Kitchen Garden Forum

Not quite soaker hoses but I am seeking individual opinions (not necessarily facts) on an idea;

With the talk of watering at the roots of plants in this heat with the upturned drinks bottles / directed pipe etc. I am considering "underground reservoirs" along the lines below.

When I dig up the beds to add the compost, over the autumn / winter, I am thinking od burying some 1 1/2" plastic pipe with drain holes in the sides / bottom, capped off at each end and with a tee piece to the surface.
Watering would be through the tee eg fill it up to the brim and let the water soak out evenly amongst the roots. A simple cover over the end will stop evaporation.

This would firstly be done on a couple of 8' x 4' beds for tomato and cucumber plants, with the black fabric sheet I should be able to water with ease, either by can or drain hose from the butt.

Has anyone tried something like this before, if so was it worth the effort ?

No - but it sounds interesting.

Hello Trevor
Still thinking about this one but my first thoughts are that you would certainly have to remember where you laid your pipe otherwise you'll be putting a spade through it all at digging time.

John

PS What's wrong with soaker hoses apart from the price? I use them a lot. Fortunately there's no hose ban here and as our water pressure is very low I can leave them on for for long periods in hot weather without any fear of overwatering.

I have seen someone who buried a length of perforated black drain pipe used for land drainage at the bottom of their runner bean trench.

They left one end on the surface at the end of the row, and stuck the hose down that end when watering to make sure all the water reached the roots. The row was quite short (10 ft from memory).

My recollection is that they had some very good crops.

Agreed I will have to remember where they are but I was considering it for relatively small beds with minimal digging after they are in (trowel rather than a spade) also putting it 6 - 8" deep should be OK I think.

Soaker hose would be OK but I live in the Middle East (of Surrey) with deserts all around !