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Phoenix, AZ

My soil is clay and I just started amending it this year. I retains water extremely well so I am concerned I would push all the air out and leave nothing but water.

My mister system will run as infrequently as possible, but it must run or my plants will die guaranteed!

Will misting aerate the water before it hits the ground and thus I won't have as big a problem as I thought?

Thanks all!

Ben

6/13/2004 11:28:37 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Ben - I think your going to have to work this one out on your own.


I'd try changing the height or distance of the emiters as well as the on / off cycle times.

Ideal temp for these plants is between 80 ~ 85 + or -.
Maybe hang or stake a thermometer @ the height of you plant.

If done right the mist shouldn't add a significant amount of water to the soil.

Some of the Cali guys have much more experience with misting. Maybe they wil chime in.

Good Luck.

6/14/2004 1:18:15 AM

Arizona

Hey Ben!!

Many ways you can go about this. one easy way is just use low misters small drip/fogers, and when you use them just don't water that day or untill it drys.

heck if I water once around here it stays for about a week untill I have to re-water.

you could also lay plastic down cut a hole so it can slip over your plant, then the soil does not take up the water or it moves to the outside premiter of the plant 5-6 feet. this will waste water but your plants wont rot.

if you have full shade like me, only mist on the days that it's 100F and up. 98 and lower no mist that day.

But being were you are and were I am you have 100F days everyday.

Hope I helped!

Jeff

6/14/2004 2:02:39 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

True misters don't wet the ground or leaves at all. These work on the principals of evaporative cooling where the water is pressurized & emitted at less than .2 gallons per hour. In very low humidity area, the water evaporates before it reaches the targetted object to cool. The nozzles are suspened from overhead on decks & patios & such for people cooling. For gardens the may be suspended by cables or an regid overhead structure.

There is an article here at BP by Chris Anderson in California who used a similar higher volume/lower pressure system like the one I'm playing with here in CT.

But for low humidity areas, you're after the low volume/high pressure systems.

There is a company that installs these systems called "Mist Air" right in Pheonix. I would call information & contact them. Perhaps someone there can advise you.

An outfit I deal with for pesticide application sprayer parts also manufactures produce misters as we see in the grocery store as well as people misters. These would be good for desert growing too. Here's a link:

http://www.spray.com/applications/application_reference/gi_sprayfogger.asp

A quick Google of the words "outdoor evaporative cooling misting" yields links like these:

http://store.yahoo.com/mistymate/patio-misting-products.html

http://www.snwa.com/html/ch_yard_misters.htm

http://www.interstateproducts.com/cooldraft.htm

http://www.nevada-mist.com/whyzone.html

http://www.rapidcoolusa.com/ <<Looks good>>

I wish we could use these system here in the Northeast. But our summer air is so humid, we can't effectively cool without wetting the leaves. So fungicide useage increase as the cost of the pumpless system decreases. Catch 22.

Steve

6/14/2004 6:46:20 AM

Phoenix, AZ

Thanks all!

I got the thermometer out there and I can measure daily highs and lows right at the leaves.

My intent has been to wet the leaves with a fine mist as compared to your true evap. cooling theory, Steve. Doing only the air has the potential of not cooling the air enough. I have mist ends for both low and high volume. By trying them both out, the low vol. doesn't seem to do as well. Evap. at the leaf I think is best as it has the most potential to cool.

I think I may try the plastic trick also!

6/14/2004 9:06:16 AM

Arizona

best of luck Ben!

just don't let those baby's burn. once you turn the misters on you can't turn them off till the sun is almost down. If you do, you run the risk of burning the now wet leafs with are hot sun.

don't worry about the leafs drying out before dark, it only take a few min for them to dry anyways out here.

Jeff

6/14/2004 1:20:21 PM

San Diego, Ca.

Hey Jeff, I was wondering what the pumpkin growing is like in AZ. Have you had good luck growing out there? What plants are you growing to tolerate the heat? Just curious because I might be your neighbor in the future.

6/15/2004 12:27:31 AM

Elk Grove,Ca USA

I use one gallon/hr brass nozzles and 110 psi in the turkey houses works well, the patch; tubing at 6' high 1/2 ga/ hr misters pushed into the tubing at 5' intrevals, lines 15' apart or so works well to 108 but nothing works at 116 they all fry.

6/15/2004 1:48:40 AM

Phoenix, AZ

Turkeyman, what kind of humidity do you have?

Here in Phoenix, we are currently running 10-20% humidity so evap. works extremely well. Come monsoon, the humidity jumps to over 50% but generally does not ever get to the point not being able to mist effectively.

Ben

6/15/2004 8:40:31 AM

Commack, NY

i misted for a couple of years, but found out what tremor said. that the northeast isnt all that great to mist in, comsidering our humidity. i switched to using shade cloth intsead, and im very happy with it. And it also doubles as hail protection! :)......not sure if that's an option in your area though.
Scott

6/15/2004 9:00:13 AM

Wichita, KS

A couple of months back I figured out how to wire an airconditioning thermostat to an electrically operated irrigation valve, which fed a misting system. The reason was that I didn't want a misting system to be on when the temps in my area were below 95F, unnecessarily cooling my plants and waterlogging my clay. Where I live, very close to Turkeyman, the weather reporters will tell you its gioing to be a 90f day, but it turns out to be a 102f day. This happens frequently. (I also have hard red clay and low humidity, same problem you described.)

I figured that if the misting turned on via thermostat, I wouldn't have to guess how to set the timer that day. See, it would turn on when it needed to, and turn off when the temperature was acceptable.

I never installed it since we decided to sell the house.

These kinds of devices are sold to industrial greenhouses for prices of $700 and over. If you can match an irrigation valve with a thermostat that has compatible electronics (ampage, voltage, wattage, all that stuff), this do-it-yourself method should keep the cost under $50 at Home Depot or Lowes.

Hopefully this is helpful information for you. :)

6/15/2004 11:27:28 AM