Hosepipe

Its taking more and more full watering cans and as i am growing in containers i need to water regularly.

So i am thinking about getting a hosepipe and some sort of finespray nozzle. I need some advice, i would like something inexpensive but that does the job.

Guessing measuring up is the firstjob for length needed. Finding an adaptor for the snub nosed screw-end on my outdoor tap.

any advice appreciated.

 

there are lots of bargains on hosepipes at the moment - i sugest you go for a reel then its easier to tidy away - most offers come as a set with all the fixtures you need

loopy

 

Watering with a fine spray or rose only delivers water to the surface which in windy or hot weather dries off into the air. Top watering brings the plant roots up up to the surface. Before farmers got lazy and installed large rolls of plastic piping, drawing water from the rivers and spraying it into the air, they used to water plants in the fields (cabbages etc.) with a bucket and dipper (one dipper to each plant) or at least their labourers did. I only grow for my needs and a few neighbours needs. I still use the dipper method because I have to pay per cubic metre for my water (over what rain we get in East Anglia, which is less than other areas of the UK).

If you spray water on the surface (especially with runner beans) you will have to keep doing it because the plants won't send roots down deep for water, they take the lazy way out. I have a friend who persists in top watering and bemoans the fact that he has to keep watering his runner beans, it's his own fault.

Edit On second thoughts, keep on spraying the surface and we in East Anglia may get some benefit from the rain.

 

Asda are doing an all hose connectors with added outside tap connector package for £2. I couldnt tell you how good it is though.

 

will scout around the internet, thanks for the advice

 

Hozelock 15m Multi Purpose Hose Starter Set: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors this is what i am thinking of starting with.

Measured with string 11 meters to just inside my greenhouse, so 15 meters will do my back gardens containers and greenhouse. This seems to be the best quality budget buy. I know the reel is a good idea but it pushs the price a little too high for me.

My containers are mostly cut flower bucket size or a little bigger. Growing tomatos, dwarf french beans, squashes, cucumber, lettuce, and sunflowers outside

Inside the greenhouse their are courgettes, tomatos, snap peas, cucmbers, melons, strawberries, salad leaves, spring onions, radishes, potatos, chillis and peppers.

Will look into handgun systems aswell.

 

Adam, I'd only use a hosepipe in a greenhouse as a last resort, the water will be very cold.

I always think its best to keep a water butt topped up, if only for greenhouse use.

 

"Wilkinsons" sell a five position "gun" for £1.99. It fits "Hoselock" systems.
The jet is not very "tight" but good enough, every other position works well.

 

I went to three places on Friday to get some female hose connectors. Hoselock Waterstop £4.99, Gardena Waterstop £5.99. None had the Green Jem products, but I was sticking out for them as I knew they were cheaper and very good quality. In the end I had to visit a Warehouse Clearance Shop 10 miles away, but it paid off. Four Female Waterstop connectors for £4.00, so what would have cost £19.96 only cost me £4.00.

I wonder if Hoselock are persuading Garden Centres not to stock other makes by giving them extra discount for signing up an exclusive contract.

 

Although my £2 Wilkinsons hose gun fits Hoselock female connectors. I bought one of their own female connectors a couple of years ago which I had difficulty connecting to a Hoselock tap connector and an in-line male connector I use to extend a hose. I can only assume they've improve on this.

On the subject of hoses, does anyone use "leaky hoses?" They are quite effective.

I'd had an un-used coil in the shed for about ten years. I used to feed the whole of the side border with one, that long ago. But gave up with it as the occasional fox kept chewing through it. A few weeks ago, one had a go at the low voltage cable that supplies my Japanese lanterns. But it's been; "all quite on the Eastern front" lately.
I've run a hosepipe from the redundant mains feed behind the waterfall of my koi pool, in the space between the rockery and the side fence, which supplied the old leaky hose to the border at the side of our patio. It's connected to a leaky hose which snakes in a flattened "S-shape" to supply water to the many azeleas we have there.
It's just a matter of turning on the tap above the drain outside the kitchen wall, whenever I think it's necessary. I think it'll be safe from any fox as it's close to the house. I've installed a PIR spotlight to cover the particular place in the side of the six-foot fence where one had been occasionally getting in. It went on a couple of times last night about midnight, but that might have been a cat.

 

Hi, I have just bought a full kit from Wilkinsons, 30m hose and all connectors and a multi position spray gun on a wheely reel for £20
I previously had a hosepipe not on a reel and however careful I was it always developed kinks and the LONG COLD winter this year caused cracks and so had to buy new.
The only thing about hosepipes which is a downer is that usually you cannot use them during the hotest months because of hosepipe bans!

 

They are supposed to be imposing a ban at the end of this week I heard on the news.

 

Look around on the internet and see what you can find.
If the containers are all in a row a trickle hose might be the answer.
I grow potatoes in buckets and I just lay the trickle hose along the tops of the buckets.
Turn on the tap, leave the water to trickle into the buckets and job done.

 

Another vote here for the Wilkinson hose guns. I got one with 9 on it I think, for about £6.00. My favourite mode is 'mist', which wasn't on the others. As it's great for my plastic small greenhouse, watering the peppers and chillies. It creates a humid tropical atmosphere. :D hehe

But I too have been on the look out for a suitable hose, similar size to you too.

As I have a regular one at the moment, but storage and being bothered to put it away are a problem, because it's not on a reel! So I would say get one with a reel, unless you like leaving the hose out most of the summer, instead of winding it out and in every morning/night.

Got an email a short while ago, B&Q have 20% off garden care and watering.