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Written by pia-admin
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Thursday, 05 July 2007 |
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The following information is a guide to
the water required to support the plants in your garden during summer. Water rates will need to increase during a heatwave. The guide is based on Jon Lamb’s personal experience and input from other horticulturalists. Climatic conditions vary throughout Australia and advice should be sought from your local nursery or from the Nursery and Garden Industry in your state. http://www.ngia.com.au
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Soil
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Small plants
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Medium plants
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Large plants
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Litres/plant
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Days between watering
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Litres/plant
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Days between watering
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Litres/plant
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Days between watering
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Clay
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5
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7
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10-20
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14
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50-100
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30
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Sand
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3
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4
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7-12
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7
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30-60
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14
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* These figures provide a guide only
Background to dripper hoses
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WATER WEEPER
Black recycled (rubber) 13mm hose. Uses standard 13mm garden fittings for joining or repairing. Oozes water at 0.75 – 1.5 litre over one metre - continuous flow. Hose length 15 metres. Uses very low water pressure. High pressure will result in holes developing in your hose.
Deteriorates (becomes brittle) under light. Variable flow rate along hose length.
Excellent for closely planted annuals, vegetables and small plants, particularly when planted in rows or along a gentle curve – brilliant for edging plants.
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DRIPPER TUBE
Very thin but tough black 13mm PVC hose. Has two blue lines on one side indicating dripper line. Inbuilt drippers spaced 10cm apart. Emits at only 1 litre per hour. Usually 15 metres in a coil.
Place hose with blue line up and don’t use high water pressure. If you can’t squeeze hose with fingers when opening, the pressure is too high.
Easy to install – needs special fittings, ie joiners and T pieces. However, kinks restrict water flow unless laid in straight line or gentle curve.
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DRIPPER LINE
Brown 4mm (one brand is 6mm) hose. Very flexible. Hose length varies, usually 10 metres or 15 metres in a roll. Emits at 2 litres per hour.
Drippers spaced 15cm, 30cm or 50cm apart. Very easy to install. 4mm hose uses standard dripper fittings. 6mm hose requires special fittings usually only sold by specialist irrigation shops. A top quality product. Low maintenance. Rapidly becoming the dripper hose of choice.
Use for straight line and curved plantings. Flexible enough to use in random plantings, ie rose beds, fruit trees and shrubberies.
N.B. Because the flow rate from each dripper is very low (1 to 2 litres per hour), you may need to operate a dripper line for a number of hours for your plants to receive sufficient water.
Jon Lamb is a South Australian horticulturist with many years of experience who writes for the Advertiser Newspaper and presents a gardening program on ABC Radio.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 July 2007 )
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