The Injector (aka lazy man contraption)

[Thomas]

I have read alot about different teas and brews for our gardens...My special brew consists of aged chicken stuff , compost, dry molasses, Epsom salts and water.

The reason for my thread is that I am wondering how most of my fellow T-villians disperse there witches brews....so I posted a pic of my contraption. My hose from the spigot hooks in the side that has the vertical pipe off the t-pipe, the vertical pipe is where I put my brew through a large funnel with a built in strainer. The hose on the other end runs to a y-connector that goes to a set of soaker hoses on both sides of my garden. So... I load my pipe up with my brew, turn the spigot on and go back inside and lay on the couch till my wife tells me about the water bill, then I go out and turn it off

I have roughly $75 in my set up (including hoses) and I hope it to last for many years. If anyone would like a better sketch let me know...it would work fine with other types of fertilizers.

[amideutch]

Thomas, nice setup. How do you regulate the flow to keep it from backing up and overflowing through the vertical pipe? Ami

[Thomas]

There is a coupling with a threaded end on the vertical pipe..mainly used for clean out access when fitted on a drain. You have to use Pipe Joint Compound on the threads to make a good seal. I have a valve on my spigot to control the pressure to the injector.

To make the holes in the end cap you simply drill a hole(a hair smaller than your hose connector) , then take a galvanized threaded pipe the same size as your hose connector. Thread the end cap with it by using joint compound and a pipe wrench....this makes the threads for your hose connector. Back out the galvanized and screw the hose connector in with the joint compound. Repeat this step on the other end cap. Use the heavy duty pvc cement after cleaning with the proper cleaner. Don't be afraid to glob extra glue when putting the pieces together. Wait 24hrs. before you put any water through it. My injector feeds 54 plants...if your garden is smaller you can downsize.

Soaker hoses save alot of water over the season if used correctly.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Thomas

--------Soaker hoses save alot of water over the season if used correctly.

How do you prevent the microscopic holes of the hose from being clogged up after a while?

dcarch

[Thomas]

I don't think they are microscopic. Anyhow I have not seen this as a problem...I strain the brew quite well with my funnel. Also when you pour the brew into the injector most of the thick stuff stays on the bottom of the bucket for reuse.

I have used this system for about 2 months now and see no difference with the output of the soaker hose, only in my mater forest The first 3 weeks I used mostly alfalfa bales in my brew and no chicken manure. Boy did that make a big difference in my plants.

[Toe Knee]

DT
Good meeting you at Choptag. We are the ones from KY who set up next to you. I like the simplicity, but how do you keep it complicated enough to work? I mean does it have a complexificator anywhere on it?
The Atwoodite

[Earl]

I could use one of those if I had a 250 gallon pressurized propane tank converted to hold water to catch rain run off and hooked to it.

[Thomas]

I'm thinking that I read 30-45 minutes of running a soaker hose is the same amount of water that you use in your bathtub.

Maybe I will make another one and give it away as a door prize at CHOPTAG plant swap next year.

[korney19]

I use a commercial fertilizer injector... actually, it's more geared towards home gardeners. It was around $60-$70 for a 3-gallon tank (3/4 gallon is around $50) and has an adjustment knob... HI is around 100:1 and LO is maybe 1000:1 (I think.) Or maybe it's 10:1 thru 100:1, I think it depends on the model and if hose connection or PVC. And a couple settings in-between. I'd assume it would do similar but I'm always concerned with soaker hoses plugging... they aren't really reliable putting fertilizer through them but maybe if they had a filter on them to at least 180 microns... so I use drip, which is inexpensive nowadays.

[Thomas]

There was a little concern about my setup because of the soaker hoses maybe getting clogged. Well, for the record...two things happened.

1st.... I never saw any diference in the flow of the hoses..

2nd.... When I went to pull them up at the end of the season, they all cracked and ripped anyhow..so no reason to think they were gonna be any good for 2 seasons...2 seasons and I may have seen clogging. There was debris on the bottom of the hose, nothing major though. I think if the bottom would clog, there is plenty of holes in the sides and top of the hose.

This year I am gonna buy pvc to run my whole system. I will make squares around my planting areas for a drip...That way only the actual plant base will recieve the water and nutrients. Plus it should last alot longer than cheap wally world hoses. When I get it set up I will post pics.

[Raymondo]

Nice easy set up Thomas. Great stuff.

[harleysilo]

Great idea. Especially the part about this year going all PVC. I'm curious however, if you say have 30 plants in a row, and only one line feeding them all, how do you make sure the first plant gets the same amount of water as the last plant? Do you vary the number of holes drilled at each plant location, or do you vary the size of the hole? Or does it even matter?
SO you attach a graden hose to this contraption and water your plants, do you know your spigots PSI? Or the PSI you apply and the rate you apply water?

[bbb123]

Looks like a potato gun to me