Rain barrels use your existing downspouts to fill the barrel.
Forget standing around waving a watering wand over your plants. Put away the sprinkler, which wastes a quarter of the water it sprays out. With water restrictions and shortages occurring more frequently, a drip irrigation system allows you to water your plants directly where they need it. Couple a drip irrigation system with a Fiskars rain barrel, and you will never have to worry about water restrictions short-changing your garden again. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Unroll about 20 feet of string. Tie the end or anchor it at the downspout where you will locate the rain barrel. Take the string and lay out the path of the hose for the emitters through your garden. By using the string, you can pick it up and lay it back out again repeatedly until you can find a layout that works for you with minimal hose lengths. A drip irrigation system allows you to make tees. Avoid thorny areas. If you have roses or other thorny bushes, prune them from dragging on the ground.
2. Open the kit. Lay out the main hose following your string trail, leaving an extra two or three feet of hose at the downspout. Cut the hose and attach the tees where you need to run a secondary line for an emitter. Using the tool, poke holes and insert emitters along the hose. Emitters should be placed under the leaf canopies and near the base of the plants. Shrubs and trees will require more than one emitter. Keep a minimum of 18 inches between emitters.
3. Add a cap at the end of the hose.
4. Locate your rain barrel on a level surface next to a downspout. Following the specific instructions for your model of rain barrel and for the size of your downspout, attach the water diverter. Run the connection to the rain barrel. Hand screw the spout in at the bottom of the rain barrel.
5. Attach a gravity flow drip system and the backflow preventer. Screw in the main hose. If you do not wish to wait for rain, you can fill up the barrel with the hose to test your irrigation system.
Tags: rain barrel, irrigation system, drip irrigation, drip irrigation system, fill barrel, irrigation system allows, main hose