water management
hand watering
dramm watering wand
There is a huge range of trigger watering nozzles available on
the market but they almost all suffer from two key problems.
The water spray that they send out is powerful enough to knock down small seedlings
and the internal springs used to
govern the trigger mechanisms are usually not made of stainless
steel and inevitably rust out within two or three years.
A Dramm wand delivers a high water flow with feather touch softness.
Two 60 cm (24") Dramm wands with close ups of the water breaker head and shutoff valve. The bottom Dramm wand is the one I have been using for fifteen years.
very durable
Dramm wands are
very durable as they have been specifically designed for the professional
horticultural industry. I have had mine for fifteen years and it is
still going strong. Over the years I have replaced the ball valve
(Cost just $2 AUD), plus I replaced the plastic male hose connection at the
end of the wand with a more durable brass one. High water flow rate delivered
very softly
The watering head has 400 holes in it that deliver an
incredibly soft spray. But don't be fooled by it's softness as the flow
rate is the best I have found on any watering nozzle. This saves a lot of
time when hand watering as you can deliver the amount of water you want more
quickly.very accurate water delivery
The extended handle allows you to water plants directly at the base
of a plant and
under it's leaves, reducing the risk of mildew problems caused
by wet leaves.good range of spare parts
Every part of a Dramm watering wand is replaceable and available
as spares. As well the ball valve used to switch on and
off the water flow is a standard part in the irrigation industry
and is widely available. In contrast when parts fail on
cheaper watering nozzles there are no spare parts, so you have
to buy a whole new unit.Cost effective
Dramm wands start at around $36 AUD (Jan. 2010 pricing).
While this might seem expensive to some people the fact is
they last an incredibly long time, many times longer than most
other trigger nozzles. Not only will this save you money in the
long run but you will be helping the environment by not chucking
out so many failed nozzles.good range available
Dramm wands start with the 60 cm (24 ") model and go up in size
with a range of nozzles, triggers and valves.Where to buy a dramm wand
Unfortunately, while some nurseries do stock them, here in
Australia they are not widely available in retail stores. If your local
nursery doesn't have them then you can order one from
Forestry Tools or
Sage Horticultural Products. Note that Dramm wands are American made. There are some cheaper Chinese made copies around and while they are OK their water flow is much harder and spare parts are not available for them.