Watering lance vs ?

Elfer

Having recently planted lots of young plants ranging in size from 1 to 3 L as well as a few 1.5m Thujas I am now on to the next phase, looking after them. Fortunately I planted them just before the latest wet weather so they had a good start but as we move on to the warmer drier weather providing them with the right amount of water in the right way takes center stage. I have over 100 plants so an irrigation system connected to water butts would be ideal but have to overcome some technical & aesthetic challenges as our house is built on a slope. So for the moment I have to rely on watering can, sprinkler & garden hose connected to a basic hozelock nozzle none of which are fit for the purpose.

I am therefore considering buying a lance (back saver) hoping that the water pressure is much lower than my basic Hozelock nozzle, the other alternative would be a spray gun but I assume the water pressure would be about the same but not as back friendly. Any advice or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

While on the topic of watering, on average how many liters would be enough to water the roots for 1L or 3L plants on a weekly basis. Of course I am aware that certain plants such as arum lily crowborough and to a lesser extent hydrangeas would require more frequent watering than say a Euphorbia. Thanks in advance.

BenCotto

I’m a big fan of Gardena watering products and when I needed to replace my lance recently I had no hesitation in choosing Gardena again, upgrading to the premium aluminium model. It was pretty awful, unfortunately, fundamentally because it took over 4 minutes to fill a watering can compared to 40 seconds for the flexible headed (hanging basket) model I had previously.

I contacted Gardena to see if there had been a design change or whether I was fine to buy an exact like for like replacement. They did not reply. Instead I bought a Hozelock lance which works just fine despite having quite robust handling from the garden wall builders who have been here for the last 3 weeks.

Astraeus

I bought a Hozelock Plus Lance for my octogenarian father. He finds it very helpful.

I use Hozelock's premium guns myself (the ones with the metal construction). Like @BenCotto, my gun has been dropped, dragged and manhandled by builders of late but shows no ill effects.

Elfer

I have chalky soil with a lot of stones in so had to use 12mm mesh to get them all out, then mix with compost and/or manure and a bit of top soil on top so the border soil is quite fragile and the nozzle's high pressure easily displaces it. I assume the pressure on your Hozelock lance can be reduced enough to avoid this problem @BenCotto ?

Nollie

Interesting @BenCotto, I am also a fan of Gardena as I find their products sturdy and the connectors non-leaking (unlike Hozelock). I bought a Gardena lance last year, it has an aluminium pole, but not sure if it’s premium or not. I find it great for watering the back of the border and perennials, certainly a back-saver. For shrubs and roses that require more, I pre-wet the soil with the lance as I am doing everything else, then go back and top up with a full 10 or 12L watering can per shrub/rose during the summer or 6L for young, recently planted ones, once or twice a week when it’s really hot. Yes, the lance is not as powerful as their ordinary spray gun, but I find that an advantage for young or drought-tolerant plants as the spray gun is too fierce.

I’m not sure there is a given formula litres of water/size of plant Elfer, as climate, garden conditions and soil water retention qualities vary so much, as do the water needs of individual plants. I just had to learn by trial and error how much each plant needs to keep green and healthy. 

shane.farrell

I bought the Karcher one and it is excellent. I don't have any comparisons though. It does take longer to fill a watering can but you could always get a stop end and a simple nozzle or even a hose joiner for that if needed.

Elfer

Thanks @Nollie I just needed a starting figure while I figure out the specific requirements of each one and 6L/small plant & double that for larger ones sounds about right.

chicky

I have used a watering lance at the garden I volunteer at .....they are brilliant.  Seriously considering getting one for my own garden.