Melony no limit on the number of questions. If they added a limit on number or questions or banned rambling I would be in big trouble. LOL. I use molasses anytime I feed the plants or beds. I always do it after adding mulch, fertilizer, ect. It helps stimulate the good things in the soil and helps speed up decomposition. I always add it when I prepare a bed and again when I do my transplant watering. If planting seeds I will sometimes wait till 7-10 days after the plants emerge.

I've used a variety of watering methods. And haven't found one method I'm totally happy with in all situations so tend to mix and match. Drip tape has worked well for me especially when watering plants in rows. I like the drippers, slits no further apart than 6 inches although a lot of it sold has spacings up to 12 inches which I feel is too far from my deep sand. I also like the black distribution tubing with emitters for individual plants like peppers and tomatoes. Both take longer to set up than other methods. The last 2 years I've used mainly the soaker hoses with the nylon covering. They work ok but tend to leave dry spots in areas. I have tried pvc pipe with holes drilled in it. Works well on short rows but not on the 60-75 ft rows I have in my main garden. I use a filter system with a regulator that overall works well. Jay

Thanks, Jay, I went with the drip emiters this year for tomatoes and peppers and will stick with that. I haven't tried the nylon net covered soakers yet. Do those last longer than 2 seasons?

Melony,

Ask away and no one is counting how many questions per thread. The only reason to post a separate thread on different topics would be to ensure that the GardenWeb search function could find them later.

With molasses, I use it on an as-needed basis when adding organic matter or fertilizers to garden areas. Sometimes I put it on the compost pile where it works as a great compost activator by stimulating biological activity. There's really no rule about when to use. I just add it when I think an area needs a little more soil improvement.

With drip irrigation, I use T-tape from DripWorks that has emitters/slits every 8", but my soil is heavier than Jay's. Even my sandy/silty soil has had some clay added to it in the veggie garden in an effort to make it hold water longer. In a new gardening area with very sandy soil which has not been improved very much yet, keeping it well-watered this year was difficult, so next year I'll run more drip lines through that area in an effort to keep it moist. I also hope to amend that soil quite a bit during the gardening off-season.

I use soaker hoses for some things and most of mine last several years. I like to put them underneath the mulch because that protects them from the sun's UV rays to some degree. Really though, as time goes by, I'm switching more and more to drip irrigation than soaker hoses. They don't make soaker hoses as well as they used to and they do not seem to last long here. However, we have some soaker hoses that are 13 years old and completely encircle the house's foundation area. They stay there year-round and we use them to keep the clay soil around the foundation moist so it won't crack and cause the foundation to crack. Because we have a Victoria style house with wraparound raised porches, most of the soaker hoses are underneath the porches and are not exposed to direct sunlight which may be prolonging their lives. Either that or they are the best soaker hoses every made.

I lift up the drip tape lines from the garden and let them dry out at the end of the season, then roll them up and store them in a big Rubbermaid tote indoors over the winter where they are not subjected to freezing temperatures. That prolongs their life somewhat.

I've also used the black distribution lines where you punch holes where desired to insert emitters, drippers or sprayers at the intervals you choose in order to customize the spacing to suit your plantings. They work just fine, but if you rotate crops every year, you have to remember to rotate the driplines too with the correct spacing for the crop spacing. If you use customized lines with emitters at different spacing for each crop, you don't want to turn on your system and discover the bean beds have the driplines with tomato plant spacing and vice versa.

Like Jay, I mix and match watering systems as needed. The way I do things in a very dry year is different from a very wet year or even an average year. I just try to go with the flow and alter things if I am not happy with how the system is working. Sometimes I'll even turn on the sprinkler and water with it for a while during a prolonged period of very hot weather just because the plants look so dry and dusty.

Dawn

I have the black recycle type of soaker hose, the fabric coated and the thin black with that you poke holes in and install emitters and Sch 40 PVC. Most of my problems come from a lawn mower.

I can not mix and match and run all at the same time. My black recycle hose, both 1/2" and 3/4" needs at least 15 lbs of pressure to work properly. I dont get even coverage from end to end with either style of soaker hose.
My PVC works OK if level and short runs (mine are 22'). Each tube will need a ball valve to control volume. I do not run a filter or a regulator and my static line pressure is regulated down to 40 lbs. which feeds the house and garden. If I were to modify my system I would run two regulators. I would leave the house at 40 PSI. and run the garden at a min. of 55 PSI. in order to supply more tubes at one time. I would also run at least a 3/4" feed line. If you have a small area to irrigate you wont need a large feed line or higher pressure.

I am like the others, I have not found a "one size fits all" system. You will have to design your irrigation system to fit you needs.

Larry

I haven't tried the pvc, yet. Hubs put in a 1" feeder, so maybe next year.
Sounds like the irrigation is going to be trial and error like everything else in my garden!
I'm taking it all down and cleaning it all up. While cleaning the soaker hoses, I noticed pretty sturdy white spots; mineral deposits from the well water, I suppose.
One size fits all sure would have been nice. But then, where would the challenge be!
Thanks to all.