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Eugene, OR

Hi all. Getting closer and closer to that time, so I decided it would be about time to get a parts list going for the overhead misting system. I was looking at either the Tornado misters or the cool breeze misting nozzles listed in the DripWorks catalog. I was planning on using the overhead system mainly for cooling but would like to be able to deliver Neptune's Fish/Seaweed with them as well. Will the cool breeze's clog if used to deliver the liquid ferts?

I would like to keep the leaves as dry as possible so I'm leaning towards the cool breeze nozzles but want to be sure I don't end up with a clogged system that can't cool or fertilize!!

Your personal experiences with these misters and any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Brian

2/27/2004 4:52:03 PM

Montoursville, PA

I fed fish, kelp and molasses through the Dripworks misters. The system included the highly suggested strainers to catch lumps you may overlook in the making of your slurries. All of the AGRO-K products moved through freely. They are designed to be sprayed as in foliar feeding.

I used the Tornado misters which are what they suggested to me in the planning stage. There are several gallons per minute misters. At seven feet overhead I have used all three
but prefer the lowest gallons per minute to prevent as much run off as possible and as much airborn evaporation as possible.

2/29/2004 9:37:23 PM

Eugene, OR

Thank you for the reply Dwaine. It just so happens that your awesome pumpkin is on the same page as the misters in the DripWorks catalog. Nice looking pumpkin!

We have very low humidity here in the summer so the capacity to cool via evaporative cooling is very high. According to the psychrometric table, it's possible to drop the air temperature from 90* F to 67* using evaporative cooling at a relative humidity of 30%. That sort of temperature drop should definitely help keep heat stress under control.

Tornado misters it is. Thank you for the info! :-)

Brian

3/1/2004 12:45:09 AM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

The leaves of my plants were wet during all days last summer, but dry during all nights. One big circular rotavive low flow sprinkler was turning around from the center of the patch 8 hours per day, every day. With so I got that drop of temperature you talked about Brian.

Carlos

3/1/2004 2:21:15 AM

In the shade - PDX, OR

I hope '04 will be much cooler for you this year Carlos. Last year was a scorcher of a Summer.

3/1/2004 2:24:59 AM

Eugene, OR

Carlos, did you have any leaf born diseases because of the constant moisture? If I could get away from spending the money on a large misting system....I would definitely do it. A sprinkler like the one you used may be another option that's a little more cost effective.

Brian

3/1/2004 10:39:49 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

Yep, it's much cheaper and easier to set. I can say that I have less disease on the wet leaves than on the dry ones. Here I tested that when you wash the leaves often, powdery mildew (which is my biggest enemy after heat) takes longer to appear.
You have to finished it enough time before night to get leaves dry when sun setting, but here that is definitely not a problem.
I do not say that the one sprinkler all day is better than a perfect misting system, but the only one I know good for my climate is the Greg Sucker's, which runs some way like 5 sec each min. This system needs a very expensive timer not easy to find here.
At least for me that way worked. Of course since late August a lot of fungicide is needed to be used. But that would be with any system.

Carlos

3/2/2004 3:01:42 AM

Montoursville, PA

I AGREE WITH CARLOS 100%. My problem would have been entirely to much water last summer if I had to rely on a sprinkler. Even using the misting system I had to much on occasion.

I have dropped back to the lowest volume misters this year hoping that I may reduce the water applied while cooling. If I need more water I prefer to offer it through the underground T-Tapes.

3/2/2004 10:59:39 AM

San Diego

Brian, I used the drip works too but not the misters. I used the Super Net PC mini sprinkler. it worked great. They have varying sizes to depending on the size of area you want speinkled. I used 3 of these sprinklers and I had a lot of over lap because my patch is small. 3 of these sprinklers will do a great job on a 20 foot by 35 foot patch area. I used their Dig Greenhouse battery timer LCD and everything went great! The sprinklers put out very small drops. Just ran a simple pipe down the middle of the patch, put each sprinkler on a 3 foot high stake, and all done:) Best wishes. Jim

3/2/2004 4:24:16 PM

Eugene, OR

Thanks for the suggestions guys. We rarely get any moisture here in the "high desert" of Oregon in the summer. We can go for most of the late spring and summer without seeing a single drop of rain so I don't really have to worry about drenching the plants too much.

My plot is close to 1600 sq. ft. in the shape of an "L" so I really wasn't looking forward to setting up a misting system to cool the entire plot. Being a poor college student is hell on the wallet! I'll check out the low GPH sprinklers for a cost comparison. If I can get away with 30 bucks worth of PVC pipe and a few sprinklers I'll definitely do it!!

Thanks again for the advice

Brian

3/2/2004 8:33:43 PM