I’m getting ready to do irrigation lines for my first time after hand watering for 3 years and I’m so excited. I’ve watched this video 10+ times to make sure I’m doing it right. Adam is so great to watch and listen to. All these videos are so helpful
Nick, Adam here :) Thank you for the kind words! I will be letting that go to my head haha. If any questions come up while you're planning or installing, send them our way!
Watching you videos to customize my kit before I order. I notice you didn't seem concerned about going through the middle of the garden area. Is it ok to run the mainline through a high-traffic area? It makes the most sense to do mine that way, too, but I want to be sure it's ok.
This step-by-step was clutch. Im in the middle of a huge irrigation project before I leave the country for a month and couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for the kind words! You're setting a nice tone for Friday for me over here :) And you bet -- if any questions come up while you're planning or installing, drop me a line, happy to help so you can get it all ready before you leave.
This video was amazing! I have watched so many instructional videos on drip systems, and this was hands-down the best! So easy to understand. Drip Depot, you will get my business!
Naomi, thank you so much for the kind words! If any questions come up while you plan out your system, don't hesitate for a second to reach out to us, we'll be truly happy to assist.
Thanks to this video, I designed and finished installing my drip irrigation system last week. The raised bed kit I bought from Drip Depot had everything I needed and I loved the quality of the fittings. To anyone on the fence about taking on this task yourself, do it! Thanks for the great video and great product!
This video was exactly what I need to wrap my head around the process of installing drip irrigation to my raised garden. Thank you so much! Super helpful...now to draw my plan and order the parts:)
Thank you so much for the feedback! We're actually working on a video about designing and sketching now, maybe we'll be able to get it released fast enough for you (we have some great tips and tricks to keep it easy) :). Thank you again!
I can’t believe how intimidated I feel about installing irrigation system, but you explained very well easy in every way possible, Thank you so much now I think I can install my system, well still with video next to me just to refresh every part 🙏🏻
Love Drip Depot! For context, I'm 60+ and can manage using a drill, hammer, and screwdriver, but I'm not going to do major repairs myself ("back in the day" I'd replace toilets, light switches, light fixtures and the like - not now). Last year I hand watered my raised beds. It was time consuming and I confess that I did not enjoy standing outside in the heat to ensure that each plant had a thorough drink from either the hose or watering can (if it was time for fertilizer). The garden suffered as a result. This year, thanks to Drip Depot, I installed drip irrigation to 8 large ovals (3'x5') and four rounds (24" and 42"), plus 9 20" pots and two 5-gallon potted fig trees. PLUS 4 in-ground apple trees, a persimmon, and 2 berry bushes. Whew! When I list them all, it seems daunting! But over the course of a couple of days in spring I was able to do it all. The instructions on the irrigation videos are so clear! I ran 1/2 inch line around the perimeter of the yard, and then branched individual 1/2 inch lines to each bed using T connectors. Using right-angled connectors I ran the line up the 17" sides of the beds, added shut-off valves, and then ran several 1/4 inch drip lines down the length of each bed. The potted and in-ground fruit trees and the potted tomatoes each have a 1/4 inch line from the main, ending in a button dripper of appropriate size. Later in the season I added a fertilizer injector system (also Drip Depot, of course). Game changer! All the fish emulsion and rapid-release fertilizer (the blue stuff) runs through the lines to the plants. Magic! The only down side is that I can't seem to stop a drip at the faucet (or maybe it's at the Y splitter). Not an issue with the Drip Depot system at all, but it does mean that I cannot entirely automate - if I leave the water on at the faucet, there's a drip drip drip that fills a 5 gallon bucket in a day (I keep one under the faucet to catch the drips). Simple enough work around - I just turn on the water and run the system manually. Next year maybe I'll figure out where the leak is coming from. In any event, I can't believe how much time this saved me this year! My garden is thriving. MORE than thriving!! I highly recommend this company and its products. They make it so simple!
Thank you for that wonderfully written description of your system! It sounds like a pretty good sized one at that, definitely larger than what we did in this video, great work. I know the first one can be daunting, I try to tell people all the time to just try, and in almost all cases they're able to complete the system. I'm glad you gave it a shot :) And I hear you on standing around to water plants, I did a few years of that myself back when I first got into gardening (which was before I got into irrigation). We romanticize our gardens a degree, but I can comfortably say hand watering for hours at a time can take away a lot of what is pleasurable about having one. When you're ready to take a look at that leak, let me know, I'll be absolutely happy to help. Between us all down here there's a lot of experience, don't hesitate to reach out and make use of it at any time. :) A couple quick things to check if you haven't already: If there is any thread seal tape, go ahead and remove it. With hose threaded connections it can actually cause some of the problems it's meant to prevent. Also, check in the female side of the connections to make sure they all have the gasket in there (and if it is, make sure it's not distorted, out of place, or old and cracking). I'd say a missing or damaged gasket accounts for a pretty high percentage of leaks we see at hose bibs and drip head assemblies. :) Thank you again (and truly) for your wonderful comment!
I wanted to say thank you! Along my journey towards getting my education in drip irrigation from RUclips University, I stumbled across your videos. I had several questions and you answered them all promptly. Your advice was spot on. I installed 5 zones (including over 300 ft of tubing) to irrigate my back yard. The sixth zone is already installed for the front yard. Everything works great. I discovered and corrected leaks from the previous subcontractor too. I also ordered several perma-loc fittings from Drip Depot after experiencing leaks with fittings from a local retailer. I will only use Perma-loc from now on.
Joseph, thank you for the comment, truly! I love follow-ups like this, they are genuinely what keeps me at maximum effort in answering comments and questions, hearing that my answers had a positive impact is fantastic. There's always an open door if you ever have any irrigation questions, don't hesitate for a second :)
Another excellent instructional video with detailed step-by-step explanations. Thanks for including the links to the products in the video description.
Shane, a sincere thank you for the kind words! Our videographer has definitely taken our videos to a new level, this year we decided if we're going to do them, we're going all in :) If you ever have any questions don't hesitate for a second to reach out!
Watched the video 10 times(thank you so very very much, I could not wrap my head around how to even start!💜), designed my system, ordered a customized kit from Drip Depot(upgraded to an 80 µm filter because we have really really hard well water with occasional large sediments; guess I’ll be checking it often for cleaning) & getting ready to install it today! One thing I didn’t pay enough attention to was my faucet placement. I’m going to have to install the timer & pressure regulator at the faucet and then run a 50’ garden hose and the rest of my head assembly after that. Crossing my fingers🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
One suggestion, the 5/6 bed kit didn’t come with the half inch stakes (and I didn’t think right then to order any😞). Luckily I have lots of wire I can cut and bend though💙 It would be great to see them in the kit🥰
Agreed about the stakes -- technically they're not required so they're not in the kit by default, but they're so convenient to the install process I'll see about getting some included. Is your faucet low enough to the ground that that's not room for the head assembly? If so, your proposed method is one viable solution -- might want to change it up just a little bit and have the timer and backflow preventer on the faucet, then install the filter and regulator at the end of the hose. If all else fails, we have a couple options that can help -- a gooseneck faucet adapter to turn the assembly 45° so you can build it horizontally rather than vertically, and a Tee Filter whose Tee shape allows it to fit into low to the ground head assemblies (though it's not at 80 µm, so your route probably works better for the hard water). If all else fails, let us know, we can send some photos with various ideas :)
The current drip line I put in a couple years ago stopped working and I was wondering how I was going to get it going again. Thank you so much for this video. This is so much better than my previous irrigation system. This was right on time. I sat in my garden pondering this for the longest. I prayed and came across your video.
Thank you for the kind words! What a great way to start a Monday :) Try flushing your lines and see if that gets them going again (flushing will often remove any clogs in the line). To flush, go to the end of your drip line and remove the goof plug or end cap there -- then turn the water on at the water source and let it run for a bit coming out of the end of your drip line. The water is pretty turbulent inside the lines and can dislodge debris that got in there and flush it right out of the end. Depending on how many lines you have, it's best to do them a a couple at a time instead of all at once -- this allows there to be enough flow to vigorously flush the open lines. I hope this does the trick!
Drip irrigation seems so overwhelming to start, but this video is absolutely terrific! You're an outstanding teacher! If this is the type of customer service and education you provide before I've bought anything, I know I've found the right company. I'll be off to watch your sketching video next to start putting my order together. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words, truly! If any questions come up while you're planning (or during the install!) don't hesitate to bring them this way, absolutely happy to help :)
This was a great video demonstration, thank you! Found your company through Homestead & Chill. I'm excited to see your upcoming demo for how to install drip irrigation for raised metal beds because I'm switching out my wood beds for metal.
Claire, thank you for your comment -- Homestead and Chill is one of our faves too! We have everything prepped for our metal beds video, now we're just waiting for the truck with them all to arrive. We plan to show several different configurations with the irrigation included so it will hopefully be able to help with almost any setup or shape. If there is anything in particular you'd like us to include in the video, just say the word :)
@@dripdepot I love that you’re going to show different configurations! This video answered so many of my questions. I’m excited to see the solution for how to attach the vertical tubing to a metal bed and how to best secure tubing to the ground that minimizes tripping. I love to get my kids out in the garden and somebody’s bound to trip over tubing on the ground, including myself. 😂
Sounds great Claire, we'll definitely cover both of those! We've found a pretty good way to secure the mainline to a metal bed that we'll show. You're right about the tubing being a potential trip hazard. If you can bury it a few inches that always works well (and depending on the age of your kids, they could even dig the hole!) :) Happy Gardening Claire, thank you for the great suggestions!
This video has been very enlightening and I am excited for the raised metal bed video that is forthcoming. I would love to see a magnetic solution for attaching vertical tubing to metal beds. Similarly, what is the best solution for when mainline tubing has to cross a pathway, like the sidewalk in the video?
Thank you for the kind words! And the suggestion -- using a magnetic solution is an interesting idea. Recently I bumped into some information regarding using magnetism to promote plant growth, so perhaps there is some synergy to be explored there. For sidewalks there's a couple solutions -- I'd say the most common is probably just staking it in place so it sits close to the ground. This does leave a little bit of a trip hazard, however. In those cases, it can be buried. There's a product (and likely many more!) called a "Walkway Tunnel Kit" that you can thread on to the end of a hose and it will bore you a nice small path beneath a sidewalk or pathway :)
You forgot to mention one of the most important things included in orders - tootsie pops! It made me laugh the first time I ordered from you all, but dang was it lovely to sit down with a tootsie pop and a glass of ice water after installing my drip system :) Not to mention that the parts I get from you all are excellent - the tubing is easy to work with and punch holes in, the spray emitters fit perfectly and work. Since I discovered you all, I don’t buy from anyone else.
