[nemo]

i have a new poly tunnel it has 4 raised beds 1.2 meter by 12 meter can someone recommend a company that sells automatic watering system.we have mains and spring water i suppose mains water would be more suitable could you recommend a type of system etc.
any help would be very usefully
regards
nemo

[kindredspirit]

Can't help you on the automatic irrigating system but wouldn't spring water be MORE suitable than mains water?

Mains water has chlorine in it.

[forest flame]

hi nemo
i would have thought the spring water better than mains.
the best of all is the rain water if you have a way of catching it such as rigging a pipe to the downpipe of the house and catching in a water butt or old wheelie bin. then you could use a small pump to distribute it through sprinklers which can be bought quite cheap.or you could use a soaker pipe like a porous hose set around the beds.
there is a company called p&a supplies and they could post what you need if you cant get to them.

[nemo]

hello
thanks for your replys
i have no way of bringing a power supply to our pollytunnel.mains water is pressurised.
would a solar panel power a small pump to distribute the water .
buts that's more work
p&a supply's looks the business
thanks
nemo

[ormondsview]

The plants close to the wall will get water from the run off but those in the middle of the greenhouse will suffer dry spells and will need constant maintenance. Here's a good video on why to use a drip system

http://www.bcnorth.ca/NGS/images/site/WhatisDrip3.wmv

and here is the source for the kind of setup and cost http://www.bcnorth.ca/NGS/

If you put out several rain barrels and tap the piping into the bottom to catch the water, feed it underground, put a filtering screen over the top of the barrel (prevent drowning animals) and lead it into the rows you want to put it into.

[walltoall]

The issue is getting the water to the site not the quality of the water.

Spring water might have to be pumped depending on what arrangements are already in position. You need gravity on your side or else you hafta pump it. I harvest rain-water from the roof of the house and it looks after about a quarter of my annual needs. The process uses water butts on each down pipe daisy chained to a 'master'. I have a LIDL immersion pump in that butt which pumps the rain water to the cistern in the roof. The overflow from the house cistern then flows to a 3000 liter tank in the garden and THAT TANK has hoses to the garden.

Solar panel pumps are either eye-wateringly expensive oir else almost useless.

On the subject of water quality, spring water can be much more potent chemically than mains due to "leeching" of agricultural pesticides, fertilizers and hormones. I'm not making a case for mains water although it has to be admitted if we can drink it I preume it is not poisinous?

[nemo]

thanks to all
p & a supplies and poly dome do drip systems i now have a better understanding of what i must do
thanks
nemo