Posts Tagged Soil
September 21, 2009 at 11:46 am · Filed under Drip irrigation ·Tagged barbed fittings, chemical compatibility, compression fittings, diameters, drip irrigation system, drip irrigation tubing, drip water, drippers, gph, important factors, irrigation hose, maximum flow rate, moisture levels, plant root zone, Polyethylene, productivity, psi, rodent damage, Soil, tiny holes
Drip irrigation hoses, also known as drip irrigation tubing, are hoses specifically designed to carry water and drip it through tiny holes attached to them; the tiny holes are called “emitters”. They drip water slowly into the soil exactly at the plant root zone where it is needed. This way moisture levels are kept optimal, improving plants productivity and quality.
Drip irrigation hoses are made of polyethylene. They come in various types and diameters, accordingly to your needs. The length of a single drip irrigation hose should not over 200 feet from the point where water enters it.
You need to stake the hoses to keep them from moving. More importantly, never bury the hoses and their emitters even if they are designed to be. Otherwise, you will need to spend more time and energy to overcome clogging and rodent damage.
When choosing hoses for your drip irrigation system, you have to keep in mind these important factors: size, pressure rating, weight, length and chemical compatibility.
Some drip irrigation hoses available in the market :
Drip Irrigation Hose .580
It comes in various lengths: 25’, 50’, 100’ and 500’.
Using .580 compression fittings, it operates at pressure rate 10 to 60 PSI and has a maximum flow rate 180 GPH. It is best if you operate it at pressure rate 25 PSI.
Drip Irrigation Hose .700
It comes in various lengths: 50’, 100’ and 500’.
Using .700 compression fittings, it operates at pressure rate 10 to 60 PSI and has a maximum flow rate at 240 GPH. It is best if you operate it at pressure rate 25 PSI.
Drip Irrigation Hose .820
It comes in various lengths: 100’, 250’ and 500’
Using .820 compression fittings, it operates at pressure rate 10 to 60 PSI and has a maximum flow rate at 380 GPH. It is best if you operate it at pressure rate 25 PSI.
1/4″ Micro-Drip Irrigation Hose
It comes in various lengths: 25’, 50’, 100’ and 500’. Used with 1/4” barbed fittings, it is used for extending drippers and micro-sprinklers from main line or as the primary line in a small drip irrigation system. It can be put above or below the ground.
Use this hose to distribute water from main line to drippers, misters and low volume sprinklers.
1/4″ Laser Drilled Drip Irrigation Hose
It comes in various lengths: 50’ and 100’. Holes are laser drilled into the hose against the flow of water. Used with 1/4″ barbed fittings, it is to be put within 12” or 6” space.
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September 7, 2009 at 10:43 pm · Filed under Drip irrigation ·Tagged coupler, drip irrigation system, drip irrigation tubing, emitters, inch tubing, misters, plants, Soil, sprinklers, tap, water flow, Water supply
Drip irrigation tubing is one of most important components of a drip irrigation system. It is responsible for delivering water to the sprinklers, emitters and misters. Without it, the water flow to plants is cut off.
There are several types of drip irrigation tubing, each with its own specific purpose. The most common types are: 1/2 inch distribution tubing, 1/4 inch distribution tubing, soaker tubing and emitter tubing. Installing the proper drip irrigation tubing for your drip irrigation system is extremely important.
1/2 inch distribution tubing is used as the main water supply. It runs from the tap to the 1/4 inch distribution tubing, soaker tubing and emitter tubing. It can be used either above or below the soil. If you are to purchase this type of drip irrigation tubing, you can choose either one of these length: 50, 100 and 500 feet.
1/4 inch distribution tubing is used to connect the 1/2 inch tubing to the sprinklers, emitters and misters. It is the supply line so you need to punch a hole in it and connect it to a 1/4 inch barbed coupler.
Soaker tubing is similar to soaker hose. You need to connect this drip irrigation tubing to the 1/2 inch supply line using the 1/4 inch barbed connector. But if you want to connect it to the 1/4 inch supply line, use the 1/4 inch barbed tee connector.
Emitter tubing is the drip irrigation tubing used for spot watering, designed specifically to put an emitter every 12 inches. Just like the soaker tubing, you need to connect it to the supply line with the 1/4 inch barbed connector.