If we mention the Tootsie Pops too much they won't' be a surprise! My favorite is the chocolate ones -- never thought I'd enjoy a chocolate Tootsie Pop until I tried one, now I have problems saying no to them lol. Thank you for the kind words, truly! What a great way for me to start the week down here on Monday. Happy gardening out your way! :)
Hello, great video and lovely garden! Im over in Australia and built mine about 8 yrs ago woth ongoing additions and removals. Do you have a video or advice for cleaning biofilm out of veggie bed driplines with built in emitters? I regularly flush and clean my filters but i get a lot of black sludhe that eventually plug up the emitters over years tgat isnt cured by water flushing. Can i add a safe chemical somehow to soak in situ while in the beds with plants growing? Often the beds arent completely empty as with our weather asparagus, and other veggies are always in the beds. Ive heard phosphoric?? Very hard non industrial information to find consensus on. Cheers from Western Australia. David M
David, thank you for the kind words! I hope your Spring is going awesome so far, I'd love to be down there growing right now (cold and rainy up here in Oregon) :) You do have the right of it -- chemicals at certain concentrations can be injected into the lines to destroy bacterial sludges and phosphoric acid is one that is indeed used (sometimes sulfuric, citric or nitric even as well). A couple other options out there: Hydrogen Peroxide solutions, Enzyme based cleaners, copper-silver ionization systems, Peracetic Acid solutions and many others. As you likely suspect, the proper concentration is what is important, particularly if there are live plants at the moment (but even when there are not due to soil life). Proper concentrations can depend on a variety of factors as well -- current soil pH, extent of the bacterial life in the irrigation lines, material of the irrigation lines, etc. Without calling in a specialist (expensive!) to do all this, it might be easier to go with a commercial product that has done all the mixing for you, there's probably quite a few companies down there that sell these types of cleanses -- you can contact them, explain the problem in detail and they'll be able to recommend a specific product. Images of the sludge might be helpful too, a lot of these companies can also help prevent it from occurring again (filtering out whatever nutrient they are feeding on -- for us it's often iron and we identify it by the rust colored sludge). I did a quick search for Australian companies in this field and got a couple results that may be able to at least point you in the right direction: The Pure Water Shop and Hydrosmart -- they both have the same address in Adelaide so it looks like they can tackle a variety of situations. I'll link them below (and hope they're able to help you out!). hydrosmart.com.au/contact/ www.waterworld.com.au/contact/
@dripdepot Thanks for the great leads. Sympathies re the cold. I grew up in BC. We used to travel to Oregon on the coast road as a kid every summer in the eighties. Although 38c summers here are a shocker.
Can the 1/2" distribution line be buried? My raised bed garden is about 125' from the back of the house, and there's grass that needs to be mowed, plus I drive back there pulling trailer, etc. I'd like to be able to bury the distribution line. Is it made to withstand burying at least 6" deep (so when I do aeration, I don't damage it!).
You bet, it is acceptable to bury the tubing :) Just like with PVC pipe, you will want a trench of crumbly soil cleared of rocks/gravel for it to rest in -- 6" is an acceptable depth, we most typically see 6" to 8" but have seen our fair share of 12" as well. I can confirm this works well -- at my home I have it buried about 6" as well and mostly did so for mowing and overall aesthetics. 6" is a good depth to make spotting a leak easier as well (I haven't had any in the 4 years it has been buried, but some of that is likely luck). :)
I'm glad this helped some! And you bet, you can safely bury your distribution line :) I'd say it's fairly common, particularly after you hit it with the lawn mower the first time lol. Just like with PVC pipe, give it a bed of soft crumbly soil to lay in -- make sure to remove any rocks, sticks or debris of that type that could damage it, bury it anywhere from 4" to about 12", and it can be safely mowed and walked over as well. Thank you for the kind words Sierra, I hope this helps too!
Hi Adam Thank you so much for the very helpful video! Question ……..I have 33 inch wide by 46 inch long raised vegetable garden bed CONTAINERS I was going to get the emitter hose with emitters ever 6” and run 2 lines length wise Does that sound right?🤷🏼♀️ Or should I get emitter hose with Emitters every 9” 🤔 (I have quite a few vegetables in each one of my containers) If you could give me your opinion I would greatly appreciate it So I can place my order 😊 Thank you
Vicki, this is such a good question that goes straight the heart of drip irrigation. There's a lot of factors that go into both of these (soil type, planting density, etc), but generally speaking, I would also do 2 lines for a 33" wide bed. Emitter spacing is a challenging one. I've had success with all three spacing options (6", 9" and 12") -- I tend to use 6" when I plant densely or in places with sandy soil (or in the case of carrots, both, as they tend to be planted densely and in looser soil types). With that said, 12" spaced drip line is the standard -- in common, loamy garden soil, water will spread about 12" beneath the surface. Sometimes people think they're not getting enough water with the 12", but that's because they're looking at the wet spot on top of the soil. The wet spot on top of the soil should be small, you want most of the action to occur beneath the surface. Essentially, all three spacings are good choices, with 6" perhaps the better option for densely planted places and sandier soil types, and 12" getting the nod with normal 1' spacing and loamy garden soil. 9" is that compromise between the two competing feelings (wanting to be efficient, but also wanting to see that water delivered). That was a fantastic question Vicki, I hope I was able to shed some light on it! -Adam
@@dripdepot Hi Adam Thank you for replying to me so quickly I really appreciate that! So I can get started Yes it was tricky to figure out. Yes, your additional information was extremely helpful. I have more of a loamy garden soil (happy frog and Kellogg’s brand mixed) I took a tape measure back over to the garden beds, measured out where 9 inches would be for emitters (keeping in mind that the water would spread to that 12 inch diameter) Along with that also took into account the spacing of my plants I have in them. I think the middle of the road with the 9” emitters would be sufficient . 😊👍 Once again can’t thank you enough For your help and helpful videos
I'm very close to buying my kit for metal raised beds. I'm just confused on which timer I should buy. Any tips on that would be appreciated! Thanks for all the great videos! You do a wonderful job explaining things!❤
Happy to help! What kind of functionality are you looking for, a digital timer, one you can program by just turning a knob, or something you can control with an app via WiFi? I've got a link that goes to a list view of our timers so you can browse and get an idea of what's out there -- if you have something in mind for the functionality you want, let me know, happy to help you narrow things down :) Here is that link: www.dripdepot.com/timers
@dripdepot I'm a new gardner. I don't want anything too difficult to understand. I really don't know if I want wifi capability or not🤦♀️. Maybe I should get a wifi 1, then don't use the wifi at 1st but if I change my mind I can turn the wifi on??? Are they programmed to come on at a certain time everyday or once you turn them on, it only runs for the set amount of time?
@@dripdepot I've been binge watching your videos the past several days trying to get my kit nailed down. I would LOVE to see a video kind of describing the different timers & their functions, but I know you can't just cater to me🤣🤣🤣
@@flintstonegirl3372 Hey, welcome to gardening! You're going to love it, don't let vast amount of information out there overwhelm you, plants are great about growing despite our mistakes :) You have the right of it, most WiFi timers can be used without the WiFi or the app if you prefer -- so long as they have buttons on the face, they can be fully operated right at the timer itself. I've got a couple links and a description I'm going to put in below to give you a better idea of what's out there: This first one goes to the easiest to program timer -- on this one, you just turn the dial to one of the programs and it will run at the pre-set cycle: www.dripdepot.com/8422-aquauno-logica-water-timer This second one goes to a common digital timer with an LCD screen -- they're pretty easy to program and have some helpful information on the screen (battery life, watering cycle remaining, etc): www.dripdepot.com/hose-end-irrigation-timer-outlets-one This last one goes to one of the WiFi timers -- this one can be operated via app, or operated like the previous timer (using buttons and an LCD screen): www.dripdepot.com/b-hyve-xd-smart-hose-timer All of the above timers are programmed to come on at times you program into them -- it can even be more than once per day. During the hottest time of the growing season, I do a cycle early in the morning and later in the evening. I hope this helps!
Happy Monday Ruby! Filming for the metal bed is done, so just editing left now. Our editor/videographer is the eternal optimist, so he's hoping to have it done within a week. Knowing him, he'll find a way to get it done despite me requiring multiple takes and making a lot of footage to edit lol. We'll leave a comment here as soon as it's uploaded :)
This video was amazing. I am getting ready to set up my first system ever, and this video and MANY others from y'all have given me confidence to do it on my own. I just have to know one more piece of info. How do you know how many drip lines to run for the width of your bed? I know you said water will spread about 12" under the surface, so for your 4' wide beds, is that why you ran 3 lines? What would be the recommended for an 8' wide bed, 2 of my 13 beds are 8' squares?
Jesse, thank you for the kind words! What a great way to start up Friday afternoon :) You got it exactly right, water spreading about 12" is why we go with 3 lines in a 4' bed -- that provides a little bit of cushion/overlap as well. To some degree this depends on soil type, so there's no one right answer, but it's a good general approach -- in an 8' wide bed I'd likely go with 5 to 6 lines, likewise with the 8' squares -- if the soil were particularly loose or sandy I might go with more or with a tighter spacing. Another good general rule is to run a line for each row of plants -- if you have thirstier plants on the same zone, you can use an extra line for them (one on each side) or go with a tighter spacing (6" instead of 12"). You're likely to get good results however you approach it though, drip irrigation definitely provides a good margin of error -- the fun is also in tweaking it a little each season :)
I've been trying to get ahold of your customer service..I was wanting help. I have 4 raised beds but they're METAL. The kits all have the hose clips with nails ..great for wood beds. How do you keep the hoses fixated for metal beds? Also, since Central Florida gets alot of rain, are there any timers that can not water when it rains?
There are two options for keeping the tubing secure with metal raised beds: 1.) dig a small trench underneath the bed and run the tubing under then up the inside of the bed so that the soil keeps it in place (a great option) or 2.) Add two more elbows to the top of the header row so into can "hook" to the wall of the bed, then stake down the header row tubing in the soil. As for a timer fit for Central Florida rain, the B-hyve Smart Hose Watering Timer receives local weather data and automatically adjusts to deliver the right amount of water to your plants. It shuts off the timer in the rain and increases water when it’s hot. Here's a direct link to the B-hyve smart timer: www.dripdepot.com/search?q=13233 Sorry to hear you've had a hard time getting ahold of us. Sometimes we end up in e-mail spam/junk folders, which may be the problem. We're available through e-mail (support@dripdepot.com) from 7 am to 3 pm PST Sunday thru Friday.
Question. I need 100 minutes per bed to get 1” of water. If I determine that I need 1” per week is it better to spread it out daily, every three days or once a week. Or is the answer plant specific based on the depth of the roots. Tomatoes are deeper than lettuce. Question 2. Is there a time of day when it’s better to water with drip? Great video. You voice is so reassuring 😊
Great question Richard -- I suspect you instinctively felt it out when you asked if it were plant specific, as this is indeed the case. With that said, I find most common garden veggies prefer to receive the water spread out across several days rather than all at once. This helps ensure their roots never become water logged -- you want them moist but not soaked :) In regards to time of day, I've experimented with this a lot. Anecdotally, I've had the best results with later in the evening or earlier in the morning -- this helps prevent any evaporation that might occur. Later in the growing season, when water demand is at its highest, I'll run a cycle in both the evening and morning. The biggest tip is to monitor soil moisture during the hotter parts of the growing season to make sure it's not drying up during the daylight hours (dig around a little to check, the top of the soil or mulch most likely will be fairly dry, but moisture should be beneath the surface). Thank you for reaching out with a great question!
