Why Hand Watering Is Still the Best Method for Your Propagation Greenhouse
By Jonathan Dysinger and John Dysinger
Updated on
Show Transcript
0:00Hi guys, we're in the propagation greenhouse here at Bountiful Blessings Farm and we want to go over watering systems and the techniques that that
0:07they use here and you know why you found these to be the best techniques over the years. So, Dad, give us the
0:14demonstration. Watering obviously is is very important in a greenhouse and we're
0:21still a bit old school on it in that we do it pretty much all by hand. Um and and there's reasons for that. You know,
0:30you're dealing with a lot of different size plants and different size. We use soil blocks. So, different size blocks.
0:40You know, we've also got plug trays, you know, 200 count plug trays. So, those are going to need way more water, dry out faster.
0:48Yeah. They're going to dry out much faster. So that's the challenge with any kind of automation is doing it in a way
0:56that takes into account the individual needs of the different size plants and different kinds of plants. So we're
1:05pretty much still just old school watering by hand and we've got two basic
1:12systems. We do have this overhead hose reel which works well Um, and and I would just put in a plug.
1:24We've tried lots of different watering wands and stuff and and this is the best combination we've come up with so far. This is all drram.
1:35Um, but you've got your your easy on off thing here. And then this is
1:43the the uh red head water breaker. It's got a thousand holes in it and it puts
1:52out a lot of water, but it's very gentle and so you can you can water fast but
2:00gently. And and the key for us is just keep it always moving because especially when you're working with soil blocks,
2:11if you just hold it in one place and the soil blocks are new, you're probably going to just melt the block. So, by
2:19keeping it moving, that takes care of that. Um,
2:25the other system we have is the overhead trolley, a hose trolley,
2:31uh, where it's just on a cable.
2:34And that honestly I think I prefer to to this hose reel. You know, we didn't
2:42start out with these overhead things. We started out just dragging hoses on the ground. And it doesn't take very long
2:51before you realize this is a real pain because it's getting caught on the edges of things. It's in the, you know, before
2:59we had concrete in here, it was in the mud. And and I don't know. It's just, it's one of
3:05those things where I would encourage growers to sooner rather than later get the hoses up off the ground.
3:14Yeah. To to recap, uh just blanket watering with overhead sprinklers like you have over here on this one uh
3:23propagation bench most of the times is not a good idea for prop houses because you have different
3:32sizes of blocks, different stages of crop. They all need different amounts of water. So, it's a it's almost an art. There's a lot of technique to it.
3:40Every day is different. you know, is it sunny or is it cloudy? Uh so yeah, just so many variables.
3:47So for from your experience to get the healthiest starts and uh be able to control the process, handwatering is is
3:54the way to go. You just have to embrace it and learn to love it and build the infrastructure like the overhead hose trolleys to just make the process easy.
4:06There's no struggle. Just come in here and get it done once or twice a day, I guess. Um, often times
4:12in the summer for your your um either paper pots or or 200 count trays. Yeah,
4:21you can. It often takes twice a day.
4:24Yeah. All righty. Well, we hope this has been information that's been helpful. Until next time, happy growing.
4:31[Music]
Automated overhead sprinklers don't work well in a propagation greenhouse because different block sizes, plug trays, and crop stages all need different amounts of water. Hand watering with a quality water breaker (the Dramm RedHead with 1,000 holes) gives you the control to water fast but gently — just keep the wand moving at all times, especially over soil blocks. Get your hoses off the ground and onto overhead trolleys or hose reels as soon as possible.
A propagation greenhouse is where everything on your farm starts — and how you water in there directly affects the quality of every transplant you grow. Get it wrong and you'll melt soil blocks, drown small plugs, or leave larger transplants parched.
At Bountiful Blessings Farm, my dad, John Dysinger, still waters the propagation house entirely by hand. It might sound old school, but after decades of growing, he's tried automation and keeps coming back to hand watering for a simple reason: nothing else gives you the control you need.
Why Not Just Use Overhead Sprinklers?
The challenge in a propagation greenhouse is that you're managing a dozen different watering needs at once. You might have freshly pressed soil blocks on one bench, established transplants in 4-inch blocks on another, and 200-cell plug trays on a third — all drying out at completely different rates.
