insect infestation, or signs of nutrient shortages and/or disease. Automatic watering eliminates the need for that interaction.
They're great when you go on vacation, though.
Al
Yes, manually watering the individual pots is very satisfying. Fortunately where I live it is rarely that hot so I usually only have to water every second or third day.
I have a lot of plants in one gallon containers that I haven't planted yet. They can really suffer if they are not watered frequently and since they are from many different growers there are all kinds of soil mixes. I put them on microspray drip system. They are much happier than when I was watering them individually The fine mist thoroughly saturates the soil and it lasts for a couple of days. I did the same thing with the flats full of seedlings and small containers. Different area, different amount of water.
The pots that I put on spot spitters are of all kinds, from a very large banana to 4" pots. Virtually all of them on potted up in very light soil mixes. I usually start with cactus mix and dilute it 50 percent with perlite, pumice and lava rock. So, it really doesn't matter if the small pots get watered too much, other than using too much water. I do not water these more than every other day and the cactus and succulents every third day. Where we live in California there is no rain from early May till late October, so any water needs have to be met by the gardener. Once it starts raining, it is intermittent, though there will be periods where you do not have to water pots for a week or so, except under the eaves. So, it is basically a year around committment with a few weeks to a month or so off in January or February. Without getting someone to water for you, not something you can get even your best friend to do more than a couple of times considering how long it takes, it is hard to get away. I usually hire someone when we are gone in August for a month.
As I said, I have done it before, been very happy with the results, find the plants are happier and the fact that some get too much water doesn't bother me since it drains so fast as long as everyone gets the water they need. Most of what I grow is not overly demanding in their water requirements, and could probably get by on less. However, the two or three indicator plants let me know when it is time to water. Senecio cristobalensis is usually the first one to wilt and it is in a 15 gallon container. The brugmansias are next. They could stand to be repotted to larger containers and that would solve that problem.
I put a lot of pots on the slope above my deck, without the spotspitters it becomes a real chore to water them. That area has terrible soil, what little there is. The potted things require way more water and good soil unlike the the natives that are planted in the ground
I think there's a problem with my use of the word you. It was a bad choice. After rereading my reply, I think it reads like I'm talking only to you (Chuck), when I meant it as a general "you", as in something that's meant for everyone to consider if they wish, reject it if they don't. Those are still the reasons I don't use an automatic system, but if it works for "you" (Chuck), and especially if it saves some time so you can squeeze another container or two into the mix, then I'm all for it. ;o) Take care & good growing.
Al
I might add that I do not spray for diseases or insects, rarely fertilize anything except the pots which get small amounts of triple 15 every month or so. All my watering is automated but the new controllers have resident memory so even if the power goes out and comes back on you do not lose your programming. While controllers do go bad, it is pretty rare if you keep them indoors and get good ones to begin with. It has been a long time since I lost a controller. Valves do go bad, emitters get clogged or broken, lines get holes in them or connections come apart, but it is usually pretty obvious when there are problems. If it is not obvious, a dead plant or two or water down the street will let you know.
Yeah, my life has been all gardening all the time lately. Fortunately, I am leaving for Montana in a month, for a month, so there is lots to do. This was a big step in that direction.
I am trying to switch to an automated type watering system. I am usually unavailable to my plants in the morning due to an unusual schedule, so can't water until afternoon or early evening, which is apparently a bad time to water. They seem so much happier on the rare morning I can get them wet. I do wander through almost daily though to touch and talk to all my babies and check for bugs and things. I'm going to try these spotspitters.
I think you will enjoy them. The plants have seemed happier. I think they like the regular watering schedule, the fact that no one gets missed, the thorough saturation followed by a dry period. If you have very hot weather you can give them a quick dousing with a click of the controller. You can put way more pots on one line that the directions say. There is very little washout from the pots, so the deck stays cleaner.
I have my whole yard on drip irrigation of some sort or another. All of my pots (Only about 20 or so) are on spot spitters but I only use them while I am away and cannot water. I am working on getting all my containers made out of the same material and use the same potting mix so that automated watering can be a little more effecient.
George
As long as they drain well, it doesn't matter how much water they get, other than the over use of water. I use a very light mix because the weather is not very hot and things would never dry out if I used a retentive mix. I have quite a few pots mixed in with planted stuff. These are all watered with spot spitters on a separate line from the drips. That way I can provide them with good soil and plenty of water. The stuff in the ground doesn't get a lot of water and the soil is very poor, mostly subsoil.
All my stuff is on drips. I kinda went overboard on the controllers, I have four 12 station and one six station. All on a half acre. I did the valves in 6 valve arrays, so none of the half inch drip lines has a long run and no more than a few hundred drippers on any one line. I use the 2 gal. vortex, netfim emitters, they rarely clog and are pressure compensating and the compression fittings, which do not blow out when the lines are under higher pressures. Barbed fittings have a tendency to blow out and often have to be wired.