Five zones is impressive, and I love the idea of surrounding plants' roots zones with straw in a trench. Did roots grow into the straw?

I've often wondered about watering pots on a timer, how one would adjust how much water they needed, and how to let them "go dry until they need water". I was thinking that I would either over-water all of them (not very good for the roots), or under-water them with a timer, using either 1/2 GPM or 1 GPM drippers by pot size, and then supplement it every few days by hand. But, then, the pots would never go through a complete wet-dry cycle, which seems desirable for drawing fresh air all the way into the pot.

I am too OCD to auto-water pots. Some of my pots are more porous than others and dry out more quickly, some plants "drink" more, etc.

The roots do eventually grow through the straw, but the straw really helps to keep the soil at root level moist, so the roots will keep growing down for water instead of the roots reaching outward in shallow soil. It is just an easier way for me to water without wasting water and getting the water down to the root zone when the plants get bigger instead of trying to get the water to soak down to the roots. And without getting the leaves drenched all the time with the hard water that comes out of the spigot.

On another gardening forum I belonged to years ago, I saw some rather inventive setups for drip watering pots. But it involved having sets of the same pots at the same size. For instance a row of 20 or so tomato plants all in 10 gallon buckets next to rows of peppers in 5 gallon buckets. I personally think it would be easier to use those spike or soda bottle irrigation for pots to auto-water. I've done that with huge pots, but with smaller pots, I just find it easier to hand water so I can check which plants need water or other needs. I have a tendency to move pots around so that would be a problem with any system to water them automatically.

>> I've done that with huge pots, but with smaller pots, I just find it easier to hand water so I can check which plants need water or other needs.

That makes a lot of sense. I was thinking of the drip-timer-pot idea for growing cherry tomatoes in 5 gallon pots. With a not-very-water-retentive potting mix, I might need to water them 2-3 times per day at the peak.

I have unsuccessfully been looking for a good water wand as I water 400 + pots a day. For years I have tried to use the Orbit wand that is sold out out of Orbit irrigations, in Salt Lake City. I buy it at Lowe's. They have a 6 yr. warranty. I am lucky if I get 6 mo. before they start leaking and then fall apart. The company has replaced a few for me but it got to the point where they were not believing they were falling apart. I asked if I could send a photo, and I did. I received no feed back from them about the photo evidence of the poor quality. They are poorly constructed of very thin metal. I was told it was zinc but I cannot verify that. Any ways I tried and tried to get a response to the poor quality and they just ignored me. Unfortunately that was the only wand I could find here. I just recently found one made by Melnor, called Gentle Rain. I have not tried it yet. It has several settings which I do not need. The Orbit one had the one setting. I have attached a photo showing exactly where every one of these start leaking then break completely in half.

Dramm makes some watering wands and hanging-basket-watering-wands that look pretty professional. They have 7 wands sizes and shapes, plus 7 sizes and shapes just for watering hanging baskets.

http://www.dramm.com/html/main...

They make several kinds of "water breakers" also, that "rose"on the end that produces a gentle stream even if the flow rate is high. They make plastic, aluminum and brass.
http://www.dramm.com/html/main...

They have tiny videos of each nozzles' stream.
http://www.dramm.com/html/main...

A local "wholesale nursery supply place" stocks a lot of those Dramm products, and they aren't cheap, which makes me think they must be high quality.

Various Amazon vendors sell the Dramm watering wands and water breakers. I got a lot of hits Googling "handi-reach watering wands". They seem mostly to sell them as separate pieces: the wand, the nozzles and on-off valve.

And speaking of on-off valves, I buy inline valves at the hardware store and put them at the ends of my hoses, so I can change watering tools without having to trudge back to the faucet. They're fairly inexpensive and save a lot of steps!

I had purchased a Dramm wand at Walmart where there was an entire wall full of colorful products from Dramm.
Since I was happy with the product I went back to Walmart two weeks later to purchase another one and ...

...although the products look very similar on the shelf, same colors and styles, they are now all some kind of copy-cat rip-off made-in-China products. It looks like 'Dramm' has been used and abused by the Walmart marketing system.

Thanks Rick and Greene for the info.

Update on my Dramm watering wand, supposedly guaranteed for life.
I purchased this about May 2, used it every second day.
About a month ago it started leaking.
Now when I let go of the control it does not shut off until it feels like it.
Imagine that, a watering wand with an attitude problem.

Do not get me started on watering wands, Greene....

Wait, I am still pouring the water out of my shoes!

greene! I had been touting my Dramm! Thought that I had finally gotten one that was well made...bought it back in April... The same thing happened with mine just yesterday! Except mine doesn't feel like shutting off at all!!! Just keeps on running! At least it's not "leaking".

I'm going to be having a 'conversation' with the company...

I just sent in my 'communication' to the Dramm Company.
I will report back if and when I hear from them.

The contact form includes my address so I will also be watching my mailbox but I won't be holding my breath.

While I wait for the outcome I have purchased a cheapy old-fashioned brass twist nozzle from Harbor Freight for $3.99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4...

