I only bury them to keep the sun from destroying them.

55-57 inches rainfall a year? Hey, that's pretty good! We get about 20 inches total rain/snow per year. Keeps the slugs at bay : ) Come to think of it, I'm thirsty...

Don B.
Westminster, CO.

Don that makes me even more in awe of your beautiful hosta! Hmm, I should say rain AND snow for us too. I'll edit that part.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 1:26

Thanks, Robo, I appreciate it. But really, I just try to keep them out of TOO much high-altitude sun, make sure they have nutritious soil to live in, and water, water, water. Denver County has water restrictions for this summer, but luckily we're in Jefferson County. No such restrictions since I've lived here (8 years on Tuesday). I'm planning on getting some drip irrigation going for next season, so I won't have to waste so much water with the overhead watering. Best of luck with everything!

Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 2:21

soaker hoses are useless ...

find and pay for an ENGINEERED product.. that allows you to KNOW the output of water in a given time frame per emitter ...

there is no engineering in the common soaker hose ... and in my experience.. i could not be sure.. at all points on the given length.. that i was getting consistent coverage ...

i will give you a link later.. when i fire up the desktop ...

ken

ken, you're absolutely correct that you can't know that water coverage or output from a soaker hose. BUT for some of us they aren't useless. I use them for supplemental watering in the late summer when I'm just too tired to really care about working in the garden any more.

Robot, I don't bury my hoses as it inhibits the water spray too much, but that's just my experience. I meander the hoses around the hostas a few inches away from the crowns. I like to think more of the roots will get water that way. Then I monitor the beds after the first couple of waterings and make adjustments based on how the soil looks around the hostas. I've been lucky this year to not even use the soaker hoses yet.

I agree with Ken about the soaker hoses . Used them years ago and plants were thirsting to death. One month into the season and they were totally plugged with the calcium in our hard water . Back to the sprinklers and spots but living plants . Until I get sick of this I would look into underground sprinklers or drip system. Not sure if they plug with hard water but maybe no spots on the blues

In places where I have laid soakers I circle the plants, about six inches away from them, and cover with mulch to reduce evaporation and protect the hoses from the sun.

The rest of the beds are getting installed with drip irrigation hoses and spot spitters that will get water underneath the leaves directly on the ground. Overhead sprinklers just don't get the job done, the water runs off the leaves, leaving the ground dry underneath the plants no matter how long I leave them run. With the spot spitters I can water an entire bed in about 30 minutes.

Sandy

my point... if you have them.. use them up

but if you are going to invest in replacement ... go higher quality ... the drip irrigation i have.. has lasted a decade...

initial upfront cost would be offset by repeated replacement costs ...

i still cant remember the name of the stuff i have.. but its the same as the stuff at the link ...

the key is that each emitter allows a specific amount of water .. across the entire length ... ina given time... e.g. so if it drip .25 gals per hour.. you can put down one gal in 4 hours .... BUT!!! .... what you soil needs... can only be determined by you...

ah ha.. i use TECHLINE by netafim .. such as at this link:

http://www.sprinklersupplystore.com/Netafim-Techline-CV-Drip-Tubing-s/675.htm

check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSYeCyuM3c

and just so there is no confusion.. the emitters are built into the line ... mine is fully winterproof ...

i can offer much assistance... but i am not willing to simply type a thesis on such..

if you are interested in going in this direction... i will help thru GW posts ...

and if i ever fail to come back and answer ... just use my members page.. to send me a link back to the post i lost ...

finally... ALL mine is above ground.. and above the mulch .... after a short while.. you ignore it ... and any garden visitors are intrigued by it... its something to talk about ... but the reason i do such.. is ambient moisture... i need some humidity for the plant.. on my hot sand ... i can really see a difference .... as to leaf surface damage.. if i bury the lines completely ...

and for those of you who use sprinklers.. ponder this.. you lose maybe 50% of what your sprinkler shoots into the air .. by evaporation.... so you are paying to water the air.... you can deliver more water.. more efficiently.. w/o the waste cost ... and that should be considered in your upfront cost ...

let me see if i can find a picture of it laying on top.. and very frankly.. ask you if you would have fixated on it.. rather than the plant display ... and be honest ...

ken
{{gwi:211254}}

Here is a link that might be useful: link

check the link below.. down half way.. i irrigate a hosta bed

brilliant tape job is i say so myself.. lol

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks for the links ken! I am going to have a careful look. My water needs are not as intense between our heavy rainfall and the inevitable clay soil here. Even in August it's rained three times in the past seven days...I love it...one less day I need to get out the hose! At the same time it would be nice not to have to manually water my new beds!!

Love the little windmill thingy, Ken. Did Esther send that to you from NY?

Steve