Thanks for this awesome installation video! I had a few questions and they were all answered - except one. I'm planning on setting up a system for 9 raised beds. I want to have this in place above ground for a garden season to make sure it suits my needs. Then I want to sink it under ground, under the garden path wood chips. My questions is this - is it fairly easy after a year to replace mainline tubing from the bottom of the raised bed to the top - so, exchanging an 8" tube with a 10-11" tube? Is it difficult to replace the tubing with the barbed Tees and Elbows? Thanks!!!
You bet, this is generally pretty easy to do -- if you're using barbed insert or Perm-Loc fittings, removing the tubing from one of them isn't too bad (easier with Loc style than with barbed insert, but both reasonable to do). If you don't need to remove a fitting to make the change, you can simply cut into the tubing where you'd like to add a new fitting and just splice it in to run you new lengths. If you're using compression fittings it's still not too bad -- they are generally regarded as not re-usable, but you can cut them out, add in a new coupling and run your new length from there. All in all, I think you'll have a pretty easy time of it -- drip irrigation is often referred to as "modular" -- in this case it's not just a marketing term, it really is quite modular and pretty easy to add on to and expand at any time. When the time comes for you to make some changes, don't hesitate to drop a line with any questions, we'd be more than happy to assist :)
I'm not using my city water as I installed a well for my yard & garden. Do I need the backflow preventer since the irrigation system won't be attached to my City water system.
Very good question! The first thing I would do is get in contact with local water officials -- with how heavily backflow prevention is regulated, there's a good chance they could solve this one for you right away. Beyond that, we've seen folks use backflow prevention even in cases like this, where the water is not from their potable water supply. Some because they have another well on the property for their potable water, others just to prevent growth (backflow can bring bacteria, algae, etc with it, which can then begin growing in undesired locations). Definitely check with the local water officials first, backflow requirements vary significantly from location to location -- one thing we've learned with backflow prevention: there's too many acronyms and every location has a different take. :)
You bet, 1/2" emitter line will work much like 1/4", except it can handle longer runs (1/4" emitter line is good for up to 20' to 30', after that you want to go with something larger like 1/2"). A lot of 1/2" emitter line is pressure compensating as well, this also benefits longer runs. It also works great on shorter runs, so if you already have some, you can definitely put it to use :)
You got it exactly right -- so long as the PSI is within the operating pressure of the timer, you can leave the faucet open so that when the timer opens for its programmed watering cycle, water goes straight into the irrigation system :)
Thanks, glad we could help! Typically with Water Hammer, you only need an arrestor attached directly to your spigot (before the timer) if you notice water hammer symptoms. Hope that helps!!
Hi almostt ready to make an order. Most of the videos are showing raised beds that are less than two feet high. My garden dimensions are roughly 28 by 28 and I have 4 large 4 by 8 large raised beds will the drip irrigation work to get the flow of water into my beds or will I need to make them 1 ft tall beds. Kinda confused
Linda, water pressure is generated/lost by 0.433 PSI for every 1' of elevation change -- this means that unless your beds are extremely high you likely won't lose too much pressure when getting the water up the bed. Unless your water pressure at the spigot is uncommonly low or your beds extraordinarily tall, you're likely to have no problems getting the water up and into the beds :)
Hi Adam Question for ya ….. Probably a silly question BUT Should I put down my mulch first then my drip line OR should I put my drip line down first and the mulch over the drip lin the top of it 🤔 Please let me know when you can Thank you
That's a very good question! There's two schools of thought on this, as there's a little tradeoff either way. Placing the mulch over the top of the drip line is the most efficient route and loses the least amount of water since the mulch traps the moisture. The tradeoff is a slightly elevated risk of clogging, usually from the emitters inside suctioning back debris after shutdown (the lowest point emitters drain and that water is replaced by air and sometimes the only way air can enter the system is via the emitters). Anti-siphon drip lines and those with an "outlet flap" can help alleviate this to a degree, but those types of drip lines aren't totally common yet. With all that said, drip emitters are designed to resist clogging and some folks have gone many seasons without a clog using their drip lines beneath the mulch. In my home garden I do use mine beneath the mulch (we're in the Pacific Northwest which has faced quite a few years of drought conditions so we tend to try out the more efficient routes). Thank you for the great question Vicki!
I didn't pick up on where're located. For us'em in the Northern climate where are you typically putting in a drain system near the garden or water source?
We're located in the "warm north" here in Southern Oregon. Freezing is reasonably rare around here, and when we do drop below freezing, it's typically not very far (but we still winterize any above ground systems for those couple stubbornly cold days we get every year lol). Our end caps will typically be near the garden, preferably in a spot without much foot traffic (water/ice being a possible trip hazard). Some folks like to place their end caps so that they drain to a spot that won't he harmed by the water draining from the system (thirsty bushes, etc). Basically, so long as the water isn't draining somewhere it could cause issues, you'll be doing it exactly right (and even better if it can drain somewhere that does some good, but not always possible) :)
Hi, Love your drip systems. We use it in our community education project garden (Stetson University) at Tomoka CI. Our students have asked me to forward a question. How to unclog lines that no longer drip properly? Thanks again!
Great question, happy to help! Is this a type of emitter line that has emitters beneath pre-punched holes? If so, flushing the lines will often get rid of clogs -- to flush the lines, remove the end caps so that the ends of the lines are open. Then, turn on the water and allow water to make its way through the system and out of the ends for a few moments. Depending on available pressure and flow, you may only be able to do a few at a time. Emitter line is designed to have "turbulent" flow -- the idea is that the turbulence will dislodge any debris clogging the emitter inlet filter, and with the ends open, flush it right out. This will often get emitter line up and running again. Flushing on occasion during the growing season can also help prevent clogs from happening as debris won't get a chance to accumulate in the emitter filters. I hope this does the trick for them!
Adam, a few quick questions (again). I’ve got my beds in place and ready to order my drip irrigation system. We are using 6 ft diameter deconstructed silos. Does the 1/2 inch tubing accommodate an arch rather than putting in a straight line? Ideally I’d like to follow the arch of the bed at the head and run 1/4 drip line (not tape) vertically. Hopefully this makes sense. Did you complete the video yet for attaching tubing to the metal raised bed?
Good morning Barbara! I'm going answer your last question first :) We just finished filming the video yesterday, we shot it on Wednesday and Thursday. Our video editor is in full edit as I type this, he's going to try and get it completed by next week, so it shouldn't be too much longer now. Our video does actually address both of these (but I'm not going to make you wait!) -- the 1/2" tubing does have some curvature that you can take advantage of to fit the curvature in beds and containers. The tubing ships in a coil shape, so just lay it out matching the direction the coil does and you'll likely get a pretty good fit.
Great video, I followed everything to a tee, drips fine, timer works etc however, the whole head assembly leaks. I've checked and replaced the gaskets, I'm using your T filter and the Claber Aquauno Logica timer. Any help would be appreciated. Water is so expensive here in Hawaii, I need help figuring this out. 3 beds, 6.5x3.5. Do you think I need the bigger filter??
Jacinta, I can confirm your head assembly should not leak and I'll be happy to help get it up and running. We're not at Hawaii levels yet, but a couple years of drought has our water pretty pricy too -- let's get that going leak free. I'll cover some common causes (except the gaskets since you already took care of that) below -- if these aren't it, send us a photo of your head assembly via our website. You can say "Attn: Adam" in the title and it will come to me (though the others here are great too) :) Ok the first thing I want to check is the head assembly order -- the order should be: . Basically, we want to make sure everything comes after the timer outlet, as only the timer valve is rated for constant pressure (it sounded like the filter might be before the timer -- if it is, move it to after). Second thing -- be sure not to use any teflon or thread seal tape. With hose threaded connections, this can actually cause the issues it's meant to prevent. Those are probably the most common things we see along with the gaskets you already checked on -- if none of that does it, fire off that email with a photo of your head assembly and I'll take a look. We're just about to leave the office for the evening, so you might not hear back from me until tomorrow, but I'll be here and jump right in when I come in :)
I have a question about flushing. I see that you did the half inch line with the end caps removed, but what about the 1/4” drip tubing itself? I’m just thinking debris might get pushed down into those from adding button emitters or being flushed in there from the half inch line?
That's a very good question and I think it's open to interpretation to a degree. My thought during the making of the video (and it looks like your thinking is similar) was that I didn't want the water during flushing to go into the drip line too much, as I feared it might push debris into the dripline and get caught on one of the inlet filters at each emitter in the drip line, potentially causing a clog (or starting the process that could lead to one). Looking back, I think I'd flush the 1/2" line first as I did, then flush the 1/4" drip line after -- that way, the majority of the debris would be carried out of the end of the 1/2" line on the first flush and then any small bits that got into the 1/4" could be flushed out after. Very good question, thank you!
@@dripdepot Thank you so much for your fast reply! I like your rationale. I am going to go on your recommendation and flush the 1/2” first and then the 1/4” second💙🙏
@@dripdepot I will be setting up my relatively small (2 raised beds 6x6 & 2 long flower beds) system using lake water in Texas. Im concerned that this emitter system might get stopped up with the IKKY stuff that comes from the water when it gets warm. Do I need a special filter at the head assembly or do I just need to check the filter more often.?
@@torjiesweeten3482 Very good question! You are 100% on the right track to know to ask that. Ok, if the water quality is as bad as it sounds, I'd probably go with a special filter -- not really special in any way other than larger. The larger the filter element inside, the less cleaning that's required (though with poor enough water quality, even then the cleanings could be frequent). Is it primarily soft organics (algae, etc) that comes out of the lake water? If so, look into "Disc Filter." They're a bit better with organic debris than screen filters are. Though screen filters are a bit more involved to clean in general, they are easier to clean algae out of than a screen filter (it can get mashed in between the mesh of the screen and difficult to get out). If you're sure of the water quality and how it relates to filtration, you could start with an inexpensive smaller filter and monitor it that first day irrigating to determine how often you'd need to clean it :)
Hi Adam, we installed drip tubing with 6 inches emitter on our 4x8 raised beds. rated for 0.5 gallon. How long should i set timer on? 10 minutes every day?
Great question Peter! There's no one right answer as there's a lot that goes into it: soil type, soil infiltration rate, plant type, microclimate conditions, maturity/stage of the plant and others. With that said, you're on the right track -- right now (with low precipitation in our area) I'm doing 10 minutes per day as well -- as it gets hotter and drier I'll probably add another watering cycle in the evening and when water demands are at their highest, increase each cycle in length (rather than adding a third cycle). You can mostly account for all the variables above by keeping in mind you just want to maintain soil moisture -- not wet are water logged, just moist. Dig around a little (careful of roots) and make sure the soil near your plants is at that moist but not wet level. When you've got that, you're essentially doing it right (and the plants will let you know!). When testing water cycles I always keep in mind to err on the side of too little -- it's always easier to add more water than it is to remove :)
Wow , just the question I had and a good answer. I think in your video it was on the order of 70 GPH so at 10 minutes you are using 70 GPH / (1/6 H) or 70/6 G per Run . Well aproximately on that order
This is such a great video. I have one question: What is the reason for making 3 separate rows of the 1/4" drip tubing? We're thinking about doing 4 lines in our 4x8' bed but cutting the drip tubing double length (so 16'), attaching 2 lines into the main tube and then sort of bend the drip tubing like a U so each line of drip tubing will make two dripping rows. I understand there's a limit to how long they can be to work properly, but I think I remember you said max 30' in the video. Are we missing something or is it simply personal preference? TIA.
