A good water delivery system is key to a successful garden.
A drip system delivers water through small holes in a hose. It allows you to deliver small quantities of water directly to your plants with a minimum of evaporation and waste. Drip systems also deliver superior results by extending watering time and allowing the water to penetrate the soil. Putting a drip system on a timer, allowing you to water in the evening with less evaporation, or to deliver different quantities of water to desert plants and "thirsty" plants, further improves system efficiency. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Creating a Drip System for Your Garden
1. Determine where in your garden you want water delivered. Measure the distance from the spigot to the point where your drip system begins. Measure the distance from this point to the farthest point in the garden. If you have a larger garden you may want to insert one or more "Y" connectors along the way. If so, measure the length of both hoses from their "Y" connection point to the point where they stop, or where they connect with another "Y" connector. Make a simple sketch of the garden layout showing all the elements in your design and the length of each element.
2. Use a regular garden hose to deliver water from the spigot to the beginning of your drip system. Garden hoses come in 25-foot, 50-foot, 75-foot and 100-foot lengths.
3. Hook up a garden timer at the end of the hose. All the larger home and garden supply houses carry them as well as the drip and soaker hoses you may need. Timers range in price from around $15 for a simple mechanical timer to around $60 for a digital multiple-zone timer that will deliver water at different times to different parts of your garden. Most gardens will require one, or at most two, zones---one for roses, for example, and another for desert plants. Note that a multiple zone timer will require a separate drip system for each zone.
4. From the timer lay out the drip hose or hoses going to each zone. If you have a large garden, consult your garden sketch and determine how much hose you will need from the timer to the first "Y" connector. Install these hoses, any necessary "Y" connectors and the appropriate drip hoses from the "Y" connector to the far point of your garden. Use small stakes to help control the position of your hose, particularly when it takes sharp bends. At those points you may also need to attach the hose to the stake with a tie-back.
5. In addition to drip hoses, some gardens will require a "soaker" hose, which leaks water continuously along the length of the hose. You can lay these on the surface of the ground or bury them an inch or two deep. You can also use "sprinkler hoses," which have larger holes and deliver a spray or coarse mist. In some instances you may want to turn these hoses upside down and use them to deliver water directly into the soil.
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