What kind/type of irrigation do you use and why?

[sjoella]

I have a very basic setup when it comes to watering my garden. I love my current garden, but feel that some type of watering system would be beneficial.

I get that...what I dont get is the choices. So I went to my local Home Depot hoping to find someone to talk to and found nothing outside of sprinklers and hoses.

So, I came here. What system did you use. Was it a success or did you just waste money? If you tried one then another...why? What would you recommend for about 1000 sq ft garden? I attached a pic of my garden a few weeks old so you can see what I currently have.

Thank you!

[Rockporter]

I don't have a sprinkler system but if I could I would probably use a type of drip hose system or soaker hose system. Drip hose and soaker hoses can be cut and have new conectors added for each piece you want to use. This seems like a good way to put the water where you want it and it is of course movable as well.

[Dak]

I've been very happy with the system I built from dripworks.com. You might need to look at their 3/4" tubing vs their 1/2", which eliminates being able to buy one of their kits.

They have a Mother's Day special going today, free shipping on orders over $99. Promo code: MDFS13. Expires midnight, PST.

[Cole_Robbie]

I was going to say the same thing about checking out dripworks. They have a great site to at least window-shop. Their prices are not usually the lowest, though. Amazon has cheap stuff, but of course the quality is always in question.

I use drip tape and throw it away after one season. A 1000 ft roll is $50. The header line and fittings get re-used. The best fertilizer injector I have found is a $25 Hozon brass fitting.

[sprtsguy76]

I use rainbird drip products. For a bigger garden i think one would need decent water pressure and a few scattered hose/water outlets. I have three strategically placed outlets for my 500-600 sq ft garden. I have a complex mix of raised beds with containers. I love the setup I have for the raised beds which is 1/2" tubing to the bed followed by 1/4" tubing and 1gph emitters spaced at 6" intervals. For containers I'm trying drip emitters too but one or two is not enough per container. Not getting even coverage with those. I might change em out to the 360 fan sprayers I have from last year.

Damon

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[Jaysan]

I use a drip system with a timer for my containers and raised bed. I use the emitters called shrubblers.
Got two of the "Pro" kits here.

http://www.berryhilldrip.com/ANTELCO...r-Sprayer.html

I really like the shrubbler emitters they are adjustable and water in a circle pattern. You can water in a small area or in one as big as a about a foot.

I live just down the road from these folks. They have lots of irrigation stuff.

[TightenUp]

i use a soaker hose on all beds and love them. i use tent stakes to hold them in place and then mulch right on top of them. this is what my father did for years and i've adopted the practice.

these hoses can be put on a timer if needed or just turned on/off whenever. the tent stakes makes the hose very easy to lay down and keep in place

http://www.amazon.com/10-Piece-Galva...ds=tent+stakes

[mike5953]

Originally Posted by Jaysan

I really like the shrubbler emitters they are adjustable and water in a circle pattern. You can water in a small area or in one as big as a about a foot.

I've been using the DripWorks Shrubblers for my tomatoes, peppers, squash, and roses for several years now. They provide very good water control and are low maintenance (though, even with an in-line filter, they still manage to get clogged every once in a while).

I started out with DripWorks' base kit that includes plastic water lines, filter, pressure regulator, fittings, etc.
Heart of the Garden Kit
Then added a Rose and Shrub kit that includes all the Shubbler emitters, hose, and fittings.
Rose and Shrub Add-On

Add in a good timer, and I feel relatively confident that my garden won't wilt while I'm off on vacation or when it gets so hot in summer that I get lazy with my outside chores

As to the timer... I've gone through several of those, and have finally found a relatively inexpensive one that lasts more than one growing season.
Orbit Digital Water Timer
Just make sure to cover the timer so that it's protected from rainwater. I use the Recycled Bleach Bottle method that's shown in the link, but added a couple layers of plastic cling wrap and some large twist ties to make doubly sure that water stays out. It's not pretty, but it works.

[SIP Gro-Tubs]

Originally Posted by mike5953

I started out with DripWorks' base kit that includes plastic water lines, filter, pressure regulator, fittings, etc.
Heart of the Garden Kit




As to the timer... I've gone through several of those, and have finally found a relatively inexpensive one that lasts more than one growing season.
Orbit Digital Water Timer

Mike

As to your, filter did it come with a 200 mesh screen? Also even tho there is a removable cap at the bottom of the filter the inside of the screen may be clogged or torn. Best to remove the filter body and using a old toothbrush, scrub lightly the interior of the screen. Backflushing doesn't always work for cleaning.

Also check to make sure the O rings are still good, sometimes they will fall out taking the filter apart. A bad ring or missing ring will bypass the filter.

Also installing a whole house water filter at the source of your water, will alleviate a lot of sediment downline.

Home Depot is a distributor also of Orbit parts, Lowes carries Rainbird.

Terry

[mike5953]

Originally Posted by SIP Gro-Tubs

Mike

As to your, filter did it come with a 200 mesh screen? Also even tho there is a removable cap at the bottom of the filter the inside of the screen may be clogged or torn. Best to remove the filter body and using a old toothbrush, scrub lightly the interior of the screen. Backflushing doesn't always work for cleaning.

