{"id":2958,"date":"2021-10-30T00:08:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-30T07:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-490\/"},"modified":"2024-04-11T10:33:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T17:33:38","slug":"drip_irrigation","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/drip_irrigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Drip irrigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>We are putting in a new garden, and want to install a drip irrigation system to conserve water. The area is full sun. Can you direct us to some information on systems, and offer suggestions on plants?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Here is some information from a colleague who has<br \/>\nexperience installing and maintaining watering systems on a large<br \/>\nscale (at Seattle Public Library&#8217;s sites).<\/p>\n<p>Drip irrigation<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a sprinkler system using broadcasting spray heads is difficult to<br \/>\ninstall and wastes water; they also contribute to fungal diseases<\/li>\n<li>these systems also have to be blown out in the fall (winterized)<\/li>\n<li>drip irrigation is easy to install<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hints:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>install after the plants are in, or place parallel lines<br \/>\nappropriately spaced to provide enough water while allowing for<br \/>\nplant root zone increase<\/li>\n<li>if installed after plants are in, try to encircle the root zones<br \/>\nof trees and shrubs, allowing for increase in size<\/li>\n<li>no need to encircle perennials; they are fine with a line on one<br \/>\nor both side<\/li>\n<li>for such a large area, use more than one zone or there will be no<br \/>\npressure (and no drip) at the end of the line<\/li>\n<li>use a pressure reducer at the water source or the lines may come<br \/>\napart at junctions<\/li>\n<li>if on a slope, follow the contours of the slope<\/li>\n<li>bury at least 6 inches so settling and soil loss do not expose<br \/>\nlines&#8211;and so lines don&#8217;t freeze (no winterizing)&#8211;but too deep and<br \/>\nyou can&#8217;t tell if it&#8217;s working or not<\/li>\n<li>draw a picture of the system<\/li>\n<li>anchor the line with stakes (they are the shape of croquet<br \/>\nwickets, but ~ 4&#8243; x 2&#8243;) and can usually be purchased with the drip<br \/>\nline<\/li>\n<li>buy &#8220;splicing&#8221; supplies for breaks: female connectors are easier<br \/>\nto install and I think Netafim is the most versatile line<\/li>\n<li>scheduling: staggering helps (a short watering period followed<br \/>\nby a long one) and remember that it has to be left on for a long<br \/>\ntime (i.e., 1-2 hours for the long session but not every day)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Seattle Public Utilities offers the plant list and watering<br \/>\nguides linked here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/util\/cs\/groups\/public\/@spu\/@conservation\/documents\/webcontent\/spu01_003855.pdf\">The Plant List<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/util\/cs\/groups\/public\/@spu\/@conservation\/documents\/webcontent\/smartwate_200311261701453.pdf\">Smart Watering Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/util\/cs\/groups\/public\/@spu\/@conservation\/documents\/webcontent\/01_024423.pdf\">Soaker Hoses<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pubs.cahnrs.wsu.edu\/publications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/publications\/fs030e.pdf\">Here<\/a> is a guide to drip irrigation from Washington State University Extension.<\/p>\n<p>I think that the best plant choices for your site in full sun will<br \/>\nbe drought-tolerant perennials, shrubs, and trees. Here are links<br \/>\nto resources on selecting plants and maintaining a low-water-use<br \/>\ngarden.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/topic-areas\/yard-garden\/xeriscaping-creative-landscaping-7-228\/\">Colorado State University Extension<\/a> features several links on Xeriscaping.<\/p>\n<p>An article on drought-tolerant gardening by <a href=\"http:\/\/seattlepi.nwsource.com\/nwgardens\/218129_lovejoy31.html\">Ann Lovejoy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here are links to a <a href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/resources\/booklists_data\/drought.pdf\">booklist<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/hortlib.kohacatalog.com\/cgi-bin\/koha\/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&amp;shelfnumber=18\">page of resources from the Miller Library.