Polk County Master Gardeners
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Drip Irrigation
I realize that after what seems like unending rain, the thought of
irrigation for your garden may seem a bit useless, but the rain really will not
last forever. About July or August, it seems fairly safe to predict that we will
be wishing for some of it.
One way to cut down on the watering work and conserve water at the same time
is drip irrigation. The initial cost can vary a great deal depending on whether
you have it done or do it yourself and where you purchase the parts. In any
case, you will almost certainly recoup the investment by reduced water use,
although it may take several years to do so. When you use a drip irrigation
system, almost all of the water goes directly into the soil where your plants
can use it.
The best time to water your garden is early in the morning. There is less
evaporation than in the middle of the day, and less likelihood of plant diseases
than in the evenings. I’ve always found the drawback to that is getting up at
the crack of dawn, which is not my favorite time to face the world, let alone my
garden. Putting the drip irrigation system on a timer solves that problem. It
also has another advantage: you can go out of town for a week or two without
worrying that your newly planted azaleas will die.
Even quite simple timers can vary the amount of water delivered at each
watering and how often you water the garden. And they can be changed. If you are
watering your garden or fruit trees in midsummer, you will probably want to
water very deeply but only about once a week. If you’re watering the pot plants
on your porch, you may want to give them a small drink daily as they dry out so
much more quickly.
Drip irrigations systems vary tremendously. If you want to check out some
that are at least pretty close to the top of the line, log on to
www.rainbird.com
on the Internet. After you’ve seen what the fancy systems can do, you may want
to go to your local garden supply or do-it-yourself handyman store to see if you
can get the parts you need for a price that fits your pocketbook better. You can
also find more information than you probably ever wanted by searching for “drip
irrigation” on one of the Internet search engines.
A basic system will have a timer that fits between your faucet and the
tubing, a length of flexible tubing that will reach from the faucet to the
farthest place you want to water, some “drippers” to control the flow rate at
each watering point, and the fittings necessary to put them all together. It
will take a little time to work out the best way to get the right amount of
water to each place you need it, but it will take a lot less work later on and
will be good insurance for your garden.
And then you can start spending more of your summer kicking back in the shade
and less on the business end of a hose.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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