Great question -- to some degree it's personal preference, but there are a couple advantages to running individual lines. Less chance of an emitter not at a plant (if any emitters end up in the U section of the run, there may not be a plant there) and potentially less material used since no material fills the U portion. That's assuming one line per row of course, if you're turning the tubing back to run across the same row (to get drip line on both sides of the plants in the row) then those are less likely to be concerns. Performance is also a possibility -- the maximum run length of 12" spaced drip line is about 30', but if you go with tighter spacing (6" and 9" are both fairly common), friction loss can start to get pretty high in runs over 20' -- at 20' in 6" spaced drip line, about 6.2 PSI is going to be lost from friction, which is enough to start noticing uniformity differences. At 16' in your beds you're likely to be good to go even with 6" spaced drip line though -- at 16' the loss is only about 3.3 PSI. Yes, that does impact uniformity, but probably not enough to even notice there :)
It's safe to go either route Gracie -- at the moment, none of our videos are monetized, they're there only to share the information. I'm not sure if that means they'll still play ads or not, but I just double checked and none of our videos have the monetized box checked :)
Jennifer, good to hear from you -- hope you had an awesome end to summer :D And you bet, here's a link to our winterizing video -- you're going to be happy to see that winterizing a drip system is easy :) Here's that link: ruclips.net/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/видео.html
i found quite interesting yt videos: 1 about the outcome of trying to produce water chemically knowing its formula h2o, other about poultry catching mice devouring them even !
Thank you Wolfgang! Very interesting on trying to chemically produce water, I'll check that one out, water issues are going to be the theme going forward.
if chem. elements combine easily or not, depends on their spectral colours: warm colours (red, orange, yellow) combine easier w/ cold colours (blue, green, purple?) such as pointed out in prof. ohsawa's book ''the far eastern philosophy in the atomic age'': for the difficulty to combine cold cooured elements amongst them (as well as warm ones) they need a factor such like heat or electricity etc. the ancient taoist alchemists were even able to reduce (reduction chem. process contrary to oxidation) gold in very small amounts from mercury (quite similar atomic weight). the hydrogen double molecule didn't combine w/ the split up O (from the double O2) so far.@@dripdepot
i already asked in comment section of lawyer ben davidson's suspicious observers, yt how to do it, since i remember ice formed in space coming to us by comets...@@dripdepot
Hi Adam, got a question for you. I have multiple raised beds and I am using 12" and 6" drip line emitters, some beds having both lines. I would like to "mark" the 12" drip lines. What options would you recommend? I was thinking using a tree label, or maybe a dot of red nail polish/ paint on the line, close to the mainline? Would the nail polish/ paint mess up the drip line? Would it bake off in the summer? Wash off in the rainy Pacific NW weather? Thank you in advance.
A tree label could definitely do the trick! There's some brightly colored ones that would stand out really well too. A zip tie could similarly work, with the tail end sticking up like a flag to identify the line. I think your concern with the paint is a good one, there's a reasonable chance it could erode off over time from wind and rain (not to mention the summers we get up here!). That and you'd want to make sure it's a plastics safe paint (nail polish is often used with acrylic nails though, so maybe it already is?). The brightly colored poly repair tape you see out there could also work -- the manufacturer makes it in yellow, so it would stand out pretty well in a garden bed. And last but not least, though it's probably too late to do so now, 1/4" drip line is available in both brown and black colors -- you could have all one spacing be black and all of the other be brown. If you ever add more beds in the future, keep this one in mind :) Thank you for the question Imola!
@@dripdepot How long do I need to water the raised beds? I want to do the deep watering method. I am thinking 20-30 mins ever day? Or every other day. I have the 0.5 gal drip line all set up and working. I have mulched the raised beds with straw. Not sure if what I am growing is important but here is the list: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, peas, beans, squash, melons, parsley, kale, broccoli. I have 3 zones set up to cover my backyard garden, and I did the mapping as recommended.
Your garden sounds fantastic! I've never had much luck with melons for some reason. So, the answer to this varies a lot (on microclimate conditions, soil type, plant maturity, soil infiltration rate and many others) so it's tough to pin things down to one solid watering cycle answer. I think you're on the right track with the 20-30 minutes a day or every other day. That cycle would be a little long for us up here in Oregon at the moment, but we're not into the heat and dry summers we get up here yet. If you're in a dry climate I could definitely see 20-30 mins per day or every other being a good cycle for deep root watering. I'd start on the shorter end of that and monitor the health of the plants and dig around the soil a bit between watering cycles -- the soil should be most but not wet. If it's moist but the soil is still crumbly, you're in a good spot (if it's wet or muddy, shorten the cycle or reduce their frequency). You'll also be increasing the cycles as the summer heat kicks in, so if you find that what works now isn't working in a few weeks, don't worry, that's completely normal. I also usually like to err on the side of starting small -- this is because drip irrigation is more efficient than folks realize, it really is good about delivering water directly to the roots -- that's why I suggest digging around the soil, as the top of the soil will probably look dry with just a few small wet spots. With drip, that's a good thing, as mots of the action should happen beneath the soil. :)
@@dripdepot Thank you so much for your answer. I will monitor the soil and see where that takes me. I am hoping the melons turn out good, this my first year of planting more than 1 plant.
You're very welcome Imola! You're gonna do great and you're going to love the fresh foods -- when everything is fruiting, take a walk around your garden and just munch a few things right off the plant and you'll spot the difference between store bought and home grown food right away :)
Hi Adam QUESTION….. is there a way to stop slow drip coming from a stopper where I needed to put it in the half inch tubing after taking out my quarter inch tubing to replace it in a different spot??? (I was hoping that I didn’t have to replace that section of half-inch tubing🤞) Let me know when you have a second if you could, I would greatly appreciate it Thank you for all of your help through this process
You bet Vicki, happy to help! Are you using a goof plug to fill the hole currently? If so, check that you're using the large side of it -- the large side of the goof plug is a good deal larger than a 1/4" fitting (which can make them hard to push in!) so should fill the hole up leak free :) If you are using the large side of it, you might have to replace that section, but it's possible to do it with just a single 1/2" coupling -- cut the hole out of the tubing as thinly as you can, then just re-join the two sections with a coupling and it will be a permanent fix.
@@dripdepot Hi Adam Yes, I’m using a goof plug OK, I will be sure to check that in the morning hopefully I am using the thinner side, but if not, then I will go ahead and replace that section Thank you for taking the time to get back with me, so promptly Always appreciate all your help
Thank you for this video. I was wondering if I should burry the micro tubing with drippers under the mulch or leave it out. You are saying the emitters on the tubing will get clogged, so probably I shouldn’t burry them. But I watched some other videos and people say animals like squirrels and chipmunks will chew on the tubing to get water, especially during hot spells. So burry or not to burry?
You have it right that burying slightly increases the risk of clogging -- less so when it's buried under mulch than when buried under soil (but we still see both done). In regards to critters chewing on the tubing, that's definitely correct whether buried or not, they have no problems digging through a little mulch or soil to get to the water. With small animals, we usually find the most effective method is to simply provide an easier source of water (water fountain, water feature, etc). They'll go for the easiest source :). With burying it basically comes down to personal preference for the most part (though I usually avoid direct soil burial in my own garden). Burying under mulch increases efficiency on what are already efficient irrigation systems, but at an increased risk of the occasional clogged emitter (which to be fair, are fairly easy to fix, and in my experience pretty rare).
My wife and I watched your videos and just finished installing one of your systems. We are having a loud low hum inside the house while the system is running. Any advice to fix this issue?
Does the sound persist the entire time it's running? First let's check to see if it's a trapped air issue -- the turbulence from air can cause a humming (or even hammering) sound at time. To bleed the system of air, remove one of the end caps on the system and just let water run for a few moments -- this will generally allow trapped air to escape. If you can, also pin down the source just in case the hum is coming from one of the head assembly (backflow preventer, pressure regulaor, etc) components :)
Hi again. I noticed at 18:01 mins into the video, there is a quick tip that said to check the link in the description for how to install a drip system on metal raised beds but I can’t find the link. Can you send?
Heya Barbara! That video is incoming soon, it's our next one, we're just waiting on the beds to arrive so we can film it. We expected them to be here some time ago, but bad weather has made their trip across the country slow. I'll reply to your comment with the link as soon as we get it uploaded. :)
@@dripdepot Perfection, Tx! We purchased 2 used silo feeders that we’re dismantling in sections for our raised beds. Recycling and saving money! Will be on the lookout for your video. In the meantime, my attention is on making the top layer of planting mix. Using the Mel’s Mix formula. Wow, coarse vermiculite is EXPENSIVE! If you have any tips there, let me know!
You're definitely right about the price! Fortunately it is great stuff -- a little ding in the wallet for great results in the garden. I did get a tip from a colleague who uses it: Be sure to fluff it she said -- it will go further than you think with a good fluffing. If you're doing square foot gardening or similar, be sure to use the same bucket for all your measurements for even distribution :)
@@dripdepot Tx! I’m leaning on you heavily, I know, so shut me off if I’m talking too much of your time. Does your colleague recommend a certain depth for the growing medium in the SQF gardening? My beds are 32 inches high and I plan on doing the hugelkultur method to fill the majority of my beds.
Barbara, that's awesome! We're essentially going to do the same thing in our metal beds video coming up. Right now the plan is: 5 Cardboard (with no ink), 45% Wood, 10% Plant Waste, 10% Compost and 30% Organic Soil -- some folks go without the cardboard and go: 40% Logs, 20% Branches/Sticks, 25% Plant Waste, 10% Compost, 5% Top Soil. We've seen both mixtures work pretty well :)
I'm finally ready to lay down my system, but I can't help but wonder about a very important question... How do I know the length of time to run my water with 0.5 gph drip lines??? I'm worried I may under/over water and lose all of our veggies.
Typically we recommend to pick a watering cycle and monitor the health of the plants -- this is largely because there's no one right answer in regards to watering duration -- or rather, there is, but it depends on may variables (time of year, maturity of plants, local conditions, humidity, soil infiltration rate and many more). Don't let that make you worry though, the "water and watch" method is very effective and is even used on the commercial side of things. Your plants will let you know if they need more or less water. In Oregon, I typically start with a 10 minute cycle when the plants are young (unless we have rain, then no cycle). As they mature and the days get hotter, I'll increase this to either a longer cycle, or running a second cycle later in the evening. My first year using drip I ended up with two 45 minute cycles when water demands where the highest (hottest days, plants fruiting). The next year I dropped that down to two 30 minute cycles and still had great results -- basically, there's some room for error with drip. Your aren't likely to be exactly the same, but you can start around there if you're growing some common garden veggies. Watch to see how the plants respond and adjust as needed :)
Quick Question: I see that some people prefer emitters every 6 inches. If emitters cover 12 inches, why use emitters every 6 or 9 inches, as I have seen available. I will be using my system for vegetable garden. Tx for your thoughts.
Barbara, first thank you truly for the kind words :) I tend to agree and I think some folks use 6" spaced when they really only need 12". Drip takes a little getting used to not seeing the surface of the soil being covered by moisture. At times folks newer to it will think it's not delivering enough water and add emitters until they see more of it on the surface. In most cases they do not need to, as most of the action will be going on beneath the surface (or should be!). 6" spacing can be a good choice in sandier soil types and locations with particularly dense planting. Some really thirsty plants and some trees/shrubs/bushes can benefit from a ring of 6" spaced dripline going around it as well.
