watering system( which is better drippers vs spitters)

BISTEK

Yamadori
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I wanted to use watering system but not sure if i need to use a dripper vs spitters. Pls let me know your comments.
 

Ugo

Shohin
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Hi!
Just sharing my thoughts here, its not a subject I know about but if it was me looking for a watering system in Zone 9B:
I would definitely go for the dripper, Im under the impression it will water the tree more deeply in the pot and not only on the surface,
For me a spitter create a watering pattern that be be affected by the wind and not water the tree properly.
I think a spitter would be a great addition to a dripper setup to water the entire tree including the foliage but not used as the primary watering system for days.

Please take this with a grain of salt I could be in the wrong.
 

River's Edge

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I wanted to use watering system but not sure if i need to use a dripper vs spitters. Pls let me know your comments.
They are designed for different purposes. They also come in very different configurations with respect to flow rate and pattern. It is best to use the type that suits your containers and plants. It is simple to combine them for multi use purposes and the ability to change with containers and plant requirements. However it is important to keep track of flow rates, number of outlets and pressure within the system.
In short it is not just a question of one or the other.
Take a little time and read up on the various uses and patterns available before deciding!
A couple of key points.
1. it is very easy to over water with irrigation systems.
2. They are not trouble free or consistently reliable, must be checked regularly to ensure best results.
4. Most effective or less troublesome if used for inground watering rather than containers which can dry out very quickly in the situation where the system or dripper/spitter fails.
5. Setting up zones that can be scheduled separately is very useful. They can be used for separate purposes.

Note: I use a system for my nursery but primarily for certain stages of growth and sizes of containers, not as a replacement for hand watering in all cases. Have used a system for over ten years, I find it primarily useful for starter plants, cuttings, and smaller containers with free drainage.
 

penumbra

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For bonsai on a bench I would personally go with sprayers. I think the drippers look tacky and I think that plants enjoy a spraying. There are definitely good uses for drippers and nearly all commercial growers use them. They are very economical in terms of water use.
 

Shibui

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In my experience drippers only water a small part of a wide shallow pot. Use several on larger pots or sprays that will cover most of the pot surface. Sprayers do waste some water but cover pots far better. 10-15minutes of spray will penetrate even dry soil in pots, even better if spraying is split into 2 sessions to allow better penetration.
I have not seen spot spitters for sale down here yet so have not tried these.

I've never managed to set up an automated system that waters all areas equally well. There are always some wetter and some drier places so monitor plants carefully after setting up any auto system. Some pots may need extra emitters or to be moved to another location where water supply meets their needs better.
 

cishepard

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Has anyone tried using 1/4” soaker hose (like a circle of soaker hose on the surface of each pot)?
 

Maiden69

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I use a 1/4" soaker as mentioned above and Primerus spot spitters. Recently bought more of the short to use on smaller pots. The best thing about them is that if you move the trees in the winter all you have to do is turn it around and plug the line. I don't like sprayers because they waste a lot of water not going where they need to. I DO use them to wet the foliage and increase humidity when needed. I run my system for 5 minutes, that is enough to saturate the soil on all the pots, with a sprayer you will need to run it longer unless you aim it at the base of the tree.

For most of my trees I use the short, for the trees in the grow bed I use the black and light green regular size depending on the size of the plant. Also, there are differences in all of them, I try to buy down spray ones when available.

 

Bonsai Nut

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Depends on your situation... where you live, what you are growing, and what is it potted in.

I use sprayers, but they are pretty wasteful. Also, you have to consider the impact all that water will have on your benches, your garden paving/gravel, etc. There are times when you might want to avoid watering foliage or bark... again depending on circumstances. And it is tough to walk through your garden while the system is on to check that all your trees are getting water (you will get soaked).

Almost every commercial grower I have been to uses spitters. They run a main irrigation line down the center of their bench, and run spitters at regular intervals off the line. Spitters are color-coded for flow, so it is very easy to visually confirm how much water you are providing. Works great if you have commercial stock in nursery containers. A little less great if you are dealing with finished bonsai in pots, but two spitters per pot can usually give you good coverage. Super easy to turn on a zone and walk down a row of trees to make sure all trees are getting water without having to wear a swimsuit :) If you aren't using a line, a spitter can be inverted and plugged back into the water line to shut down the line. Super easy. It doesn't look quite as nice as if you use sprinklers, but if you keep your setup neat, it is pretty close.

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MapleLeaf

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I use a 1/4" soaker as mentioned above and Primerus spot spitters. Recently bought more of the short to use on smaller pots. The best thing about them is that if you move the trees in the winter all you have to do is turn it around and plug the line. I don't like sprayers because they waste a lot of water not going where they need to. I DO use them to wet the foliage and increase humidity when needed. I run my system for 5 minutes, that is enough to saturate the soil on all the pots, with a sprayer you will need to run it longer unless you aim it at the base of the tree.

For most of my trees I use the short, for the trees in the grow bed I use the black and light green regular size depending on the size of the plant. Also, there are differences in all of them, I try to buy down spray ones when available.

What started with me ordering 10 of these sprayers based on your suggestion cost me $85 in the end at drip depot. What a great company. Wound up ordering low voltage wire for landscaping lighting as well.
 

Maiden69

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What started with me ordering 10 of these sprayers based on your suggestion cost me $85 in the end at drip depot. What a great company. Wound up ordering low voltage wire for landscaping lighting as well.
Drip Depot is awesome, I stumbled upon their site while ordering from another... they didn't have the fitting I needed and Drip Depot site came up on my search. I compared prices and they are so far the lowest from the ones I found. I changed most of my system to the Primerus 1/8" line, no more leaking and popping out 1/4" fittings, just punch an 1/8" hole with their punch and slide the 1/8" tubing in.
 
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