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You may also want to make a practice of mulching the garden to<br \/>\nconserve water. Excerpt from www.greenbuilder.com:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Use a deep layer of mulch in planting beds to help retain<br \/>\nmoisture, slow weed growth, and prevent erosion.<\/p>\n<p>The use of mulches on sloped areas along with terracing and<br \/>\nplantings can help prevent runoff and erosion problems.<\/p>\n<p>Examples of organic mulch material include:<\/p>\n<p>shredded bark<br \/>\nwood chips<br \/>\npine needles<br \/>\nstraw<br \/>\npecan hulls<br \/>\ncotton seed hull<br \/>\ncomposted leaves<br \/>\nshredded cedar<\/p>\n<p>The depth of mulch needed will depend on the type used. As a<br \/>\ngeneral rule, the coarser the material, the deeper it should be<br \/>\napplied. A 3 to 4 inch layer of bark mulch should be sufficient.<br \/>\nMulch needs to be reapplied as it decomposes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The book, <em>Water-Wise Gardening by Thomas Christopher<\/em> (Simon &amp;<br \/>\nSchuster, 1994), recommends matching the mulch to the planting. For<br \/>\nexample, using pine needles around a clump of evergreens enhances<br \/>\nthe woodland appearance of the landscape. Using organic materials<br \/>\n(such as compost, bark, pine needles, leaves) as mulch moderates<br \/>\nthe access of air to the topsoil, and conserves humus. Mulch<br \/>\nsuppresses weeds and keeps the surface of the soil from crusting<br \/>\nover. Ann Lovejoy&#8217;s book, <em>Organic Design School<\/em> (Rodale Press,<br \/>\n2001), recommends compost as the ideal mulch. Finished compost can<br \/>\nbe pressed through a fine mesh screen to topdress ornamental<br \/>\nplants, while coarser compost can be used around shrubs and trees.<br \/>\nCompost is a feeding mulch, improving soil texture as well as<br \/>\nnutritional value. Here is what Lovejoy has to say about wood<br \/>\nby-products as mulch: &#8220;To a greater or lesser degree, most tie up<br \/>\nsoil nitrogen temporarily as they decompose (fresh sawdust uses the<br \/>\nmost nitrogen, while coarsely ground wood chips use the least.<br \/>\nAlthough I never use shredded bark as mulch on planting beds,<br \/>\nmany gardeners do. It makes an attractive, deep brown mulch (that)<br \/>\ndoes not tend to rob nitrogen from the soil.&#8221; She cautions against<br \/>\nusing thick layers of pine needles (over 2 to 3 inches) which can<br \/>\nget matted down and shed water instead of letting it reach plants&#8217;<br \/>\nroots.<\/p>\n<p>Here is information from the University of Georgia Cooperative<br \/>\nExtension, describing the best choice of mulch for a<br \/>\ndrought-tolerant garden:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Generally, the best mulch for the landscape is one that is<br \/>\norganic, fine-textured and non-matting. Examples include pine<br \/>\nstraw, pine bark mini-nuggets, shredded hardwood mulch or cypress<br \/>\nmulch. Inorganic mulches, such as rock or gravel, are not good<br \/>\nmulches because they absorb and re-radiate heat around the plant<br \/>\ncanopy and increase evaporative loss of water from the plant.<br \/>\nFine-textured mulches, such as mini-nuggets or shredded hardwood,<br \/>\ndo a better job of holding moisture in the soil than more porous<br \/>\ncoarse-textured mulches.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-keyword has-text-align-right wp-block-post-terms\"><a href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/keyword\/landscape-irrigation\/\" rel=\"tag\">Landscape irrigation<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/keyword\/microirrigation\/\" rel=\"tag\">Microirrigation<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/keyword\/xeriscaping\/\" rel=\"tag\">Xeriscaping<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are putting in a new garden, and want to install a drip irrigation system to conserve water. The area is full sun. Can you direct us to some information on systems, and offer suggestions on plants? &nbsp; Here is some information from a colleague who has experience installing and maintaining watering systems on a large scale (at Seattle Public Library&#8217;s sites). Drip irrigation a sprinkler system using broadcasting spray heads is difficult to install and wastes water; they also&#8230;<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/drip_irrigation\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Drip irrigation<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[164,165,51],"class_list":["post-2958","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-landscape-irrigation","keyword-microirrigation","keyword-xeriscaping"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2958"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}