OH tx for replying! Another question, since I have you! Our water pressure is 32 psi, water flow is 273 gph and the distance to the furthest plant is right at 200’. So far my design shows about 175 emitters if 12 in apart. According to my math, I should be able to use one system for my entire garden. Will my 32 psi support a 25 psi pressure regulator? Tx!
Heya Barbara! It's close, but your system should be able to support a 25 PSI regulator -- the Senninger regulators require 5 more inlet PSI than what they regulate to, so you're within spec at 7 PSI higher than the 25 PSI it will regulate to :)
Oh wait. I was wrong about the distance. The total linear distance to the farthest plant is 100 ft. However, if I add up all the actual 1/2” tubing needed to run to the beds, up the raised beds, create a header in each bed, etc is a total of 200’. With that in mind, is it still ‘close’ and should I consider creating 2 zones?
At 100' from source to plant you'll be well within the green, even if the total length used is close to 200'. I'm cautiously optimistic you can run this as one zone as you have plenty of flow at 273 GPH. If I understood correctly, the system flow will be 87.5 GPH (175 0.5 GPH drippers), which means your water source has plenty of flow to feed them :)
There is unfortunately no one answer to this, as it depends on many variables (time of year, sun exposure, plant maturity level, soil infiltration rates, the list goes on) -- we generally recommend watering and watching the health of the plants, they'll let you know if they need more or less water. For those who like to dial it in a little more specifically, they can look up their plant type and get information on how many gallons of water they need at various maturity levels and then match the watering cycle based on the flow rate of the emitters used. Here's a quick video we made that goes over "How long to water" and covers the above in a little more depth: ruclips.net/video/caF5_paR8Uo/видео.html
The valve in your basement went after installing irrigation? Definitely a nightmare scenario and I hope you were able to get it shut off before it flooded too much. The good news is, it's extraordinarily rare for newer parts like this to fail quickly, so you're likely safe from a flooded basement for some time. Was it an older pressure valve? If so, that could have been it, but it might be worth making sure your PSI there isn't particularly high :)
I am a DIYer that needs to connect some poly water lines that are connected to two different impact heads for overhead and connect them to drip irrigation to a greenhouse. How can I find out what I need to go from a 1/2 inch water line to drip irrigation?
Happy to assist :) Are the poly lines that are connected to the impact sprinklers the thick walled funny/swing pipe type that's only a little flexible, or thin walled and very flexible LDPE? If you're not sure, fire us off a photo at the Contact Us on our website, good chance we can identify it with a picture or two (one straight on so we can see how thick the walls are). Either way it shouldn't take too much, if both poly lines are swing pipe, a barbed swing pipe coupling will do the trick -- likewise if they're both LDPE, a small poly tubing coupling will get them connected.
@@MicroUrb You bet! I'll keep an eye out for it -- you can include my name (Adam) in the title or body and any colleague who gets it will make sure it gets over to me :)
So if I'm on a 30psi water tap and I want to use a single 200-250ft 3/4" dripping hose with holes every 1.5ft or so for 0.5gph, do I still need to use a water pump?
At 30 PSI you're at the high end of drip irrigation pressure, but from what you've described that's likely a good thing as button drippers typically operate at 25 PSI but can absolutely handle 30 PSI. So, your pressure is good enough (and not too high) to push the water, let's also make sure you have enough water available to feed the emitters without a pump. To test the flow rate, time how long it takes to fill a bucket whose volume you know (for example, 2 gallon bucket, 5 gallon bucket, etc). Once you've got it timed, plug the numbers into the flow rate calculator at this link -- you'll just need the size of the bucket and how long it took to fill: www.dripdepot.com/irrigation-calculators There's a good chance you'll have enough flow without a pump (but definitely still test it!) -- If you had 250' of 3/4" tubing with a 0.5 GPH dripper every 1.5' you'd have a system that flows at 83.33 GPH, which isn't too heavy of a burden for most water sources. After you test your flow rate, reply here and let me know what you got and I can send information on what that means for your system :)
How often should i water my tomatoes, straw berry and blueberry plants? They are in a raised bed, and I live near the coast in VA, and it gets near 100F during the day.
There isn't one right answer to this, as a lot of variables are involved (cultivar of the plants, soil moisture retention rates, maturity of plants, number of fruit, etc) -- basically, it will vary from location to location. For the most part, we recommend "water and watch" -- pick a watering cycle and monitor the health of the plants so you can adjust accordingly. With that said, during the hottest part of summer (often around 100° here too) I typically water my garden fruit and vegetables for 30 minutes, twice per day using 0.5 GPH emitters. Your optimal cycles will likely be a little different, but you can use that get a rough idea -- for example, my soil moisture retention isn't great (I really need to get more mulch) so I have to add that second cycle in the evening. When experimenting with watering cycles, always remember it's easy to add more water at almost any time, but not to remove water, so I like to err on the side of potentially too little when first picking a cycle. Also, don't use the wet circle on top of the soil as a benchmark -- when done correctly, drip irrigation should only leave a small wet circle on the surface, all the action happens beneath the surface of the soil. You can dig around a little after a watering cycle to see how the water spread -- remember, for most plants you want it to be moist, but not wet :)
I like to use the 1/4" dripline when I have a row of plants across a distance, such as in a raised or in-ground bed and when planting density is reasonably thick. I use button drippers almost exclusively for potted plants and container plants, similar to the onions in this video. They also work well for plants that are just out of the way of the rest of the system :)
I have used drip irrigation in my raised beds and for my in-ground plants for years, and I am re-doing my plans for this year. I already have main line tubing that I purchased locally and I plan to buy fittings from you. One thing I have thought about is to use 3/4 inch PVC instead of poly pipe for the longer runs between the faucet and the beds. If I do that, do you have fittings to make connection to 1/2 inch main line tubing? Also, I have always used four lines of drip tubing in my 4' wide beds. I live in the high desert and things dry out quickly. Are 3 lines of drip tube really enough? I have used 6 inch drip tup spacing in the past. Am I overdoing it?
Great questions Nadine! In regards to 3/4" PVC to 1/2" tubing, this can definitely be done -- with that said, the cost to go with 3/4" tubing could be about the same and it's much easier to work with poly. PVC will also have to be buried, where you can use poly on the surface if you like. Either way I'll be able to help :) In regards to the 3 or 4 lines -- 4 lines of 6" spacing may be a little over what I'd do, but that doesn't necessarily make it wrong -- as you noted, you probably need more water due to how hot and dry it is out your way. We're located in Oregon so definitely have a bit more humidity in the air. With that said, a lot of it comes down to soil type -- if your soil is looser or sandy, close spacing and an additional line like you're doing is absolutely ok. If you have denser soil, you might not need that 4th line, water can spread out pretty far from the point of drip in denser soils. If you haven't planted in the bed yet, you could try running the irrigation system with just three lines in it and then dig around in the soil to see how far the water spread.
@@dripdepot Thank you. I am in Southern Utah at about 5500 feet. The soil in my raised beds has a lot of organic matter in it, so it holds water reasonably well. La Nina has given us a lot of water (by our standards) over the winter, but it is very dry in the summer. Still, the beds tend to be moist enough that I manage to dig up little desert toads on a regular basis that need a moist environment. I think I will try running 3 lines per 4 foot bed and see how it works. The only things in the beds now are a few perennials that have wintered over and the garlic that I planted in the fall. I got down to 17 last night so I've got some time before I will need a full blown watering system. The reason I am considering 3/4 inch piping is that the garden is pretty large and I though I might get better water flow over the distance. Maybe I am mistaken about that and I would welcome your opinion. As for pvc rather than poly, the lines will have to cross over places where there are gates, and will sometimes have wheelbarrows crossing them. What I have done in the past with the 1/2 inch tubing is that I have run it through some pvc to protect it from the wheelbarrow wheels, and I could do that now as well. I plan to test my water flow rate later today, but in general our water comes out pretty fast. I think I'll give the three line method a try, with two lines in my narrower beds. As for burying pvc, I have some that has been out in the open for more than a decade without cracking. It has been surprisingly durable.
@@nadinehansen9241 We had a small freeze last night too, but pretty much 32° on the nose, so not quite as cold :) You are correct that 3/4" tubing will provide for better flow and pressure, at least if conditions are present that would otherwise overtax 1/2". By that I primarily mean line length and total flow going through it -- after about 200' length or 200 GPH in flow, the friction loss curve does get pretty steep in 1/2" tubing and it's better to look into 3/4". And roger that on the PVC -- awesome you already have some! Definitely a good idea to put it to use in that case. Yours could be UV treated which does slow down its deterioration significantly. From the sounds of your soil, 3 lines per bed is great to start with -- tentatively, it's sounding like it will be enough and provide for great coverage. If after testing it doesn't, it's fortunately easy to toss in an additional line (or even just a couple drippers coming off the mainline with 1/4" tubing).
@@dripdepot I just did my flow test: It took 8 seconds to get 2 gallons of water. That's 900 gallons per hour. I guess I don't have any problems with water flow. 🙂Now I'll do the rest of my math and I'll be ready to order.
@@nadinehansen9241 Nadine, wow! That's a healthy flow rate -- I thought mine was high at 750 GPH, but yours can support a serious irrigation system :) That's great news and really helps reduce some of the more annoying problems that comes from lack of flow -- you're on the right track all the way.
I am putting together my drip system now that I got the parts for a couple of months ago. I didn't buy 1/2 inch tubing because I already had a large roll that I bought locally. I am finding that it is really hard for me to connect the perma-lock fittings. It looks really easy when you do it in the videos. Would it be easier if I bought your 1/2 inch tubing?
Potentially so Nadine! That or slightly different fittings (I can help with either one). In the industry, there are a lot of different 1/2" tubing sizes that all say 1/2" even though they actually measure different. We use one of the more common sizes with a 0.600" inside diameter and a 0.700" outside diameter. There's also quite a bit of 1/2" tubing that measure 0.520" inside diameter out there, and I suspect that's what you have if it feels like the barbs on the fittings are a little too large and it's difficult to push the tubing on. Our 1/2" tubing will work with all of our 1/2" fittings (our 1/2" fittings work with a small range of 1/2" sizes, but unfortunately not the 0.520" inside diameter tubing) -- our 3/8" fittings will work with that 0.520" inside diameter stuff, however. This is a common enough problem that we actually made a video about it -- I've described most of it above, but if you'd like a little more detail, here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/SY71GKA_CyQ/видео.html If you wanted to return fittings to get 3/8" or just grab some tubing, I'll be happy to help either way :)
@@dripdepot Thank you. Mine doesn't say what size it is but that is the same size Home Depot sells now. I bought this at HD a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure it is the same. In any case I ordered some from you. I hope it's easier to use than what I already have, which I have really struggled with, even when putting the tubing in hot water.
