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Entry Date
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Location
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Sunday, October 06, 2024
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Matt D.
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Connecticut
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Entry 109 of 116 |
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4. Irrigation
Water management is a very important aspect to pumpkin growing and this is something all growers need to consider to some extent. While hand watering is an option some form of mechanical method should be implemented and hand watering should be done as needed or in addition to this more standard method.
The use of drip tape is probably one of the most efficient methods as it delivers the water directly to the soil and is not impacted by above ground plant material. Overhead watering can be effective and is typically the least expensive method but wetting of the leaves and the amount of water lost via evaporation are two negatives for this method.
Another advantage of drip irrigation is the ease of automation and also fertigating. This can save the grower many hours over the growing season and will help with consistency to the plant.
While no system is perfect drip irrigation does require some initial expense and a little time to set-up. However, these drawbacks are minimal compared to the benefits and this is the reason this is a very common method of irrigation on both small scale and large-scale operations.
For full details see this article, “Performance and evaluation of drip irrigation system, and its future advantages”
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bac8/93d192c8e40eb145863c340bd849ce79b5c7.pdf
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