Professional Marijuana Grower March-April 2018 Issue | Page 54

plants once the garden matures. On a really large cannabis plant, you will want that much room to work. Do not space your containers more than 15 feet apart. Fifteen feet is the maximum distance needed. Irrigation Water conservation has become a very real environ- mental concern. Prolonged droughts and unpredictable weather patterns have led to regulations that restrict the amount of water a home or land owner can access in several regions. A high-performance outdoor cannabis garden will require relatively high amounts of water, especially in the mature flowering stages, and aggres- sively restrictive water use will lead to smaller plants and yields. Depending on the location of the garden the sources of water can range from plentiful to rather limited, so it is important to make the most of what is available and to manage water distribution in the most thoughtful and efficient way possible. The best way to ensure proper water distribution while avoiding potential waste is to set up a relatively simple drip-line irrigation system. Drip-line irrigation is the best method of water delivery for a container garden. The slower dispersal is the most effective use of water when compared to a sprinkler system or other means of irriga- tion. Arguably, the most important benefit of a drip-line CONTAINMENT CAGES Prevent cross contamination ■ Keep bugs in ■ Keep bugs out ■ All systems custom made ■ Mesh covers ■ Colors Available: Natural and Green Mesh Size: 18x18, 20x20, 52x52 Metal frame tube/fi tting style Waterproof rain jackets available Protect yourself from late season rain. Redwood Empire Awning ■ PHONE: [phone] [email protected] ■ www.RedwoodEmpireAwning.com 54 • Professional Marijuana Grower irrigation system is the fact that the water is distributed through the emitters at low levels over a desired amount of time. This allows the rooting media to more readily absorb higher levels of moisture directly, resulting in less run-off from the bottom of the container and a decrease in potential water waste. As the years go by, water is becoming an extremely precious resource. Properly managing your water in the garden and limiting or eliminating any excess runoff is a huge responsibility for the grower. Regardless of whether the water supply source is a well or an external containment tank, a pump that is strong enough to move the water from the source location to and throughout the garden is required. There are a mul- titude of pump styles available on the market today and they range from gasoline fueled to electric powered, even some that utilize solar energy. It is up to the grow- er to choose the pump that best meets the qualifications for each particular situation. If the property has a well on sight it will come equipped with a submerged pump that should be strong enough for any type of applica- tion. When drawing water from an external contain- ment tank, the grower will need to do some research to determine the correct pump size for the operation. Taking into account the amount of water to distribute, the distance from the water source to the containers, and whether or not the ground is sloped, will help a grower to determine which pump is most ideal. The irrigation line will run directly from the pump to the garden. A ¾-inch main line is ideal and will split off into a ½-inch drip line at each container. Run the main line through the garden so that it passes the sides of every container. At the point where the main line reach- es the base of the container place a “T” splitter with the perpendicular side directed towards the container. From that point run the ½-inch drip-line up and into the container with enough hose length to create a spiral from the outer edge of the container to near the base of the plant. To simplify the installation process a grower should purchase pre-set ½ drip irrigation hoses that have the emitters already in place at 9 inch intervals. Simply cut off a section that is long enough to spiral around the March/April 2018