@@nadinehansen9241 You bet Nadine -- I can confirm our 1/2" tubing works with our 1/2" fittings, so you'll be good to go there. It can still be a little difficult to get on (to some degree it has to in order to make a water tight seal), but I know some tips that will help. When poly tubing gets warm, it gets softer and more flexible -- this can make it easier to get it on over the barb. What you can do is drip the end into some very hot water (careful not to burn yourself though! I've done that) for a few moments until it gets soft -- you'll find it goes over the barb a lot easier then. Sometimes just leaving it out in direct sunlight can warm it up a lot too. Another tip is to use the "walk on" method. As you push the tubing, wiggle it back and forth a little bit to walk it on over the barb. If you experience any troubles, just let me know, I've got more tips and will make sure this gets up and running for you :)
Watching your videos to customize my kit before I order. I notice you didn't seem concerned about going through the middle of the garden area. Is it ok to run the mainline through a high-traffic area? It makes the most sense to do mine that way, too, but I want to be sure it's ok.
This is a great comment, and if I could go back I think I would address it in the video, as you bring up a really good point. You are correct, in the video we weren't concerned with just running the tubing through the middle of the garden -- the house we installed that one at has no small children who might be unaware (or quickly lose focus on) of a trip hazard like tubing. It was fenced off as well, so less concern about guests or visitors who are unaware of the tubing walking through the garden. And with all that said, the tubing is pretty small and during daylight hours very visible. If there's not a lot of foot traffic in an area, it's very common to leave it above-grade. If there were young children (or a lot of foot traffic) I'd likely bury the mainline in high traffic areas. Great comment, thank you!
@@Daedal71 You're very welcome! If you bury it, do it like PVC (though you don't have to go as deep) -- build a trench of soft crumbly soil for it to lay in, pull out any rocks or sharp sticks, and you're goood to go :). In my home garden I probably have 3/4 of my tubing buried and the rest above grade -- I've made more repairs in the above-grade parts (dang raccoons) than I have the buried parts.
You mentioned that a 1/2 gal emitter with 12" spacing will water approximately a 12" square. In one of the comments below someone asked how many lines for a 33" wide bed and you said two lines. Won't that leave about a 9" wide strip of the bed unwatered?
Good question, and to some degree I made an assumption that this would be in a raised bed with two rows of plants with common loamy garden soil. In the 3' wide bed, we usually see 2 rows of plants, with no plants right against the edge of the bed, so two lines will get it done. A more general rule can be applied -- run one line of drip tape per row of plants, and ideally, at least one emitter at the location of each plant (it doesn't have to be right on top of the plant though, water will make its way to it, and roots will also seek water).
You bet! It's pretty common to bury the mainline tubing -- when you do, go about 6" to 12" deep and make a bed of soft crumbly soil for it to rest in, much like you'd do with PVC :)
So glad I came here to read these questions/comments, thank you for asking. I didn’t even think about weed whipping in the garden and the half inch line running on the ground!
Does the cross fitting come in any of the raised bed irrigation kits? I ordered the standard kit but don’t see it on the list of the fittings and now am worried it’ll end up delaying my project. 😢
None of the raised bed kits include a cross -- the cross fitting is actually one of the least used fittings (we've been trying to find a reason to use one in a video) -- do you have a location where you need to come in from one direction and then split 3 others? If so, see if you end up with an unused Tee, as two tees can accomplish something similar and may save you having to wait for a cross fitting. If you do end up needing one, let me know, I'll make sure you get free shipping on it. :)
One hour is a common run time in some places -- how long to run the system and how much soil is moistens are very dependent on the location (in denser soil water spreads further than in loose soil), maturity of the plants, exposure to sunlight, temperature, relative humidity -- basically, many factors, most of which are specific to the location and its microclimate. With that said, for common garden vegetables, a 1 hour cycle is common when the plants are mature and fruiting and the days are hotter. Some break that cycle up into two 30 minute cycles, and in some places we've even seen two 45 minute to two 1 hour cycles be necessary. We made a reasonably short (4:49) video that covers the above in a bit more depth if you wanted a little more information: ruclips.net/video/caF5_paR8Uo/видео.html
For the most part, drip line when the plants are in a row or densely planted enough that snaking it through the area doesn't have emitters dripping where the water can't be used. Button drippers for individual plants or out of the way plants. The two are interchangeable to some degree, and are often used on the same zone, as they can both have the same 0.5 GPH flow rates. In those cases it comes down to labor time, while you could install a button dripper at each plant down a row (and you'd likely get good results), the additional time it would take is quite a bit longer than just running the drip line down the row and capping it off :)
It sure is! A setup like this can perform well so long as the limitations are respected (not going over 200 GPH in flow in the 1/2" line, etc). In these cases it's best to pressure regulate for the drip tape (15 PSI for 15 Mil thick tape) versus the drip line (25 PSI). This will protect your drip tape from pressure and drip line will still perform great at 15 PSI, it's well within its operating pressure range :)
Could you run one 1/4” line and coil it around the entire bed instead of running 3-4 individual lines or would that decrease the flow of the emitters towards the end of the line?
It can be done within some limitations -- if you exceed those limitations, it could potentially cause the issue you described, so you're definitely on the right track. If the total length of the line is less than 30' (with 12" spaced drip line) it should still be uniform throughout the coil. With 6" spacing I typically try to keep it no longer than 15' to 20'. After those lengths the friction loss curve gets pretty steep and could impact uniformity enough to be noticeable. Great question, thank you truly!
My standard kit did not come with the backflow preventer. Is this a mistake ? It appears to be in the photo of the parts but now that I’m looking I don’t see it on the list of parts. 😢 Is this absolutely necessary? Can I come back and install it later?
Lauren, you'll definitely want a backflow preventer, but, I was able to locate your initial order and do show one was on the order, so you may be covered (and definitely let me know if it's not there). Did a brass piece come with your order? On the receipt and order (and likely the tag) it will be called a "vacuum breaker" -- this can be a little confusing, but the vacuum breaker is the backflow preventer (it prevents backflow by breaking vacuum conditions that can lead to back-siphoning). If that piece is missing, that's on us and we can easily send one out to you :) Here is a link to the brass one that should have been included so you can check it out and see if it made it: www.dripdepot.com/brass-three-quarter-inch-hose-end-vacuum-breaker
Ok I see the vacuum breaker! I was looking for one that looked like what you used in the video. I went ahead and ordered another one from you all but probably don’t need that now.. it’s ok. No big deal. Thanks so much for responding!
@@laurenstokes675 Perfect! Lauren, looks like they got your order packed early this morning, but I'm going to issue a full shipping refund so that it ships for free. A backup backflow preventer is often a good idea either way (backflow preventers protect the water supply in the house from irrigation water, so nice to know you'll have a working one if anything happens to one of them).
I have your raised bed kit, and I ordered the drip tape kit as well. Can I just tap into my drip tape kit main line and attach the drip tape? Or do I need a pressure regulator to bring the pressure down to 15?
When using drip tape you'll definitely want to regulate the pressure at about 15 PSI -- this will protect the thin walls of the tape and also keep it dripping at about the stated emitter flow rate :)
Is your system operating from a hose bib? If so, item #3525 should get the job done for you. It has female hose threads on the inlet and male hose threads on the outlet, so it can thread on to a hose bib (or other male hose threaded connections like a hose bib) with no additional adapters needed :) Here is the link directly to it: www.dripdepot.com/search?q=3525
Our bed is approx 15 feet from the house. Do you recommend digging a trench for the main line to each the bed? How is this system in the winter? We live in NJ
Great questions! Drip Irrigation tubing can be buried underground. It's all up to your personal preference! We find some gardeners love to keep their gardens neat and tidy, and in that case, they like to take the extra steps to trench out the mainline. Others prefer to keep it above ground, so it's easier to maintain and add on to in the future. Keep in mind that burrowing rodents, like gophers, can chew through the tubing seeking water, and with it being underground, it is harder to locate the leak. If you decide to bury your tubing, keep an eye on your system to make sure everything is running correctly; so that if a rodent does chew through the tubing, you can spot the problem immediately. Once you have your trench dug and the tubing laid out, you may want to have the system pressurized before burying to reduce the risk of tubing collapse. A drip system will do great through a New Jersey winter; just remember to winterize it before the first freeze. Winterizing is essentially flushing the lines of any excess water and storing away sensitive components like the head assembly. If you'd like to follow a guide to preparing a drip irrigation system for winter, we made one that covers all the bases [ruclips.net/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/видео.html]!
Thank you for reaching out! You bet, so long as you stay within spec of the mainline tubing you're using, you'll have nice and even pressure throughout the line thanks largely to the pressure regulator. If you have too high of flow or run the mainline too long, you'll experience high rates of friction loss which can impact performance. The good general rule is 200' Length and 200 GPH flow for 1/2" tubing, 480' Length and 480 GPH for 3/4" -- after those thresholds, the friction loss curve can get pretty steep, but staying within them minimizes pressure lost from friction :)
We're still working on that comprehensive guide and hope to have it completed soon! In the meantime, we'd be happy to assist you personally via email. If you like, reach out to us on our contact page or email us at support@dripdepot.com. During office hours, we'll get back promptly :) When we get the video completed, we'll also reply here with the link to ensure it gets shared with you.
@@dripdepot I am replying so I get notified when this posts. I have a bunch of Vego garden beds and a couple hundred bucks of drip equipment from yall and I'm ready except for this one part.
You bet! I will post here when the video is complete. We're just waiting on the beds to arrive now, we've got everything else ready to go so we can shoot it quick. We're hoping to get it up before growing season is in full swing. If you end up needing the information sooner, email us from our website, we can send you some images we made with metal beds and drip irrigation :)
You got it exactly right, that one is the backflow preventer -- it prevents backflow by breaking the vacuum conditions that can lead to back-siphonage :)
That is definitely a challenge! It's best to attempt it when the tubing is cold, that is when it will be contracted the most (and will prevent the tubing from simply stretching when you try to pull it off the barb). In some applications, it might be easier to cut the tubing off the barb, as they are indeed a very tight fit (which they have to be to keep water pressure from blowing the tubing off the fittings). I have a reasonable success rate when doing it while the tubing is cold -- if you need to, you can run some water through it first, the water will cool the tubing -- then, try to pull it as straight as possible.
Can you bury the main line? I have three 24 inch tall raised beds and I don’t want the water line to be on the outside where someone might trip on them.
You sure can! A trip hazard is a good reason to do so too :) Also, lawn mowers love to eat tubing, so it protects the tubing as it does foot traffic. Just like with PVC, dig a trench 6" to 12" of soft crumbly soil, and then you can lay the tubing in and cover it up with soil (and grass if it's going through the lawn).
For the 1/4" drip lines themselves, those are typically left above grade in raised beds, though it's not entirely uncommon for folks to put them under a layer of mulch. Going under a layer of mulch does increase the efficiency a bit (less evaporation) but does increase the risk of clogging. The mainline can also be buried if you like (and can be handy if the area is mowed or needs maintained with equipment. In that case, 6" to 12" depth is good :)
If I use a 50ft hose to calculate my GPH flow rate will it still be accurate?? Our bib isn't in a location where we can get a bucket directly under it.