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September 4, 2009 at 10:53 am · Filed under cucumber ·Tagged beds, centimeter, climbing vines, cucurbitaceae family, enough space, green house, holes, nails, organic compost, seedling pots, seedlings, six feet, Soil, sowing the seeds, success rate, sunlight, three seeds, trellises, warm environment
Growing cucumbers is not hard. Some say that growing cucumbers need spacious space, but today you can do it in less space, too.
Before you start growing cucumbers, here are few things you need to know about these plants:
- Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbitaceae family.
- Cucumbers are climbing vines so once you grow them, they will grow up higher and higher.
- Cucumbers have two types of flower: male and female. The female ones have tiny cucumbers at their bottom.
- Cucumbers love a warm, well-drained soil.
- Cucumbers can be eaten fresh (slicing varieties), or pickled (pickling varieties). The pickling varieties can grow up to 7 – 10 cm long and 2.5 wide, while the slicing ones can grow even bigger (up to 35 cm).
- It is recommended to highly consider growing cucumbers and put them in your daily diet since their properties will help you improve the health of your skin, hair and nails.
Growing cucumbers begins with a good preparation. Put a fair amount of organic compost into the soil. Always keep the soil well-drained. Raise the beds around 6 inches high.
Next step in growing cucumbers is sowing the seeds in biodegradable seedling pots, 2.5 cm deep. It will keep the roots safe when you plant out the seedlings. Do not plant them outside before the last frost.
Also, when you sow the seeds, keep the holes apart at about 40 cm between each. Three seeds in each hole is a best trick to increase the success rate of germination. Keep the rows apart at about 90 cm between each.
Growing cucumbers in a green house is a good idea, too, since they enjoy sunlight and a warm environment. Make sure you spare enough space up high that they can reach around six feet. Another way of growing cucumbers is, should you do not have enough space for them to grow up high, letting them spread over the ground, against the wall, stakes or trellises.
Weed the cucumbers regularly, but be careful not to go below a couple of centimeter with your hoe. Damaged roots will slow down their growth.
Growing cucumbers also means that you have to water them well each week. They love water!
Help them pollinate by transferring the pollen from male flowers onto the center of female flowers, use cotton bud to help you out.
Harvest your cucumbers by twisting them off the plant, or by cutting the stalk just above the tips. Do this when they reach suitable size, normally 50 to 60 days after planting. The ripe fruits should be dark green. Do not wait till they turn yellow, it means they are overripe and their flavor declines.
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August 31, 2009 at 6:25 am · Filed under Tomato ·Tagged compost tea, department of agriculture, fungus diseases, fungus problems, juicy tomatoes, leaves, mulch, occurrence, pots, right time, roots, seedlings, Soil, sowing the seeds, steams, stems, suckers, sunlight, tomato plants, u s department
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tomatoes are the most popular home-grown vegetable in the country. Here are some tips that will help you grow nice and juicy tomatoes.
1.) Room to Grow
While sowing the seeds make sure that they have enough room to grow. Congested conditions will affect their growth. Transplant when you see the first true leaves coming out and put them into 4″ pots about 2 weeks after that.
2.) Sufficient Light
For growing the seedlings into healthy fruit, you require either strong, direct sunlight or 14-18 hours of artificial lights. Choose a location that gets the most sunlight and if you are using grow lights then place the young plants only two inches away from the lights. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 31, 2009 at 4:48 am · Filed under Tomato ·Tagged bountiful crop, green beans, growing tomatoes, herbs, home grown tomatoes, lettuce, pleasures, Soil, sunshine, taste difference
Growing tomatoes is easy and you’ll be amazed at the taste difference in home grown tomatoes! (And in home grown green beans, peas, lettuce, herbs, and peppers.) Growing tomatoes is one of the great pleasures of summer living. Most years they are easy to grow and almost every house has enough sunshine and soil to grow a bountiful crop. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 29, 2009 at 2:59 am · Filed under Tomato ·Tagged Fertilizers, five steps, fruitful results, gallon bucket, gallon container, growing tomatoes, inch hole, inch holes, news paper, peat moss, plant food, posture, quality plants, quick steps, sharp knife, Soil, sphagnum, strains, tumbler, upside down
There is no secret method involve in growing the tomatoes up side down. You can just follow five quick steps and after some time, you will have red beautiful rich tomatoes in your garden. To grow the tomatoes you can just use a simple five gallon container or bucket or you can simply use hanging bag. But the five steps that would be discussed later are performed using five gallon bucket. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 1, 2009 at 10:59 pm · Filed under Articles, News ·Tagged Agriculture, billions, climates, cubic meters, Drip irrigation, esearch, intense heat, korea, little rain, plants, population, quality water, random intervals, Soil, surface water, tonnes, water consumption, water levels
Research shows almost %70 of all water consumption consists of watering. In our country, %75 of yearly usable 110 billions cubic meters of water is used in agriculture. The coming years will lead to more consumption with greater needs to feed the growing population.
