Drip irrigation for hanging plants on front porch

Posted by Thomas G. Marshall on May 21, 2009, 7:41 pm

I have a front porch with routinely-killed hanging plants. Basically I
seem to be genetically designed to turn every living plant creature
into dust through water-negligence.

I am in need of suggestions for brands, and whether or not to concoct
my own mechanism.

I also need to run the water from inside my house to use water-
softened water (to avoid turning coloring my porch rails to rust).

1. What brand is best?
2. What kind of water timer?
3. How to I physically drill from inside the basement to the porch?
Should this be as high up on the banding joist as possible?

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by ransley on May 21, 2009, 8:08 pm

> I have a front porch with routinely-killed hanging plants. Basically I
> seem to be genetically designed to turn every living plant creature
> into dust through water-negligence.
> I am in need of suggestions for brands, and whether or not to concoct
> my own mechanism.
> I also need to run the water from inside my house to use water-
> softened water (to avoid turning coloring my porch rails to rust).
> 1. What brand is best?
> 2. What kind of water timer?
> 3. How to I physically drill from inside the basement to the porch?
> Should this be as high up on the banding joist as possible?
> THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by JimR on May 21, 2009, 10:19 pm

I am doing basicly the same thing, Toro offers one but my HDs and Ace
dont carry it. Rain Bird and Drip Mist have a better set up, contact
a place that sells sprinkler system supplies, my local plumbing store
carries everything so I got lucky. With the minimal water used with a
timer you shouldnt have run off or its wasted water, Id say get a
timer and try your outside spigot first. Lime away removes rust stains
if you get them.

I'm also doing this in an outdoor orchid shade room I built. In my case I
just ran the flexible 1/2" flexible plastic tubing up a support, then
plugged in 1/4" hose sections to the larger line and ran them across a
headpiece, with a couple of misters and one spray nozzle aimed at the plant
area. HD has all the pieces, including brackets which can hold the 1/2" and
1/4" tubing in place. So do most irrigation supply companies, which will
have better items.

In your case with the hanging planters on a porch instead of sprayers and
misters you might want to try the 1/4" soaker hose, which you can cut to
size and which has laser-drilled pinholes which drip waer into the pots
without a spray. This should minimize water outside of the pots.

Rather than drill a hole, just hook up a battery-powered timer to an outdoor
hose bib and run a length of hose to the point where you hook up the 1/2"
plastic tubing.

Posted by Smitty Two on May 21, 2009, 10:33 pm

In article

> I have a front porch with routinely-killed hanging plants. Basically I
> seem to be genetically designed to turn every living plant creature
> into dust through water-negligence.
>
> I am in need of suggestions for brands, and whether or not to concoct
> my own mechanism.
>
> I also need to run the water from inside my house to use water-
> softened water (to avoid turning coloring my porch rails to rust).
>
> 1. What brand is best?
> 2. What kind of water timer?
> 3. How to I physically drill from inside the basement to the porch?
> Should this be as high up on the banding joist as possible?
>
> THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If your plan is to stop killing plants, you might want to re-think
watering them with soft water.

Posted by Thomas G. Marshall on May 22, 2009, 12:26 pm

> In article

> > I have a front porch with routinely-killed hanging plants. Basically I
> > seem to be genetically designed to turn every living plant creature
> > into dust through water-negligence.
> > I am in need of suggestions for brands, and whether or not to concoct
> > my own mechanism.
> > I also need to run the water from inside my house to use water-
> > softened water (to avoid turning coloring my porch rails to rust).
> > 1. What brand is best?
> > 2. What kind of water timer?
> > 3. How to I physically drill from inside the basement to the porch?
> > Should this be as high up on the banding joist as possible?
> > THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

> If your plan is to stop killing plants, you might want to re-think
> watering them with soft water.

No, they do fine with it. The killing is from lack of water. When I
have someone do it relentlessly from the faucet, they're fine.

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