Great question -- there will indeed be some loss due to the hose, but that might be good in this case. Are you going to be using the hose to feed the drip system? If so, it's best to test the flow rate through the hose so you get the flow rate of what you'll be working from. If you won't be using the hose for the drip system, that's still ok -- a 50' garden hose isn't going to cause a heavy flow loss in most cases :)
@@angelawagnon9778 You're very welcome -- and perfect! Definitely use the hose then as that will get you an accurate flow rate where the irrigation will be connected :)
It is indeed that freeze resistant! At least so long as the lines are drained -- we generally just gravity drain them with some end caps at low points though, you don't even necessarily need a compressor. Poly tubing actually got its start in the US up in the Northeast due to its freeze resistance (it's fairly popular in Canada for the same reason). It has a "bend but don't break" property you don't see in a lot of other pipe/tubing types due to their rigidity. I hesitate to share this anecdote because I always want people to winterize properly, but one time we filled up some poly tubing completely full of water and capped both ends -- we then put it in the freeze for a few weeks, and it came out completely undamaged -- we were actually hoping for damage for our winterizing video, but were out of luck. To anyone reading this, don't let that keep you from winterizing! :)
For the type of filters we're using in the video, it is ok to have it oriented at almost any angle, so long as the direction of flow is respected. Most of these types of hose end filters will have an arrow printed on them that show the direction the water should travel through it. If you've got that part done, it's no problem to have it horizontal, vertical, etc :)
Hello I am currently looking for a kit in your website, i have 3 beds, 1- 12'x4' and 2 4'x8', the 12'x4' will have 2 rows of tomatoes with a row of green onions and a row of basil so 4 rows total, would i still only run 3 lines of 1/4" emitter tubing? Or would I run 4 and double up per tomatoe plant as i heard tomatoes need more water? or with tomatoes would i run 2- 1/2 mainline tubing down the rows of tomatoes with individual drippers for each tomato and then run a 1/4" Line for the basil and onions? I have no idea how this stuff works. Secondly the kit im looking at has things I dont think I need, is there a way I can contact someone that can assist me i adding things I might need extra of and taking things out I dont need? Thirdly my beds are metal so I cant use the hold downs with the nails, so would I run it over the side where it risks getting cut and hot from the sun or up underneath into the bed and then bury the lines?? And Finally I also cannot run the mainline tubing from my house as its 100' away and there's a cement walkway , garage, shed and driveway, can I run a good hose out to the garden that will hook up out there where I will have the timer>backflow >filter >pressure reducer into the mainline all hooked up in a junction box with a quick disconnect for the hose as it has to ge detachable for years work , driveway etc etc.
The first, in regards to how many lines of drip line to run, could go either way depending on soil type, etc, but I'd likely run 4 lines, one for reach row of plants. Doubling up on the tomatoes may be a good idea, as they do require more water than some of the other plants, but you could also go with a tighter spacing (6" instead of 12" for example) for that row to ensure they receive adequate water without overwatering the others. Absolutely happy to help in removing items from the kit you don't need -- in fact, we recommend customizing the kits to make it an even better fit, so you're 100% on the right track here. Reach out to us from this link (this is our contact us link and sends us an email -- during office hours, we get back to email quickly): help.dripdepot.com/support/tickets/new Also good question on the metal beds -- this can also go either way. I'm fond of just hanging the elbow at the top off the edge of the metal bed, but there's no harm in coming from underneath unless you've laid metal mesh or similar down before the beds. We made a video for metal raised beds I'll link here -- there's a lot of crossover between this video and that one, but you can definitely skip ahead to see how we secured our lines to the bed: ruclips.net/video/ug_CAB9920w/видео.html You can incorporate a hose into a drip system, you bet -- you'll still want the head assembly (timer, backflow preventer, filter, etc) at the hose bib however, as most garden hoses are not rated for constant pressure, which it would be under if the timer valve was downstream of the garden hose. The filter and regulator could be at the end of the hose, but the timer and backflow preventer you'll definitely want on the hose bib. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us here or the contact us link above if you have any questions, happy to assist :)
@@dripdepot I think the standard kit suits everthing I need , I do think doing 6" spacing for the tomatoes is a good idea as that will give me 1gph per tomato plant and 12" spacing for carrots, onions ,basil, cilantro, Oregano, would I do the 6" spacing for cucumbers and green peppers that are in the 4x8? I emailed and they did respond back with the standard is what you all recommended, the only thing in the kit I wouldn't need for the raised beds is the button drippers but I can keep those for future upgrades if I add bags or containers . So with the hose bib , at the house right at the hose bib is where ill put the timer, backflow and filter, connect the hose to the filter outlet which will go out to the garden and that's where I'll have a quick connect for the pressure reducer and fitting to connect the mainline (plug and play) I just want the timer and the backflow and filter right at the strongest point is what im Understanding the others can be at the garden for the hose to attach to correct? And finally do you all sell the rubber stripping to go around the top of the metal beds separately, I'm a stroke survivor on blood thinners so Getting cut is a big no no, if not can probably find it at the hardware store right now I just have a few pool noodles in areas that have sharp spots
@@godlikedesigns9269 Bit of a tough call on the cucumbers in particular -- yes, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers all need about the same amount of water (this can vary based on cultivar, but in general), but tomatoes like to dry out between waterings where cucumbers enjoy always moist soil. To balance that, you could apply more mulch on the cucumbers, and/or less on the tomato plants. Your proposed head assembly (timer, backflow filter at the hose bib and then regulator and hose x tubing adapter near the garden) sounds good, that should work just as well as having it all at the hose bib. :)
@@dripdepot got it ordered and being processed to ship ty, one final question, there's one area in the garden where no matter what i do i have to run the mainline across the walk area, I personally wouldn't have issues with not stepping on it but company for some reason just can't stay out of the garden area no matter how many times i tell them, can I bury that part of the line or should I just make a type of cover to put over top? I could build an arch type thing and run it up Over the top of that area but I would be wasting fittings and line also doing so would probably lower the flow as it'll go up 7' in the air (I'm 6'2") over abd back down 6' into the bed, just thought maybe you might have an idea on how I can protect that one 3' cross over
@@godlikedesigns9269 Awesome, sounds like it'll be shipping today if it's processing now -- when it arrives, you're welcome to reach out with any installation questions as well. And yes, foot traffic is the bane of above ground irrigation systems sometimes -- it is acceptable to bury tubing there and probably not too difficult if the walkway isn't terribly wide. Another option, and this came from someone else in the comments on a video (thank you!), is to use one of those cable protector speed bumps you see in office buildings to prevent them from being a trip hazard (and to protect the cable). I haven't heard feedback on how it worked, but he gets the credit for the idea and it absolutely seems sound in theory.
This can vary quite a bit depending on how loose the sandy soil is. We've seen them as near as 4", and as far as 9" in sandy soil types. What you can do is, drip water very slowly (with a barely open hose or even a dripper if you already have some) to mimic a drip emitter over 15-60 minutes. After, dig around in the soil to see how far the soil's capillary action carried the water. This will give you a great idea on how to space your lines :)
@@dripdepot Thank you, I'll do that. I have some 4 foot square beds I want to try drip irrigation on. I see that you used three drip lines to cover each 4 foot wide bed. I guess I would need more than that.
Possibly, at least with very sandy soil! One great thing about drip is it's very easy to expand on -- if you wanted to start with fewer, you could and then easily work in another line if needed :)
another measure for fruits' yield increase is installing humble bee hives (about from mid march on in our climate) for about the 2 months fruit tree flowering period: they have more efficient polinization technique and fly up to 7ºc air temperature (below, their muscles cancel working).. unfortunately, they use to fall in anarchy killing their queens about may for laying the workers eggs for drones (same as queens do at the end of their lives due to consumed stack of inseminated eggs) competing amongst them for just feeding their own drone larvae % devour others' larvae. workers live about 6 - 8 weeks, so after a while hives get deserted. we got 1 ton of fruits this year thanx to 2 hives. (together about 70€ mail ordered from biocotrol brand f.e.). they feed themselves if shine, longer rain/snow/ice periods would get costly feeding pollen/sirup. i installed their double hive on the shady side of a shed 'cause they prefer less than 30ºc (please look for fahrenheit: quite different!)
Great info here Wolfgang! And no problems on the Celsius, I still remember the formula from long ago and now there's online calculators to convert right away. One ton of fruit harvested aided by bees is pretty impressive. We have a pretty large bee population out here in Oregon thanks to the pear blossoms, they love them. I've had large swarms of bees, who are en route to the pear orchards, sleep overnight clustered up on a branch on my oak. It's quite a sight to behold.
I think that's a fair assessment for many locations at the moment -- we're hoping with supply chains coming back together, supply will be able to keep up with the demand and hopefully stabilize costs.
12" emitter spacing seems insufficient for raised beds that are typically planted denser than farm rows. Raised beds do not suffer from pooling and will result in dry spots.
In most common loamy garden soils, water will spread about 12" from the point of drip, making 12" spacing a good match to many gardens. Yes, dense plantings (carrots come to mind) might enjoy a tighter spacing, as will sandier/looser soil types, but for the most part 12" is that sweet spot where water from one emitter spreads near the other. When checking soil moisture, be sure to dig down -- when done right, drip emitters should leave only a small wet spot on top of the soil (minimizes evaporation or the potential for run-off).
@@dripdepot Dense planting is not an outlier. Square foot gardeners plant heavily and tightly with the intent to provide more care than a row gardener would.
@@Josef_R 12" Spacing is often used by square foot gardeners, though instead of a single row of drip line, they'll sometimes make more of a grid pattern with their drip line. A lot of it really depends on soil type. We do a lot of square foot gardening, with great results, and do intend to make a video specific to it :)
@@dripdepot I suppose 12" might work if you staggered the emitters so that they alternated, that would give you a 6" spacing...I'm just trying to decide what to buy and this stuff ain't cheap enough to make mistakes with.
@@Josef_R That definitely makes sense! To some degree, it's really hard to mess up too bad with drip, at least so long as you're using the right emitter type (don't want overhead watering for plants that like dry foliage, for example). Being modular you can work pretty much anything in and still use what you already have. It also has a very large margin for error, we've seen people new to both gardening and irrigation get great results, almost on accident. I think you'd likely be good to go either way (12" or 6"), and if the 6" makes you feel more confident in it all, there's absolutely no harm in that -- worst case scenario is you reduce the watering cycle a little bit or remove or move a line here and there. When I was new to it all I used a lot of 6" spaced drip line and got great results, and I still use a good bit of it in my home garden. Basically, either route you go (or even a mix of) I think you'll have success :)
If you click the cogwheel on the bottom right hand portion of the video window, you can change the playback speed -- at 0.75 playback speed it still feels "normal" :)
I’m getting ready to do irrigation lines for my first time after hand watering for 3 years and I’m so excited. I’ve watched this video 10+ times to make sure I’m doing it right. Adam is so great to watch and listen to. All these videos are so helpful
Nick, Adam here :)
Thank you for the kind words! I will be letting that go to my head haha.
If any questions come up while you're planning or installing, send them our way!
Watching you videos to customize my kit before I order. I notice you didn't seem concerned about going through the middle of the garden area. Is it ok to run the mainline through a high-traffic area? It makes the most sense to do mine that way, too, but I want to be sure it's ok.
This step-by-step was clutch. Im in the middle of a huge irrigation project before I leave the country for a month and couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for the kind words! You're setting a nice tone for Friday for me over here :)
And you bet -- if any questions come up while you're planning or installing, drop me a line, happy to help so you can get it all ready before you leave.