Korea Boseong Greentea Garden
The ignorant and primitive watering not only wastes water but also damages the soil. Drip irrigation prevents both unnecessary use of water and soil damage while providing the plants with just enough water.
Natural Enemy of Salt
Watering done in random intervals in hot climates with little rain to improve the production, leave the salt in the field. It will also raise the sub surface water levels and the salt they contain. When the waters vaporise through the intense heat, leaves the salt in the soil. Salt prevents efficient production. Even good quality water leaves 1.1 tonnes of salt in 10 acres of land in such conditions.
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July 20, 2009 at 8:21 am · Filed under Articles, News, Orchard ·Tagged Agriculture, ash, centuries, drainage water, organic materials, Organic matter, organic mixtures, organisms, Soil, ventilation
Ventilation: Ventilating the soil not only improves drainage but also makes roots and underground organisms breathe. Ventilation can be achieved with most of the methods that improve drainage.
Processability: Heavily clayed soil is hard to work on. To improve this, drainage methods can be used together with adding organic materials that the soil lacks.
Color: Color of soil will change depending on for how long it’s been worked on. While the color of soil depends on the kind of rock it originated from, the amount of organic matter also has an effect. It can be said that the dark colored soil has been used in agriculture for centuries. Dark colored soil absorbs the heat faster and it will lose it slowly. This means they start getting warmer earlier in Spring. As such, improvement of color means darkening it. In old days, this was done by adding ventilated ash to soil, but nowadays we use organic mixtures.
Water Holding Capacity: Soil with too much sand in it has too good drainage, water disappears before the roots can absorb it. To improve water holding capacity of soil, as much organic matter as possible must be added. This will improve the situation and let the roots absorb water when the moisture is low.
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July 19, 2009 at 5:34 pm · Filed under Articles, News, Orchard ·Tagged climate factors, drainage, limestone, lumps, minerals, necessary nutrients, organic materials, pebbles, plants, roots, Soil, thin layer
Many plants like good drainage without losing the water in soil too fast. This is especially important for plants that are harvested early. The ideal situation is when the minerals are surrounded by a thin layer of water and there is air between the organic materials. The roots will circle the minerals and they will be able to absorb the necessary nutrients and will be able to breathe.
The point of drainage is the removal of water and adding limestone and organic materials will make the clay become lumps and improve drainage. It can also be improved by ventilating or plowing the soil, depending on climate factors. If plowing is done in dry air, the clay will not stick to the machine and soil will easily be seperated to a sand like quality, easing the flow of water. Adding sand or pebbles might also improve the drainage of soil, but this will require a great amount of both. As it is expensive, that method can only be considered for small fields.
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July 15, 2009 at 6:32 am · Filed under Mother Nature ·Tagged agricultural output, climate changes, continuity, control measures, correct fertilizer, devastation, disappearance, ecologic, economic problem, effects of erosion, farmlands, floods, forests, job vacancies, landslides, natural water sources, rain and snow, raising livestock, Soil, vegetation
The primary goal in agriculture is the increase and continuity of production. To achieve this; the latest developments in machinery and equipment must be followed, the correct fertilizer must be used and effective pest and disease control measures must be taken. But the correct usage of soil is the most important factor in production. Exploitation of soil, devastation of pastures and forests to create more farmlands, lead to erosion, which is also known as “the cancer of soil.” Read the rest of this entry »
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Agricultural Biodiversity 