Also check to make sure the O rings are still good, sometimes they will fall out taking the filter apart. A bad ring or missing ring will bypass the filter.

Also installing a whole house water filter at the source of your water, will alleviate a lot of sediment downline.

Home Depot is a distributor also of Orbit parts, Lowes carries Rainbird.

Terry

Terry,
It did come with a 200 mesh filter.
I check it at the beginning of each season, and so far it's in good repair.
I think that most of my clogs happen at the Shrubbler end when dirt and debris covers the emitter after a storm or when I'm fertilizing, etc.

[SIP Gro-Tubs]

Originally Posted by mike5953

Terry,
It did come with a 200 mesh filter.
I check it at the beginning of each season, and so far it's in good repair.
I think that most of my clogs happen at the Shrubbler end when dirt and debris covers the emitter after a storm or when I'm fertilizing, etc.

A Shrubbler should't clog unless there isn't a backflow preventer in line, or if there is maybe its not working right.

I've never had that problem with them. One way we did use them is to run a 3/4" black poly tubing across the top of field grown pots, and having a Shrubbler for each pot.

Terry

[WhippoorwillG]

I use drip tape with a 15psi pressure reducer. It is great for covering large areas without wasting water.

I loath soaker hose except on small beds because of uneven watering and unreliable performance.

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[RebelRidin]

I use a drip line system I set up with parts from dripworks.com I push the limits for the 1/2" main using the 1/4" drip hose and 10 psi regulator but I can jst supply my entire 400 sq ft of raised beds with one main. Of course higher pressure regulators can be used to increase that but the 10 psi worked out just right for me.

Each bed has 4 x 4 feet of line with the 6" 1/2 gph dripline. That makes about 10 gallons/hour for a 16 ft sq bed which comes to about 1 inch of rain equivalent per hour. Each bed can be turned on and off individually as each has its own feed and microvalve from the mainline. I used the vinyl tubing as it was more flexible.

I thought cost was reasonable at about $180 for the whole garden. I am expecting perhaps ten years service before it might need replacing as it is all UV stabilized and usually under mulch besides. Next to the raised beds and compost based fill I think it is the best thing I could have done for my garden.

[cajunman56]

I use a soaker hose.

[BennB]

I am not a pro by any means but I have planned and installed several irrigation systems from traditional pop-up lawn systems, to drip systems for gardens and patios, and hybrid systems that do both for my own homes and gardens.

For the garden, a drip system is really the way to go. The nice thing with just about any drip irrigation system is you can vary how much water is delivered to each plant each cycle, so you can water tomatoes lettuce, peppers, all differently, but at the same time. Drip systems will also result in way way less water use and
will help keep down weeds and diseases. Also, although they call them "drip systems" you don't need to do just do a drippers. You can get spray emitters that work great for larger areas or work in drip lines that work just like a soaker hose.

Your garden is regularly shaped, the rows appear even, and your plant spacing is relatively uniform. All that is good and should make an drip irrigation system easy to layout and install.

Any system has four main components. Main lines that deliver that distribute the water, laterals that deliver water from the main line, emitters that meter water to the plants, and a controller that turns the system on and off. The controller is generally optional, but recommended and can be as simple as a hose timer.

Main lines: You generally have two choices. Hard lines like PCV and flexible HDPE (Poly) lines. Either type can be installed either above ground or below ground. Since this is your first system, I would recommend going with 0.7" poly installed above ground for the greatest flexibility. Poly line is very inexpensive. The expense is in the fittings and couplers, but you can reduce this by planning well.

Laterals: If you go with poly mains, your only real option is 1/4" poly. Very cheap for the line, again the cost is in the fittings on both ends, but that is not too bad.

Emitters: There are many emitters for 1/4 poly lines (anything with a 1/4 barb). You can get drippers that drip a set amount per hour (a gallon, half gallon, 2 gallons etc), blubbers that cover a larger area and are adjustable, sprayers to cover bedding plants and larger areas...the choices are nearly endless.

Controllers: You can use a standard irrigation controller set up or just a hose timer like you are using now. I usually go with a high quality programmable digital hose timer that has at least two programmable cycles.

Laying out the system. I took the liberty of doing a rough sketch up of your garden showing how I would layout the main lines in multiple loops. Sorry my handwriting is so bad. The main thing is that you want the pressure to be even so the more internal connections and loops the better. If you have one long main line the pressure drop will not allow the emitters to work uniformly. The 1/4" laterals have a lot of pressure drop, so you want these to be no more than 6' long if they have one emitter on them or about 3' with two emitters.

You will get the best price on components if you order them on-line. The key to this is drawing it up in advance and planning it out so you can get everything you need. I have had good luck with Irrigation Direct (www.IrrigationDirect.com) and I like their "direct-loc" fittings. I am not affiliated, just a customer. But if you don't have enough most home stores carry a decent stock of tubing, connections, and emitters and they are more or less interchangeable. My guess is you could put in a good system for between $50 and $75 (before tax and shipping) assuming you use your existing hose controllers.

Good luck!

Benn