hey don .. care to drive 10 minutes past hidden lakes [tecumseh MI]... and come see a system in action .. seeing is always easier than typing/reading ....

i have pure sand.... never let it dry .. and i have the rust .... ken

sorry for the delay .. been way too busy ...

first and foremost ....if you are interested in irrigation.. please contact a supplier like john deere landscape for professional help in all of this... its free .. and now is a good time to get their attention ... they are very busy in spring when all the farmers are bothering them .. but there is a lull in summer ... greenhouse setup in fall is another busy season ...

i started with a local rainbird dealer.. and they were bought out the JDeere ....

i will list the variables ... so you can start to get a grasp of it all ..

lets start with head pressure ... if you are on city water.. move to the next step ....it becomes a bit more complicated with wells .... i have a bladder tank that keeps house pressure up without the well coming on all the time .... it clicks on at 40 pounds.. and off at 60 pounds ... the whole idea with irrigation is for your pump to go on and stay on... in other words .. bypass the bladder tank .... the outdoor spigot may or may not bypass this.. if you cant figure it out.. then you may need a well guy to come take care of that ....or a plumber .... never forget... opinions are free .... call a pro if you need help ...

also .. it is imperative to bypass any water treatment you do .. no need to pay money for water you are pumping outdoors ...

next.. i have pure sand.. and the well pumps sand .... so i needed a filter just past the spigot... about 45$ .... it looks like a bunch of casino chips.. and is rated to 120 to 130 microns .... no need to plug up your irrigation emitters ....

now.. i hope the city folks start paying attention.. we are now out of the house....

the first thing on the spigot is a backflow protector .... plumbers call it something else.. maybe a pressure regulator .... this stops water from being sucked back into the house.. frankly all gardeners should have one... i got a brass one from the plumbing shop [probably bigboxstore also] for about 8 bucks ....

after the backflow.. and filter ... i have a box in the ground.. you can get an injector for around about 100$ ... to inject fertilizer if you want to get real fancy ....

i then had 1 inch supply lines that feed water all over the yard .... spigots are within about 50 feet of each other ... so that a 75 foot hose will caver all the gardens .... i like to think of it like a cemetery .. where they have spigots pop up all over the place ....

with the 5 acres.. i hired a guy with a 'slicer' and he dragged in the lines and showed me how to do the connections.. and left me to do the rest .... dig hole... expose pipe ... put in a 'T' ... 2.5 feet of hose... 'elbow' ... and a spigot.. rebury pipe .... and i have a new spigot where ever i want one .... fresh razor blades ... and a torch to heat the plastic ...and working with the pipes is real easy ....

then i got to hosta beds ... expose the supply ... insert T ... bring pipe to surface .... insert on/off .. pressure regulator... then change to 1 inch irrigation pipe [much softer] ..... then use special tool to put dispersers .. and attach tape... 3 cents a foot .... but it has to be level and basically straight .... very limited if your gardens are all over the place .... the problem is that all the connectors are 2 to 3 bucks a piece ....T's L' straight ... so my hosta are basically in straight lines ...

there is other techline pipes thats about 35 cents a foot.. but is self pressure regulating.. and can go up and down hills... etc.. but the connectors are maybe 30 to 50 cents a piece ....

there are so many options.. that frankly.. you need a salesperson to address all the options you have ....

on my sand.. and even though i pump water only for the cost of the 220 electricity .... i truly believe i have saved a bundle as compared to the upfront cost ....

i will add some links

and i will presume this will lead to a million questions.. fire away ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: JD catalog .... pdf techlite pg 175 -techline 176-fitting 177

JD irrigationproducts

http://www.johndeerelandscapes.com/_Products/Irrg_index.asp

Here is a link that might be useful: prior post about irrigation

techline info

Here is a link that might be useful: techline

Thanks, Ken. I have a Toro underground sprinkler system with a 2 hsp. pump which draws water out of my pond. I'll talk with the Toro dealer and John Deere to consider installing driplines for my new flowerbeds. And I'll take you up on your invitation to stop in sometime. Don

super.... a visit would really clarify it all for you .... i would bet a buck that one hour here.. and the lightbulb would pop on so fast ...

it really isnt all that complicated ... but trying to type it all out is mind boggling ...

and there are many more options than what i do ...

ken

here is the basis of my system .. at the link ... everything you need for a very basic setup .... and for $35 so you can see how it works .... there is a bigger 250 foot kit also ..... for $55 .. keep in mind.. thought the tape needs to be replaced every few years ... the connectors will last a life time ....

from there.. you buy more connectors, etc .. and a 9000 foot spool of irrigation tape and go nuts ... one the giant roll you are working on about 4 cents per foot ...

i talked with my JD guy .... there is a salesman out of holland .... for the west coast of MI ....

well watered.. well grown hosta.. will hide the irrigation tape very quickly ....

lets schedule a visit

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: irrigator KIT

here is my outdoor spigot.. brass backflow .... couplers.. filter ... couplers to supply line ... the stains are from the prior owner .... and you should see what it does to hosta if applied overhead ....
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a few feet down the line .... fertilizer injectore with bypass in box ...
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a few feet further down the line.. a spigot attached to the fence ... 'T'd' up from the supply line ...
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a spigot in the middle of the yard ...
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conversion from supply on right ..... turn off/on ... pressure regulator ... to soft irrigation pipe ....
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supply line Teed off to two different zones.. marked with blue dots ...

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different drip lines that dont require regulators and can be curved and go up and down hills [self regulating] .... they are on top of the mulch so they add ambient humidity for the plants .... this is the stuff hosta freak should be using ...ken
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as per you rust problem.. i was looking at the hard copy older catalog while eating lunch...

they used to have a product called RID O'RUST ... which injected certain chemicals into the water to remove the rust ...

so you might want to contact JD about such ...

ken

a million hits for rid o rust .... frankly too many .. lol ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: search engines are great

I've used Rid O' Rust and several other similar products. For that iron stain on your vinyl siding and concrete, you can mix a little water with some Iron Out until it becomes a paste and then brush it onto the stain. Let it set for a while and repeat the brushing. Most (or all)of it should come off. For really bad stains on concrete or stone, you may have to use a sandblaster or muriatic acid. CAUTION: The acid will kill all vegetation. Don

i was referring to a system of injecting it into your water to avoid staining your plants ...

again.. i have no experience... only letting you know about options ...

i know Dr Wilkins uses something on his pond water .. for the same reason as you .. the first season in his new garden ... he turned his whole yard a coppery opalescent reddish brown .. it was way cool.. though a bit bizarre ...if you know Jim.. you could discuss with him

ken