Sorry, I should have been clear, you can leave the cornstalks overwinter in the field and broadcast the vetch seed directly into that so you don’t need rye for them to climb.
The vetch is the nitrogen source and the corn stalks or rye, the carbon source.
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Thank you Pedro this setup seems quite manageable and inexpensive to set up. What is the sq ft coverage with drippers? Or should I say max plants to pumps you’ve used?
So test sites before to make sure microbiology is sutiable? Or just the compost? I’ve never tried either so could see how it can change rapidly. Always just planted and went, but when using this as a watering source I could see how it must be looked at. Much appreciated input.
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Thank you spaceman for that tip. Glad to see some options for helping compost on site, does this help retain moisture in the site? Curious for sure!
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Most people I’ve met use Aqua Sorb to keep soil moisture on point. In corn fields and forests I’ve seen it work great.
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Poor soils would lack the microbes but your inoculating with compost microbes it’s just for the difference of before and after that’s .
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Hello 50state, I’ve looked into aquasorb before as its components are similar to the humidity control packs used in many large package storing. If you have used it are there pros and cons to its use?
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Yep. It won’t break down as well in drought country I imagine. Needs a bit of rain for that.
You sound like an old hand at this with plenty of varied experience, got any old pics to share?
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I have 37 x 4 litre per hour drippers on the line but the pump can push 4 litres per minute so you could theoretically put 60 of those on a line or 120 2l/m drippers.
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Woo that’s actually moving some water around. Must need a solid water source then especially if its automated. Which means that the garden couldn’t get that big where I am. Now that’s taking care of business for sure. Any downfalls you’ve noticed beside battery problems?
No downfalls so far at all other than maybe needing to adjust the pumping time so suit the ground moisture conditions ( I only extended the watering time once and kept it that way (1.3 litres each per day)).
I wanted to trial a system where there was no battery or timer and only a small solar panel, the trial was to see whether it would automatically water the right amount per day just depending on how sunny or not the days were. If it was raining the panel wouldn’t get enough power for the pump etc. So that might be something for you to think about too. Just might need smaller drippers or panel etc. I didn’t have time in the season for the trial.
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Thats an awesome idea with the solar panels. I wonder if you could use a humidity controller with the probe buried in the ground to water when the humidity if the soil lowers. If that even makes sense. Lol. Im not 100 percent on how the humidity controllers work. Can you even measure humidity of soil?
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I wish I’d been brazen enough in the past to take pictures. But have none to offer to be honest. I will however make sure to document well this year and share. I can show you one plots beginnings and ends as I have some finished and beans ready for the go!
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Its easy to use the only person I know that fucked it up dumped the dry Sorb into the holes and let mother nature water them but when he came back it pushed the plants out of the holes lol.
Its been a while since I needed it but with for small clones I would fill a 2 litre pop bottle with a table spoon and add water. Dig the holes add about a quarter of the bottle it comes right out when you squeeze it and mix it into the soil a bit add plant boom.
For bigger plants I’d just mix it well with the soil in the hole and either water it with a 18 bottle or let mother nature do it for me.
Aqua Sorb works very well on those weeks without rain.
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Well well well I thought I was the only special one to push plants out of the ground lol. Orbez hold moister and me being me I used those to water the soil. One gallon bag per pot right in the soil. Well I thought all would be well. As those girls got root bound and a good rain. All went a little sideways for most of the plot. Not much was saved but lessons were learned for sure. Thanks for the input very valuable information.
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I hope to live to see the day when folks can open cultivate Mary to their heart’s content.
I think it’s close.
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I use excess compost and just pile it around the top of the plant.
regards,
mike28086
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I think you are on to something with the solar panel idea. That would be a simpler idea for multiple watering sites. I feel you want a humidity probe like you linked for each plant. Maybe, hooked to a solenoid valve hooked to a gravity fed system. When one plant gets dry the humidity probe would power up the solenoid allowing water to flow to the plant. I like the solar panel idea better.
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@Pedro_Bann I thank you for this. Collecting the setup. I just want to note though. That pump you use is a well pump. Most pumps you find are for ebb and flow or hydro setups. The one needed to pull and push is a well pump. Hope this simplifys things for others. The other thing I’ve added is a uv purification system to one sites setup. Hoping that may help with yield.
https://www.chewy.com/sunsun-cuv-109-uv-sterilizer-pond/dp/158809?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=SunSun&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0pfzBRCOARIsANi0g0u53IMbT84Zen6gGqj3MbAYFqpIdgFQqti-Kza7qcjXQn7Z7LaoICMaAk7hEALw_wcB
I have added this though to holding tanks as a precaution to any sort of problems from water source. Never know what may happen when I don’t lay eyes for a while and seems like good insurance.
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