Underground watering spikes?

 X-No-Archie:

I live in South Australia, and I was recently down at my local
hardware store and happened to notice this "new" sort of underground
spike watering system. I’m not sure exactly what brand it was, but it
was the same sort of principle as this:

http://www.wisewally.com.au/howitworks.html

The Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike System has been developed to reduce the
amount of water evaporation that occurs when watering your garden.
Other deep watering spikes currently available use plastic drink or
detergent bottles that click into the spike. The idea is great, but
the bottles are unsightly.
Wise Wally™ Aqua Spike Systems use a single aqua tank placed in the
corner of a garden bed and out of sight. The spikes connect to the
tank using standard 13mm irrigation tubing. Cover the tubing with
mulch or soil and you have a hidden irrigation system delivering water
directly to the root system of your plants.

I am trying to find out if anyone has used this watering system, or
anything similar? Any comments? In principle, it looks fantastic. What
I especially like about it is the fact that you only need to fill one
tank of water, rather than walking around your whole garden watering
everything. I’m fairly sure my soil has a fairly high clay content,
and I’m worried that the irrigation spikes might block up to the point
where the water simply won’t drain at all. If the water drainage
becomes slow, but doesn’t actually stop, that’s fine. I’m just
concerned about a total blockage. I’m also not interested in spending
mega bucks – can’t stress that enough.
Any advice at all? Different brands better than others? Etc.

 Gas Bag wrote:


They all look fantastic, but everything that I've tried wasn't that
great. Basically, unless thay are applying water 24x7, then only the
bits near the holes get moist and the rest of the garden is very dry.
So, you could probably get something to work for a flower garden bed
containing bushes, etc, but the best thing, IMO would be that brown tube
with 3mm holes spaced along it.

My approach now, for our vege garden, is to heavily mulch and then use a
spray strip or noddy (useless shite/low pressure head) over the top.
Water early morning or late afternoon(some crops apparently don't like
this.) and just let is soak in through the mulch.


That is just a matter of putting in a water distribution system.


Currently a legal requirment atm here.

 

You don't like the noddys?  I love mine and must have about 10 of them
around the garden somewhere or other (but of course can never find one of
the blighters when I'm looking for one).  They seem to be about the only
decent way of delivering water in my garden.

 FarmI wrote:

When they work, they are great.
When they decide to sulk, they are absolute mongrels.
Nor can they be intmidated with a big stick.
So finicky about being level. I suspect our brand of end of hose socket
is the problem.

We have three atm.

 
Yes.  They can be mongrels at times, but then nothing else I have is so good
for watering from a low header.