Drip Systems and Sprinklers
Putting in a drip system is a great way to conserve precious water and also water your plants when you’re away. There are several different brands, but they all work pretty much the same. I put one in on my patio, because I have lots of potted plants to water and it saves me a lot of time. Most garden centers have all the parts you’ll need. They also usually have a resident expert who can give you some tips, but if you follow the directions carefully, I’m sure you can do it. If I can do it, you can too.
Start with a timer that you attach to your hose bib. If you want to keep the faucet available for other uses, put a double hose bib on first. These have individual shut offs, so you can use one independent of the other. I bought a Drip System kit that had most everything except the timer and filters. There are quite a few little drippers and connectors of different shapes for different uses. I sorted them and used a couple of plastic muffin trays (The ones you buy at the bakery) to keep everything neat. This is like tinker toys or erector sets. You just have to plan how you want to reach all your plants without having piping too obviously showing. I ran the main line completely around my patio (you have to cut and add corner pieces), then I ran the smaller tubes with drip emitters to the planters. I even went up a side wall and ran the line around the patio cover so I could put drippers in my hanging begonias. I used U nails to secure the main line to the beams Pretty cool!
I also have a large mixed flower bed at the end of the patio and I was able to use sprayers on stakes for that area. It works great. It’s about 20′ long by 6′ wide, so I ran the line around the whole bed, front and back. There are clips to hold the piping down. I then added the sprayers, so all the bed gets a good watering.
Master gardening is a good place to check out for many of your gardening supplies.
If you’re putting your drip system in your yard before you plant, you have the advantage of being able to dig down a bit and bury the main line ( you only need to dig a couple of inches and leave the tubing exposed until you plant, so you can run your 1/4 inch tubing off of it). You can use the claw end of a hammer to dig your trench. There are U shaped pins you can use to secure the main line so it doesn’t pop up, but wait till everything is in place before you secure the line.
One hint I’ll give you, is, try to do this on a fairly warm day. By putting your poly tubing in the sun, it’s a lot easier to work with. The hardest part is pushing those little emitters into the tubing. There is usually a punch provided, but it helps if you wear gloves, as your hands will get sore after a while. The best thing is when you’re finished and you turn it on and everything works great! Very satisfying!
When you need to cover large areas, such as a lawn, you’ll need to put in an automatic sprinkler system. Ideally, the lawn isn’t in yet and you can lay out your piping in little trenches. You’ll want to check to see the range of the sprinklers you plan to use, so you know how far apart to space the sprinkler heads. It’s simply a matter of cutting and connecting junctions with the glue that they sell for that purpose. Again, you’ll need to plan where you want to place your controllers and your timer. This is a little more complicated than a drip system and requires some plumbing knowlege. The book up above explains in detail how to put in a sprinkler system. Or you can do as I did: Hire it done! Either way, you must plan ahead for the layout of your garden, so you’ll know exactly what your watering needs will be.
Another good way to water your plants while you’re away is with Dri-Water. I have a seperate post that describes this amazing product. Check it out.