# another irrigation question



## jdm13 (Jun 23, 2011)

i know we go through this just about every year at this time and i know the stats of how much you would have to water to make a difference in the field but i would like to bounce something off yall. i am in central mississippi and i have a 30' wide 15' deep always flowing creek running through the middle of my hay pastures i have a 40ac field an 30ac field an 20 ac field and a 70 ac field that will be easy to irrigate off the creek my question to yall is which way would you irrigate it with a slurry pump and poly tubing like in row crops or with a diesel pump and a 1000' hose reel i cant use a pivot in any of the fields but they are set up nice and square off the creek. if any one has used either one of these methods advice and experience would be helpful. thanks john


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I suppose in mississippi you can just pump or take water from any river or creek running through your property? I would get shot here if I did that. Or sued. Depending on how your acreages are laid out I would flood irrigate rather then do the hose reel thing. I've never used a hose reel, but have looked into them a great deal and I feel they wouldn't work well for me.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Hose reel with a diesel engine driven pump. Need to start with the hose reel and work back to the creek. Portable


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

For a quick solution, I agree with SDD.....Hose reel is the easiest. With retangular fields you could probably put in a wheel line for less money, but there is more labor involved.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I would first check regulations with your state departmen of natural resources as I would think you will need a permit on stata water. You do not say anything of crops you grow? For row crops I tend to agree with Treslin: however for irrigating hay one of the sprinkler systems may be better. Mel


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

I have smaller fields (3 to 6 acres) and use a PTO pump off my compact tractor with a water reel to irrigate after cuttings wnen necessary and fertilizer aplications. My reel will cover an area 250' wide by 550' long and put down a half inch of water in about 4 hours. There are many models much larger that would handle your size fields. The only problem I had was when I set it up to traverse a hillside and the sprinkler gun tipped over. It gouged a trench 2 ' deep and 40' long before I noticed the accident. I don't use it often but it has saved my new seedings and gotten me through a few drought periods that I couldn't have done without it. Just make sure your fields are fairly level before leaving it unattended.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Fossil02818 said:


> I have smaller fields (3 to 6 acres) and use a PTO pump off my compact tractor with a water reel to irrigate after cuttings wnen necessary and fertilizer aplications. My reel will cover an area 250' wide by 550' long and put down a half inch of water in about 4 hours. There are many models much larger that would handle your size fields. The only problem I had was when I set it up to traverse a hillside and the sprinkler gun tipped over. It gouged a trench 2 ' deep and 40' long before I noticed the accident. I don't use it often but it has saved my new seedings and gotten me through a few drought periods that I couldn't have done without it. Just make sure your fields are fairly level before leaving it unattended.


This is why I couldn't use a water reel. Only 1/2 an inch in 4 hours for that much space? On my fields I flood irrigate I've been trying to figure out a better method, but I can get the whole 27 acres done faster and watered better doing it the old flood way that I would with an expensive water wheel, plus the tractor to run the pump in addition to the pump I already use to get the water to that field. I need at the very least an inch of water with a sprinkler type system. I just wish a pivot would work in a couple of my fields.


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

My water reel is sized for my smaller fields and budget. Like I said its used as a last option and not as the primary source of water. The larger water reels with 4" diameter hose and 1000' length will put down 1" of water on 1 acre in 1 hour. That's a lot of irrigation but its also out of my price range. Still, for the operation that needs portability, they are tough to beat.


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