Irrigation for ornimental grasses

[greenmonster304]

what do you guys do for tall grasses? I have found that drip can get choked off by quick growing grasses and sprays are always blocked by the grasses.

[Wet_Boots]

Ever use discrete emitters?

[txgrassguy]

Depends how the system was originally installed.

I use 12" pop up sprays set initially one foot beyond the designed/maintained size of the mature Ornamental grass.

Haven't lost one yet in 110*+ heat.

The drip emitters don't work so well as the homeowner/property manager(s) won't periodically clean the strain valve so the emitters end up repeatedly clogging with the water deposits.

[Mike Leary]

12" and multiple run times to avoid run-off work for me.

[Wet_Boots]

All the crackheads will steal the brass nozzles.....

[Kiril]

what do you guys do for tall grasses? I have found that drip can get choked off by quick growing grasses and sprays are always blocked by the grasses.

Define "drip".

[Wet_Boots]

I'm doing some work with a bed surrounded by ornamental grasses, and I'll be happy tossing water at it from rotors.

[Mike Leary]

All the crackheads will steal the brass nozzles.....

:laugh: Remember those coated black Buckner "Coal Brass" nozzles to try to fool the little dears into thinking they were plastic?

[Wet_Boots]

:laugh: Remember those coated black Buckner "Coal Brass" nozzles to try to fool the little dears into thinking they were plastic?I think you might still be able to get them. Buckner had a popup spray that had a brass cap, so you could thread on a brass nozzle and have it all looking so rugged as viewed from above.

[Mike Leary]

I like the story about the Cal-Trans LA who installed motion sensors to keep the taggers good and wet.

[greenmonster304]

the grasses are going to be 4' tall and at least 5 plants deep. the system is a clean slate so I can do what ever I want.

[Wet_Boots]

If it would be a sort of "Impenetrable thicket" of ornamental grass, I would consider throwing water at it from a distance. At the same time, if it won't suffer from foot traffic, you might do well with individual drippers for each plant.

[txgrassguy]

Stagger the layouts of the 12" pop ups throughout the planting bed in a manner similar to my first response.
I do not like drip lines for this type of planting as aggressively growing roots may easily damage either the emitter or the feed line.

[Wet_Boots]

I was thinking more in terms of the above-ground emitter arrays. I've used popups with stream nozzles for stuff like this.

[Kiril]

If you bury the lines you will avoid most all the problems with roots, especially if you use a root inhibitor such as the Techfilter option. There is a good reason for the extensive no root intrusion warranty from Netafim.

[greenmonster304]

If you bury the lines you will avoid most all the problems with roots, especially if you use a root inhibitor such as the Techfilter option. There is a good reason for the extensive no root intrusion warranty from Netafim.

my concern wasn't so much root intrusion but the the roots choking the drip line. I have seen that a few times where the drip line is actually in the center of the root ball completely choked off.

I have attached the plan for the planting. The grasses are Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' or Blue switch grass and the spacing is 2' on center and the are 1 gallon containers.

[mitchgo]

I agree with netafim or 12" Sprays close by staggered with a low volume nozzle

[Kiril]

my concern wasn't so much root intrusion but the the roots choking the drip line. I have seen that a few times where the drip line is actually in the center of the root ball completely choked off.

Yes, this is possible even when buried , but is less likely the deeper you go. This is why when I build a grid in areas where there is a potential for lines getting pinched due to growth I do several things.


Design the grid with forethought to the mature size of the plant(s).

Have frequent tie-ins to all laterals.

Increase the source points if possible.


Doing the above minimizes, if not eliminates, the chance that a pinched line will cause failure of large portions of the system.