watering systems for corn

[mnjrutherford]

MARY! The last couple days have been crazy and things will continue crazy for a few more days. PLEASE bug me about the irrigation guys! DON'T let me forget!!!

[blackthumbmary]

Grunt - thanks for the link and the detailed pictures of your set up. They have been really helpful in planning a watering system. I am blown away by your careful explanations and pictures of your own set up. The 30 yr old dibble stick is really nice...boy I need one of those just to get my plant spacing right...let's not even discuss keeping my rows straight.

I visited the Submatic site - wow this is amazingly affordable but one does need to plan. Have a question: what size microtubing did you use for your main hoses, from you run your spaghetti tubes with the emitters?

I am assuming that your "spaghetti tubing" was the 1/4" microtubing since various emitters all seem to fit a 1/4" irrigation tube-which I assume is the same as the micro tube LOL.

Thanks again for the pictures and careful explanations...my questions are more a result of my gross inexperience in setting up any sort of watering system

Rutherford - this is a friendly 'bug' to get me the contact info for irrigation system that you use.....I am going to compare it to grunts...maybe combine the two LOL. I understand being busy....I have been in a gardening frenzy -especially in the late afternoon and early evening when it finally cools off. I suspect that your schedule is even more packed than mine...so whenever time permits

[mnjrutherford]

i've GOT IT! HA! See, I'm not ALWAYS the photo on the Corn Flake box! ;D ::sigh:: just sometimes...

Gra-Mac Distributing Co
2310 NC Hwy 801 N
Mocksville NC 27028
336-998-3232

I placed the order on 1.27.09. Shipping has gone up since then I'm afraid. The subtotal was $117.34 and frieght was $30.05. Tax just shy of $10. Anyway, this is what I got: (I'd scan the invoice for you but do you think I can figure out how to do that? Oh HECK no!)

Netafim Streamline 8 mil 12" spacing .23 GPH 1000' roll - 38.64
Netafim .820 x .940 tubing 100' coil - 13.00
3/4" in-line shut off valve - 2.88
Rain Bird gear clamp - 0.70
3/4 tee filter FHT x MHT - 8.50
Senninger 3/4 " hose regulator 10 psi - 7.64
Series 800 x hose swivel w. screen - 1.92
250 barbed x loc sleeve adpt. - 0.47
Netafim 3mm punch (blue) - 11.54
Dual goog plut (3mm & 7mm) - 0.08
Series 800 hose coupling - 1.45
Loc Sleeve coupling - 0.62

Obviously, I got more than one of some of those things, but those are the "per item" prices. The place is owned by brothers and they are VERY knowledgable. They walked me though the whole order, me explaining what we had at our end and how much we could NOT afford. They told me what I needed at bare bones. THEN, when we got the stuff, Mike got on the phone with them and they walked him though the process of putting it all together! Awesome folks. Really awesome!

[grunt]

Mary: What I use for microtubing is the 1/8" high flow on this page www.submatic.com/catalog/tubing.html .For a feed line to stick the microtubing in, I use cheap garden hoses, or black plastic irrigation line/tubing, what ever I have on hand. I like the cheap hoses, because they come with fittings already attached. If you need a longer one, you just add another hose to the one you have, and cut it at what ever length suits you, or fold it over to stop the water from proceeding past that point, if you don't want to cut the hose. If you are going to leave the hoses in the same place all the time, as in orchard watering, get the cheap clear green plastic ones. They do go stiff after being in the sun a while, but if you aren't moving them, it doesn't make any difference. Current price for the microtubing is $45.99/1000'. You make the end caps out of pieces of what ever you are using for feeder line. One caveat, unless you have a large bore feeder line, and watering system that can deliver in large volume, don't go over about 200 emitters to a line = if the line diameter and volume are too small, the water is all gone before it reaches the end emitters. It doesn't require much pressure to make the emitters work, but it does require adequate volume. I run a 1" header to all of my feeder lines, and can feed 2 lines with 200 emitters at the same time. If I try to do more than that, the tail end of each line gets much less water than the top end. Once you get your system set up, it is just a matter of turning on the taps for the lines you want to use, and remembering to change over to the next set at the appropriate time. I generally let mine run for about 2 hours, then switch to the next set. Frequency of watering varies with the weather, the crop, and the time of season, but on average I would guess they get used about once a week, maybe twice if it has been in the high 90's F for more than two days of the week. I have a sandy silt soil so your requirements might differ, depending on your soil. I really have to work at it to over-water here.
Cheers
Dan

[bunkie]

we've used a similar set up as dan's but had trouble with the units plugging up. then we went to overhead spraying. then soaker hoses.

finally, the last two years we've been using T-Tape with pretty good results. but, we still have a small problem of the emitters getting plugged up.

anyone else having this problem?

also, dan, i wanted to ask you about spacing of the corn. i remember seeing a pics you guys posted and you or val telling us something about planting in blocks, close together. i always plant the corn in double rows, with a zigzag planting and corn about 6 inches apart, rows a foot apart with great results. can you elaborate on your planting?

[blackthumbmary]

Rutherford - Thank you for the contact info...I will give them a call... nice to know that they are willing to walk you through your set up plans.

Grunt - Thank you for answering my questions....I have never done any sort of irrigation system..not even a lawn sprinkler. My irrigation system has been me and a hose..walking up and down the rows LOL.

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to give some info. Sorry to be so slow to respond. This week has just been crazy....and looks to get even crazier! I will update everyone on what sort of watering system I end up using.

Maybe I should include some pictures of my crooked rows too. Sheesh my corn looks like it was planted by a drunk....

[DarJones]

A word of warning re water hoses for irrigation. Some hoses produce chemical contamination of water as it passes through them and many plants are sensitive. Tomatoes in particular do NOT like water that has gone through some types of hose. For this reason, I recommend purchasing the black plastic irrigation pipe instead of using garden hoses for an irrigation system.

I've watered my tomatoes (grown in trays) for many years using garden hoses and have figured out which do not cause problems. A clue is that the good ones are expensive and made of high quality rubber.

DarJones

[grunt]

Bunkie: We planted 4 rows 8" apart, 10" apart staggered in the rows. This fit well into our beds which are 44" wide. It gives you 9.5" spacing between plants (in all directions). Our beds are in 10' sections, so this gives us 42 plants/section. That's not to say one or two extra seeds didn't get stuck into each section. I'll be fudging a little bit this year to get 108 plants into two sections (Just put my corn seed into deep 36 cell trays = 3 trays=108 plants).

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

I have a 10' x 10' field of corn this year. Each spaced 1' apart in both directions. I am using 100ft of soaker hose this year althernating between rows back and fourth. I had to tie the hose down with string and stakes. Seems to be working well. Last year i didnt water enough, and some ears never fully developed. Thats why i got the soaker hose.