Update on my Dramm situation.

I sent my information to the Dramm company as I 'know' there is a lifetime guarantee.

Hmmm?
They want an overall photo of the entire watering wand as well as a close-up photo of the label on my defective watering wand ...huh?

Never mind that at the moment my camera is broken, but generally I don't leave labels on my tools when I put them into service. I am so O.C.D. that I have been known to remove labels from things belonging to other people (with permission, of course). I once waited 20 minutes for a specialty pizza and occupied my time removing the labels from their new plastic lawn chairs.

I am wondering if the label manufacturer gave Dramm a lifetime guarantee on the label itself.

???? So much for the integrity of THAT company!
I once bought some defective heat mats from (I forget their name just now) a very nice little company. When I asked them about the problem, they didn't even ask for a receipt! They admitted that there had been a problem with a particular product and just asked me how many of the defective mats I'd bought and sent me replacements. No documentation requested. Nice folk, and when I remember their name, I'll come back and edit this.

Hydrofarm! That's the company. Black seedling mats in several sizes with green printing on them.

greene said:Update on my Dramm situation.

I sent my information to the Dramm company as I 'know' there is a lifetime guarantee.

Hmmm?
They want an overall photo of the entire watering wand as well as a close-up photo of the label on my defective watering wand ...huh?

Never mind that at the moment my camera is broken, but generally I don't leave labels on my tools when I put them into service. I am so O.C.D. that I have been known to remove labels from things belonging to other people (with permission, of course). I once waited 20 minutes for a specialty pizza and occupied my time removing the labels from their new plastic lawn chairs.

I am wondering if the label manufacturer gave Dramm a lifetime guarantee on the label itself.

Greene, Orbit eventually had me send my wand back at their expense. I also sent photos of the defective metal. It changed nothing, they still break in exactly the same places and I have stopped asking for a refund, also stopped buying their products after buying about a dozen of them.

Greene,

I'm pretty sure that the reason the company demands photos is the same reason you wish they would NOT demand photos.

Some people don't have digital cameras.
Most people remove the label if it doesn't fall off on its own.

Every person who can't "qualify" for their promised refund is a "WIN!!!" for their warranty department.
Companies seem to have forgotten that is a "LOSE!!!" for their future sales department.
Our resentment is 100% guaranteed to be a lifetime resentment.

My favorite trick was a mattress sold with around four pieces of ID-like, vaguely receipt-like pieces of paper. There was a long-term replacement guarantee against "wear" with a half-page of fine-print ... one of which was that you had to retain and return some vaguely-identified piece of paper. I think 90% of buyers would have thrown away most of the random pieces of paper before reading that far into the fine print. And 90% of the remaining 10% would LOSE some of the pieces of paper before the mattress wears out. Too many people must have learned that they need to save the sales receipt - now we have to save the receipt PLUS everything else except the plastic bag it came in.

For big-ticket items, there is probably a multi-step process to go through before they pay off. Everyone they can convince to give up saves them the purchase price of one item ... and losses them every future sale they might have gotten from that person and everyone who reads their posts and reviews online.

I use to think Dramm was a "good" company because they make SOME pro-level irrigation products. Now that I know they are Ferengi wearing Hu-mon masks, I'll avoid buying anything of theirs I possibly can avoid.

Maybe they used to be a decent company, but sold out to some rip-off holding company.

I took a close look at my defective Dramm watering wand. Not only is it leaking and won't shut off, I just noticed the control part of the handle is actually cracked. Keep in mind this is my new 'baby' and I paid a lot of money for this (for me it was big $$$) so I have taken good care of this tool. It has not been dropped, thrown, stepped on or any of that other stuff that happens to my old yard sale junk. I was even gonna buy a second one to give as a gift.

Just got back from Big Lots where I purchased a replacement wand as I do need to water my plants. This one was $6 and not made by Dramm.

This makes me think that Dramm must have gone downhill in the last several years:

A local wholesaler of greenhouse and nursery supplies stocks and advertises (or used to, in 2012) many Dramm irrigation and watering products.
http://www.dramm.com/html/main...

Hmm, their website has separate categories for "Commercial Products" and Consumer Junk (my translation).

Typical Fergeni, their Consumer Junk pages don't list prices. The "Commercial Products" page only lists water breaker nozzles, not wands. And they don't even say what the thread size is!

However, their "History" page says they are still a family company.
http://www.rainwand.com/dramm-...

Maybe they just started off-shoring their manufacturing without learning how to enforce quality control on their suppliers.

Has someone already reviewed Gilmour watering wands? I have no idea about price and quality, but my local wholesaler also sells them.

http://www.gilmour.com/waterin...
http://www.gilmour.com/waterin...


Edited to add: Mother earth News suggests a "Haws" solid brass watering wand from England, for $67.
http://www.motherearthnews.com...

Brass Haws wand from Lee Valley Tools: $73
http://www.leevalley.com/US/ga...



Lee valley also stocks some aluminum wand for $35
http://www.leevalley.com/US/ga...