Mist emitters...which one?

[CityofTrees]

Anyone willing to share which misters (emitters) they're having success with? I've read some threads where the mist type emitters are recommended over drippers and sprayers with the inorganic rocky soil most of us use. But I haven't really seen anyone recommend a specific emitter. Here are a few that I'm looking at.

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MM

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MNELGRN

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MV

https://www.irrigationdirect.com/pr...djustable-sprayer-10-32-threaded-base-dd-mjvm

I'm not sure how I want to set them up yet, if I should do one or two pointed on each plant depending on size, or if I should set them up at predetermined intervals all along my benches. It can get pretty windy which I imagine would blow the mist away if the emitters aren't close enough to the soil. Basically my benches are just standard sized pallets on cinderblocks. I'm leaving on vacation in about two weeks so I really need to set this up soon, so I can watch it run for at least a week before leaving. Thanks for any help, pics are appreciated as well if you have them.

 

[sorce]

I would be so worried...

I would set up a second thing with just regular kid sprinklers on a timer.

No vacations!

Did you miss the memo?

Just kidding...
Sort of!

Sorce

 

[JudyB]

Here's a link to a thread of mine with mister info.
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/automatic-watering-system.19516/

 

[CityofTrees]

I would be so worried...

I would set up a second thing with just regular kid sprinklers on a timer.

No vacations!

Did you miss the memo?

Just kidding...
Sort of!

Sorce

Seriously...vacations used to be so easy before bonsai. If I were smart I would be involved in a local club so I could enlist the help of a fellow enthusiast to check on them while I'm gone.

 

[sorce]

Pretty sure machines are more reliable than humans!

You are doing the smart thing!

Sorce

 

[CityofTrees]

Here's a link to a thread of mine with mister info.
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/automatic-watering-system.19516/

Thank you Judy, yours is one of the threads I had looked at in trying to decide how to set this up. I really wish I had something overhead that I could run it all from as that would make it easier to decide. I really like your system. Can you provide a link to the mist emitters you use? Or do you recall the brand/model? It sounds like they might be orbit brand but I'm not sure. Thanks again.

 

[CityofTrees]

Pretty sure machines are more reliable than humans!

You are doing the smart thing!

Sorce

True, I have had pretty bad luck with people watching my plants in the past and that was far fewer in number than now, though they weren't bonsai people. Either way nobody loves our plants like we do.

 

[PiñonJ]

Lowe's sells pot sprayers that work really well. Check out Markyscott's thread on building a watering system:
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/building-a-watering-system.23628/

 

[CityofTrees]

Lowe's sells pot sprayers that work really well. Check out Markyscott's thread on building a watering system:
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/building-a-watering-system.23628/

Thanks, that's another thread I read through a few times but I'm not confident those sprayers will work well for the soil I use. That's why I'm primarily looking for misting emitters. It looks like Scott uses a considerable amount of organics in his soil whereas most of mine have none. I will probably use a few sprayers or soaker hoses on my plants with typical nursery soil but I think if I use the amount of sprayers needed for complete coverage on my other plants I'll be wasting a lot of water.

 

[CityofTrees]

Do you use those sprayers Piñon? What type of soil do you use? I'm just worried that those sprayers will pattern and pass right through the inorganic soil creating dry spots but maybe the coverage is better than I imagine.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here is my system, but recently upgraded to a Hunter Pro-C control. The guy who installed it emphasized having big fat droplets, not mist, which just blows away into the air.

 

[PiñonJ]

Thanks, that's another thread I read through a few times but I'm not confident those sprayers will work well for the soil I use. That's why I'm primarily looking for misting emitters. It looks like Scott uses a considerable amount of organics in his soil whereas most of mine have none. I will probably use a few sprayers or soaker hoses on my plants with typical nursery soil but I think if I use the amount of sprayers needed for complete coverage on my other plants I'll be wasting a lot of water.

Do you use those sprayers Piñon? What type of soil do you use? I'm just worried that those sprayers will pattern and pass right through the inorganic soil creating dry spots but maybe the coverage is better than I imagine.

What's great about these sprayers is that they spray down. Just as @markyscott says in his thread, one sprayer is good for a small pot and two are good for a large pot. I have mostly inorganic substrate. In our semi-arid climate, I have the system watering multiple times a day. Again, as Scott says, just a few minutes is plenty. He sets his for three minutes, I have mine on four, because I want the bench to be wet, also. I have moss on top of my substrate, and if I can keep moss alive in this climate, the trees are getting plenty of water.

 

[JudyB]

Thank you Judy, yours is one of the threads I had looked at in trying to decide how to set this up. I really wish I had something overhead that I could run it all from as that would make it easier to decide. I really like your system. Can you provide a link to the mist emitters you use? Or do you recall the brand/model? It sounds like they might be orbit brand but I'm not sure. Thanks again.

Yes they're orbit. There is a link to the site in that thread. I'll see if I can find a direct link to the page and past it here for you.

 

[DougB]

Pretty sure machines are more reliable than humans!

MAYBE. Last year I lost several trees while on my wife's bucket list vacation. Water got in the timer and, you guessed it, shorted out and no timer -- no water. Was not a happy camper.

SO if your going to use a timer then make sure it is contained in some kind of water proof container and don't believe that the timer is waterproof.

Live and learn.

 

[JudyB]

Claber timers are the only ones I would trust. Long battery life, and has a icon for how much life is left. Waterproof as well.

 

[Zach Smith]

Anyone willing to share which misters (emitters) they're having success with? I've read some threads where the mist type emitters are recommended over drippers and sprayers with the inorganic rocky soil most of us use. But I haven't really seen anyone recommend a specific emitter. Here are a few that I'm looking at.

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MM

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MNELGRN

http://www.dripworks.com/product/MV

https://www.irrigationdirect.com/pr...djustable-sprayer-10-32-threaded-base-dd-mjvm

I'm not sure how I want to set them up yet, if I should do one or two pointed on each plant depending on size, or if I should set them up at predetermined intervals all along my benches. It can get pretty windy which I imagine would blow the mist away if the emitters aren't close enough to the soil. Basically my benches are just standard sized pallets on cinderblocks. I'm leaving on vacation in about two weeks so I really need to set this up soon, so I can watch it run for at least a week before leaving. Thanks for any help, pics are appreciated as well if you have them.

I use the Vari-mister and they work great. I have an overhead automatic watering system comprised of 1/2" tubing with the misters spaced about every three feet. The water comes on every four hours for a varying amount of time depending on the season. You have to be sure you get the right coverage if your benches are crowded, and once the foliage is lush in summer you have to watch for spots that don't get watered. Aside of a few very minor issues, it's a great system. It's been in place for three years, and replaced other less-successful setups. All components from Dripworks, by the way.

Zach