From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Midway, UT

I grow on my neighbor's property and he has well water and says I can use as much water as I want anytime that I want. Typcially in the past I've watered starting at 6:00am to give the plants a good drink as they are waking up at sunrise. I'm now starting to think that maybe watering at around 1:00pm might be the better time but I wanted to get everyone's thoughts.

Here in Denver our average summer day time high's are around 92 degress with low humidity and the nightime lows are around 58 degrees. A little to warm and dry for AGs during the day. I mist the plants throughout the hottest parts of the day to cool them down but I have limited cycles on my timer so can only hit the plants about once per hour for a misting. If I change my watering to 1:00pm I can save a misting cycle and cool the plant down during the hotter part of the day and I think there would still be plenty of time for the ground to dry out some before night fall. Any thoughts or recommendations on this watering strategy? Any reason I wouldn't want to water at 1:00?

2/5/2011 9:03:24 PM

Western NY

not saying my way is the best, but last year I put it on a timer; 3 times a day: 9am, 5pm, and 1am.

2/5/2011 10:41:14 PM

soil temp and what part of season helps decide what time for me everyone will vary in differnt climates how warm is soil at 6 am in may compared to august

2/5/2011 11:41:19 PM

Colorado

Andy, was the amount watered at all 3 times the same? thanks.

2/6/2011 2:51:55 PM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

I would rather water once longer , than a small amount multiple times. This dose not include watering for heat or sun relief .

2/6/2011 3:50:37 PM

Midway, UT

Would watering at 1:00 maybe drop my soil temperatures too much where I wouldn't get the soil warm enough to get the microbial activity going?

2/6/2011 5:34:15 PM

Western NY

yeah, all same amount Pete. Turned off if we had rain, and if we were really dry and i wanted to push things, I would hit them for another cycle at 9pm-ish.

2/6/2011 5:53:16 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

I'm interested in this thread because I have very similar conditions as Arvada. One thing I would say about our cool morning temps, watering at that time is probably not good. It's our coldest point of the day, and we need all the warmth we can get. Having said that, my pumpkins are usually on "Zone 7 and 8" of my system, and they typically get run automatically at 9 or 10am (Zone 1 starting at 6am). This is something I can improve.

I'm thinking 2pm, and then again at 7pm, particularly if it has been hot. But I'm open to suggestions... ;-)

2/7/2011 10:15:57 AM

Colorado

jamie- I water 6 am to about 2 pm. I think watering late afternoon/evening will drop the soil temps(especially with our low night time temps) but I am going to try it this year anyway, becuase I don't think I am watering enough.

2/7/2011 11:17:48 AM

Lymington UK

There are several stages of watering and the second one is the most important if you want to take a pumpkin to the scales.
1 From seed sowing to a pumpkin the size of a BRITISH football. All you need to do here is keep the plant nicely watered which may mean watering every couple of days.
2 From the size of a football I would suggest you look at the soil in your patch EVERY day and NEVER let the soil dry out. At this point,and we grow in the UK under cover, we water every afternoon by hand under the leaves. If you need to water over the top I would suggest you water in the morning so that the leaves get a chance to dry out.
The pumpkins are putting most of the weigh on at night and if they run out of available water for just one night the chances are that you can kiss the pumpkin good bye.
3 As the pumpkin starts to max out and the weather is cooler start to cut the water down.
If you’re growing out side don’t be tempted not to water even if rain is forecast for the next day.

2/7/2011 12:55:33 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

Some are shaped like British footballs, and some are shaped like American footballs. ;-) I appreciate your comments, especially about the need to constantly water. I live in a desert, and I think this is one of my problems.

I wonder if anyone has insights into soaker hoses? That might be one way to get the water into the soil without battering my leaves constantly (twice a day). My water, with high calcium carbonate content, causes my leaves to be "worn out" after about two months of life. At least I think that is what is happening.

2/7/2011 3:29:05 PM

Western NY

Mine were on soaker hoses, Cliff. Switching to drip tape this year, but same concept. I don't want to do overhead.

2/7/2011 3:45:37 PM

Midway, UT

Thanks for everyone's comments. Would love to see some more opinions. I'm with Ian on the changes in watering depending on the season.

Dan micro sprinkler heads I think are the best setup I've seen for under the canopy watering. Much more even watering than you can get with the overhead setup that I have. The AG leaves are to much like umbrellas on these giants to ever get even watering overhead but the overhead works nice for cooling off the leaves in the heat of the day.

2/7/2011 4:11:10 PM

Midway, UT

Pete - from the size of the pumpkin you pulled out of your patch this last year it appeared to me that your watering was just fine. I'd hate to see what that thing would look like with more water added. Lol

2/7/2011 4:12:27 PM

Australia

ArvaderBoy, I started the season with one timer then added another to double my start times (total 18). Misting is every 15 mins for one minute during the hottest hours. With my soil it keeps it fairly moist and only have to water every 2-3 days using the misters for a couple of hours during the heat. I am also considering an under canopy system due to uneven coverage.
Just some thoughts.
Ben

2/7/2011 4:37:17 PM

Midway, UT

Thanks Bluebanjo. Have you ever check your soil temps during this season and seen how the watering might be effecting the temperature of the soil? I'm gonig to do that next year but since you are in the middle of the heat I thought it might be interesting to find out how the misting effects soil temps.

2/7/2011 6:59:16 PM

Hampstead, NC 28443

I live in Iowa and would love to hear Don Young's opinion on this subject for our area.

What is the soil temp we are targeting, times for watering, etc... My climate is essentially same as yours.
Are we better off watering over the top, soaking, ground watering, etc..?
Also, how often do you water with tea?

2/7/2011 8:42:51 PM

Australia

Not sure how misting affects soil temps but I have used a straw/hay mulch to help keep moisture and temps as even as possible. Has worked well for me but am experimenting with different materials.
Ben

2/8/2011 12:36:30 AM

Littleton, Colo

Stop cheating A-Boy !

2/8/2011 2:22:06 PM

Midway, UT

Cheating is the only way I can beat you Biz!

2/8/2011 4:36:11 PM