Drip Irrigation Systems

One of the most difficult problems that gardeners face is proper use of water. They either use too much or too little. The ones that use too much will set a sprinkler on and forget about it during the day (wasting way too much water) and the ones that use too little simply forget to set the sprinkler out (for those keeping track, I'm one of 'em!)

So, what do you do if you are either of these bad examples? Do you simply wait for the rain? No! You prepare your garden with a drip irrigation system.

Drip irrigation is a method of watering your garden that will use less water, less maintenance, and help discourage less weeds. There are, however, different ways to set up a drip irrigation system, but they all differ in how much time and money you want to put into them.

Here's a video to go over the basics.

If you're just getting started, I'd recommend a simple soaker hose. Known as the “grandfather” of the modern drip irrigation system, the soaker hose, as you saw in the video, is a hose that has (tiny) little holes drilled into it to let water drip out. The pluses for this method is that it is pretty darn cheap. However, unless you move the hose on a regular basis (weekly), mineral deposits from the water will clog the (tiny) little holes.

More advanced systems have something called “emitters.” These will control the flow of water.  These emitters take care of the flow problem in long tubes and help regulate how much water is actually used. Compared to a regular sprinkler system, which can use up to 180 gallons of water per hour, properly installed drip emitters can lessen the water needed to as little as one gallon of water per hour.

So, get out and prepare for the upcoming gardening season. You'll be able to save water and money if you just plan accordingly.