200-cell plug trays dry out dramatically faster than larger soil blocks. A cloudy day and a sunny day have completely different watering demands. New soil blocks can melt if they get too much water in one spot. Mature transplants might need a deep soak while seedlings next to them need a light mist.
Overhead sprinklers treat everything the same. That's fine in a field plot, but in a propagation house full of different stages and different sizes, uniform watering means some things get too much and others get too little. The precision just isn't there.
Hand watering lets you give each bench, each tray, and each block size exactly what it needs on any given day. It's almost an art — and every day is different depending on weather, temperature, and the mix of crops on the benches.
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What's the Best Watering Setup?
The Water Breaker
My dad has tried a lot of watering wands and nozzles over the years and has settled on the Dramm RedHead water breaker. It has roughly 1,000 tiny holes that put out a high volume of water in a very gentle spray pattern. You can water fast without blasting your soil blocks apart — which is exactly what you need when you're hand watering a full greenhouse once or twice a day.
The key technique: keep the wand moving at all times. If you hold it in one spot — especially over newly formed soil blocks — you'll dissolve the block. A constant sweeping motion gives even coverage without concentrating the stream in any one place.
Get Your Hoses Off the Ground
This is one of those upgrades my dad wishes he'd made sooner. In the early years, they dragged hoses along the ground in the propagation house. It doesn't take long before you realize what a headache that is — hoses catching on bench legs, dragging through mud (before they had concrete floors), knocking over trays.
Two solutions that Bountiful Blessings Farm uses:
Overhead hose reel — Mounted on the wall or ceiling, the hose feeds out from above and retracts when you're done. Keeps the hose completely out of the way between waterings.
Overhead hose trolley — The hose runs along a cable mounted to the ceiling. You pull it along with you as you move down the greenhouse. My dad actually prefers this to the hose reel — it moves with you smoothly and the hose never touches the ground.
Either option is a significant quality-of-life upgrade. Sooner rather than later, get those hoses up off the ground. It's one of those small investments that saves frustration every single day.
How Often Do You Water in a Propagation Greenhouse?
It depends on the season and what's on the benches. In cooler weather with larger soil blocks, once a day is usually sufficient. In summer — especially with 200-cell plug trays or paper pot systems — you'll often need to water twice a day. Those small cells simply can't hold enough moisture to get through a hot afternoon.
This is another reason hand watering wins over automation: you're checking on your plants twice a day anyway, and the watering decision is based on what you see, not what a timer says.
The Takeaway
Hand watering a propagation greenhouse isn't a sign that you haven't upgraded your systems — it's the system. The variety of block sizes, tray types, and growth stages in a prop house makes automated overhead watering impractical for most market farms.
Invest in a quality water breaker (the Dramm RedHead is hard to beat), get your hoses off the ground with an overhead reel or trolley, and embrace the daily rhythm of checking and watering your starts by hand. It's one of the most important 15 minutes of your day.
Frequently Asked Questions
A propagation greenhouse contains different block sizes, plug trays, and crop stages that all dry out at different rates. Overhead sprinklers water everything uniformly, which means some things get too much and others too little. Hand watering lets you match the water to each tray and bench based on what it actually needs that day.
The Dramm RedHead water breaker is a proven choice — it has roughly 1,000 holes that deliver high-volume, gentle water. This lets you water quickly without blasting apart soil blocks or overwhelming small seedlings. Keep the wand moving constantly for even coverage.
Never hold the water wand in one spot. Use a continuous sweeping motion across the blocks so water distributes evenly without concentrating on any single block. A gentle water breaker nozzle (like the Dramm RedHead) also helps by delivering a soft, diffused spray rather than a hard stream.
Once a day in cooler weather for larger soil blocks. Twice a day in summer, especially for 200-cell plug trays and paper pot systems that dry out fast. The answer changes daily based on sun, temperature, and humidity — which is why hand watering (and the observation that comes with it) beats automation in a propagation setting.
Yes, as soon as possible. Overhead hose reels or hose trolleys mounted on ceiling cables eliminate the frustration of hoses catching on benches, dragging through mud, and knocking over trays. It's a small investment that improves your daily workflow significantly.