ABODE Installing a Drip System The days are getting longer and the sun is growing warmer. Ronnie shows you how to put in that drip system that you’ve been thinking about but putting off. May 2007

Ronnie Griese

Drip systems are excellent investments for homeowners with any size plot of land used to grow flowers or vegetables. A properly installed drip system will permit you to grow healthier plants with less water.

One other non-intuitive but pleasant feature of a drip system is that by delivering water directly to the roots of the plants, the system serves to isolate the rest of the soil, which remains under-watered thus reducing the growth of weeds.

I completely replaced the drip system in my yard, installing a low-pressure system that is now exactly tailored to the needs of the bushes and plants I have in my yard. Here are some things I learned while doing the project that might help cut the learning curve for yourself if you are a novice planning a drip system project.

1. Locate the current

drip system

If you are revising an existing system, the first thing to do is to locate your main line.

There are three ways to find the main half-inch rubber drip line that is buried in the plant areas of your yards.

Go to the corners of your flowerbeds and locate the cap sticking up that reveals the location.

If you can’t find this, dig down four to six inches back from your grass into the flowerbed and dig around CAREFULLY until you find the half-inch hose. Be sure to dig carefully since you need to locate the line without puncturing it. This is not a very efficient way of finding the tube.

Get hold of a dripper under one of your plants then simply follow the small quarter-inch tube until you come to the half-inch main line.

2. Water by the colors

Low-pressure sprinklers are color-graded in three levels designating water flow value, usually reported in GPHs (gallons per hour). “Low-pressure” means that the water doesn’t go into the tube unless the system is actually working.

You determine the amount of water you need for the type of soil you are installing the system in.

Even though my soil is somewhat hard, I settled on the 1 GPH system so I don’t have to run the water so much.

3. Find the Raindrip connection

I chose to set up my drip system using components from the Raindrip system. These seem to be reasonably priced and are readily available. Most importantly, perhaps, the company designs and markets these so they are really easy to use.

You don’t have to go to a hardware store with some complicated specification, you can just buy the appropriate packages of parts and start snapping the pieces of your system together. Raindrip markets these in small packages, of 5-10 pieces, or in larger bags of 50-100 pieces.

I’ve discovered that Orchard Supply Hardware carries a complete inventory of everything anybody could want. Even better, perhaps, OSH has a staff of knowledgeable people who (during certain times of the day, at least) don’t mind spending an hour with you to make sure that you understand what you are buying and will be happy with your purchases.

Parts for the Raindrip System are also available at Ace Hardware in Brentwood and Lowe’s in Antioch.

The connector I use most often is a simple pass-through. Whenever I see a wet spot in a bed where I don’t intend to be watering, I can repair the leak with one of these. They are intuitive and can be installed in moments.

You can buy a gauge, called a ‘moisture-meter,’ that will measure the amount of water in the soil. A more expensive variety is available that will measure the pH, as well. I bought two of these myself and use them for everything. It is the only way I know for determining whether or not I need to amend my soil, or in what direction, or whether to add water.

4. Keep within the physical limitations

If you use a low-drip system you must manage pressure distribution. This means that, under normal circumstances you have to bring each line from the main source. A half-inch hose will reach plants 200 feet from the water source. The distance is reduced to 50 feet for a quarter-inch hose.

Remember the principle that every time you divide a quarter-inch drip tube by adding a new line to it, the water pressure in that line will go down by half, which means that less water will go to each plant on that line.

Also remember that for low-pressure drip sprinklers, you cannot divide a line at all. The distance of the spray will be very short and the amount of water going to the sprinkler will be reduced to an insufficient level.

If you are putting only one to three new plants in the ground, you can add extra drippers to an existing quarter-inch tube without seriously affecting the water pressure. However, if you are planting several shrubs, perennials, or annuals, you need to tap into the half-inch main line. This will serve to keep the water pressure up and keep an equal amount of water flowing to all of the plants.

If you are doing bedding plants, use a hydrant, which has between two and eight quarter-inch drippers. The hydrant protrudes above the ground, making it easy to work on.

You simply tap into the half line with the hydrant. I did this myself and when I saw the results I became a real convert to these things. They simplified my life so much!

The bubblers come in two sizes. I’ve found the larger to be more useful. The bubbler adjusts to the amount of water that is available. I saw that some of the plants in my hedge were stunted and knew that I had a water problem. I pulled the line out, put on one of these bubblers, cut it off half way and solved the problem.

5. Choose the right hose

Hosing comes in flexible or rigid types of tubing. Buy the flexible type if you are installing a more complicated system, with a lot of turns; use the rigid type tubes for layouts with an elementary or regular pattern. Both types are available in both 25 or 50-foot sections.

You purchase quarter or half-inch line depending upon whether you need more or less flow-through, of course. Half-inch is often a good choice because, while it is less flexible, due to its increased size, it is designed to remain in the ground for 25 years.

6. Plan the layout of the system

Configure a drip system to the needs of each plot. For example, you can install a drip system at the front of a narrow, border-type plot and then allow the tributary hoses to lead back into plants.

A better strategy, however, is to install the main line in the back of a plot and bring the distribution lines forward.

One advantage of that layout is that you might plant some lower plants in the front of the plot and taller plants in the back. The back shrubs can be then fed off the drippers in the drip system, while the forward annuals can be fed off the Raindrip sprinklers.

Many of us enjoy having nice looking areas around our homes.

It seems that the world can get messy and out-of-control, sometimes, so there’s satisfaction in finding something that we can control. In particular, I’ve received great satisfaction from figuring out how to create a drip system that gives me fine control over the growth of the lovely plants and flowers in my yard.

My drip system projects have all been effective and fun! Don’t be afraid to try it yourself!