Sir, you explain things so well, it makes one wish you would teach any number of different topics.
Elisa, thank you so much for the kind words, what a way to start the week -- thank you!
Awesome, easy to follow instructions. Many thanks!
You're very welcome, thank you for watching!
This video was amazing! I have watched so many instructional videos on drip systems, and this was hands-down the best! So easy to understand. Drip Depot, you will get my business!
Naomi, thank you so much for the kind words! If any questions come up while you plan out your system, don't hesitate for a second to reach out to us, we'll be truly happy to assist.
This is exactly why they got my business. Installing it today, wish me luck!!
You have made drip irrigation assembly so easy for a common person. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you for the kind words! Your comment is a great way to head into the weekend, I appreciate it :)
Thanks to this video, I designed and finished installing my drip irrigation system last week. The raised bed kit I bought from Drip Depot had everything I needed and I loved the quality of the fittings. To anyone on the fence about taking on this task yourself, do it! Thanks for the great video and great product!
Thank you, Becky! So glad we could help. Happy gardening!
This video was exactly what I need to wrap my head around the process of installing drip irrigation to my raised garden. Thank you so much! Super helpful...now to draw my plan and order the parts:)
Thank you so much for the feedback! We're actually working on a video about designing and sketching now, maybe we'll be able to get it released fast enough for you (we have some great tips and tricks to keep it easy) :).
Thank you again!
I can’t believe how intimidated I feel about installing irrigation system, but you explained very well easy in every way possible, Thank you so much now I think I can install my system, well still with video next to me just to refresh every part 🙏🏻
You'll knock it out of the park Vee! And I absolutely love your icon with the Little Vee Garden Bed in it!
Love Drip Depot! For context, I'm 60+ and can manage using a drill, hammer, and screwdriver, but I'm not going to do major repairs myself ("back in the day" I'd replace toilets, light switches, light fixtures and the like - not now). Last year I hand watered my raised beds. It was time consuming and I confess that I did not enjoy standing outside in the heat to ensure that each plant had a thorough drink from either the hose or watering can (if it was time for fertilizer). The garden suffered as a result.
This year, thanks to Drip Depot, I installed drip irrigation to 8 large ovals (3'x5') and four rounds (24" and 42"), plus 9 20" pots and two 5-gallon potted fig trees. PLUS 4 in-ground apple trees, a persimmon, and 2 berry bushes. Whew! When I list them all, it seems daunting! But over the course of a couple of days in spring I was able to do it all. The instructions on the irrigation videos are so clear! I ran 1/2 inch line around the perimeter of the yard, and then branched individual 1/2 inch lines to each bed using T connectors. Using right-angled connectors I ran the line up the 17" sides of the beds, added shut-off valves, and then ran several 1/4 inch drip lines down the length of each bed. The potted and in-ground fruit trees and the potted tomatoes each have a 1/4 inch line from the main, ending in a button dripper of appropriate size. Later in the season I added a fertilizer injector system (also Drip Depot, of course). Game changer! All the fish emulsion and rapid-release fertilizer (the blue stuff) runs through the lines to the plants. Magic!
The only down side is that I can't seem to stop a drip at the faucet (or maybe it's at the Y splitter). Not an issue with the Drip Depot system at all, but it does mean that I cannot entirely automate - if I leave the water on at the faucet, there's a drip drip drip that fills a 5 gallon bucket in a day (I keep one under the faucet to catch the drips). Simple enough work around - I just turn on the water and run the system manually. Next year maybe I'll figure out where the leak is coming from.
In any event, I can't believe how much time this saved me this year! My garden is thriving. MORE than thriving!! I highly recommend this company and its products. They make it so simple!
Thank you for that wonderfully written description of your system! It sounds like a pretty good sized one at that, definitely larger than what we did in this video, great work. I know the first one can be daunting, I try to tell people all the time to just try, and in almost all cases they're able to complete the system. I'm glad you gave it a shot :)
And I hear you on standing around to water plants, I did a few years of that myself back when I first got into gardening (which was before I got into irrigation). We romanticize our gardens a degree, but I can comfortably say hand watering for hours at a time can take away a lot of what is pleasurable about having one.
When you're ready to take a look at that leak, let me know, I'll be absolutely happy to help. Between us all down here there's a lot of experience, don't hesitate to reach out and make use of it at any time. :)
A couple quick things to check if you haven't already: If there is any thread seal tape, go ahead and remove it. With hose threaded connections it can actually cause some of the problems it's meant to prevent. Also, check in the female side of the connections to make sure they all have the gasket in there (and if it is, make sure it's not distorted, out of place, or old and cracking). I'd say a missing or damaged gasket accounts for a pretty high percentage of leaks we see at hose bibs and drip head assemblies. :)
Thank you again (and truly) for your wonderful comment!
I wanted to say thank you! Along my journey towards getting my education in drip irrigation from RUclips University, I stumbled across your videos. I had several questions and you answered them all promptly. Your advice was spot on. I installed 5 zones (including over 300 ft of tubing) to irrigate my back yard. The sixth zone is already installed for the front yard. Everything works great. I discovered and corrected leaks from the previous subcontractor too. I also ordered several perma-loc fittings from Drip Depot after experiencing leaks with fittings from a local retailer. I will only use Perma-loc from now on.
Joseph, thank you for the comment, truly! I love follow-ups like this, they are genuinely what keeps me at maximum effort in answering comments and questions, hearing that my answers had a positive impact is fantastic.
There's always an open door if you ever have any irrigation questions, don't hesitate for a second :)
I got a little overwhelmed on where to start, this helped me so much!
Glad it was helpful Michelle! And thank you for your comments, truly -- I'll reply to the other questions you sent over as well :)
Another excellent instructional video with detailed step-by-step explanations. Thanks for including the links to the products in the video description.
You're very welcome, thank you for the great comment as well!
You should teach all life skills. Just amazing clear and pleasant way of describing how to do these tasks. Very much appreciated.
This man is a blessing. Thanks sir
Thank you, truly, for your kind words!
I've seen your older videos, and I like this one better. Nice job!
Shane, a sincere thank you for the kind words! Our videographer has definitely taken our videos to a new level, this year we decided if we're going to do them, we're going all in :)
If you ever have any questions don't hesitate for a second to reach out!
Watched the video 10 times(thank you so very very much, I could not wrap my head around how to even start!💜), designed my system, ordered a customized kit from Drip Depot(upgraded to an 80 µm filter because we have really really hard well water with occasional large sediments; guess I’ll be checking it often for cleaning) & getting ready to install it today! One thing I didn’t pay enough attention to was my faucet placement. I’m going to have to install the timer & pressure regulator at the faucet and then run a 50’ garden hose and the rest of my head assembly after that. Crossing my fingers🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
One suggestion, the 5/6 bed kit didn’t come with the half inch stakes (and I didn’t think right then to order any😞). Luckily I have lots of wire I can cut and bend though💙 It would be great to see them in the kit🥰
Agreed about the stakes -- technically they're not required so they're not in the kit by default, but they're so convenient to the install process I'll see about getting some included.
Is your faucet low enough to the ground that that's not room for the head assembly? If so, your proposed method is one viable solution -- might want to change it up just a little bit and have the timer and backflow preventer on the faucet, then install the filter and regulator at the end of the hose.
If all else fails, we have a couple options that can help -- a gooseneck faucet adapter to turn the assembly 45° so you can build it horizontally rather than vertically, and a Tee Filter whose Tee shape allows it to fit into low to the ground head assemblies (though it's not at 80 µm, so your route probably works better for the hard water). If all else fails, let us know, we can send some photos with various ideas :)
The current drip line I put in a couple years ago stopped working and I was wondering how I was going to get it going again. Thank you so much for this video. This is so much better than my previous irrigation system. This was right on time. I sat in my garden pondering this for the longest. I prayed and came across your video.
Thank you for the kind words! What a great way to start a Monday :)
Try flushing your lines and see if that gets them going again (flushing will often remove any clogs in the line). To flush, go to the end of your drip line and remove the goof plug or end cap there -- then turn the water on at the water source and let it run for a bit coming out of the end of your drip line. The water is pretty turbulent inside the lines and can dislodge debris that got in there and flush it right out of the end.
Depending on how many lines you have, it's best to do them a a couple at a time instead of all at once -- this allows there to be enough flow to vigorously flush the open lines.
I hope this does the trick!
Thank you so much😊
@@gaylesjourneyofprojects You're very welcome! If it doesn't do the trick, let me know, happy to troubleshoot with you :)
Thank you! I’ve been so confused with other videos! Best one yet!
Drip irrigation seems so overwhelming to start, but this video is absolutely terrific! You're an outstanding teacher! If this is the type of customer service and education you provide before I've bought anything, I know I've found the right company. I'll be off to watch your sketching video next to start putting my order together. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words, truly! If any questions come up while you're planning (or during the install!) don't hesitate to bring them this way, absolutely happy to help :)
This was fantastic! Well done! Oh, and thank you!
You're very welcome, thank you for your comment! :)
This was a great video demonstration, thank you! Found your company through Homestead & Chill. I'm excited to see your upcoming demo for how to install drip irrigation for raised metal beds because I'm switching out my wood beds for metal.
Claire, thank you for your comment -- Homestead and Chill is one of our faves too!
We have everything prepped for our metal beds video, now we're just waiting for the truck with them all to arrive. We plan to show several different configurations with the irrigation included so it will hopefully be able to help with almost any setup or shape. If there is anything in particular you'd like us to include in the video, just say the word :)
@@dripdepot I love that you’re going to show different configurations!
This video answered so many of my questions. I’m excited to see the solution for how to attach the vertical tubing to a metal bed and how to best secure tubing to the ground that minimizes tripping. I love to get my kids out in the garden and somebody’s bound to trip over tubing on the ground, including myself. 😂
Sounds great Claire, we'll definitely cover both of those! We've found a pretty good way to secure the mainline to a metal bed that we'll show. You're right about the tubing being a potential trip hazard. If you can bury it a few inches that always works well (and depending on the age of your kids, they could even dig the hole!) :)
Happy Gardening Claire, thank you for the great suggestions!
Thank you! I'm new to drip irrigation. Excited to draw up my diagrams this evening and do the math. This was very helpful
You're very welcome! If any questions come up, don't hesitate to reach out at any time :)
You guys make things so simple! Love Drip!
Thank you so much fellow Oregonian! :)
Excellent tutorial - everything now makes so much sense. Thank you Sir and greetings from Australia👌👌👏👏
You're very welcome, thank you as well for the comment Marette! And greetings from Oregon, happy growing! =D
This video has been very enlightening and I am excited for the raised metal bed video that is forthcoming. I would love to see a magnetic solution for attaching vertical tubing to metal beds. Similarly, what is the best solution for when mainline tubing has to cross a pathway, like the sidewalk in the video?
Thank you for the kind words! And the suggestion -- using a magnetic solution is an interesting idea. Recently I bumped into some information regarding using magnetism to promote plant growth, so perhaps there is some synergy to be explored there.
For sidewalks there's a couple solutions -- I'd say the most common is probably just staking it in place so it sits close to the ground. This does leave a little bit of a trip hazard, however. In those cases, it can be buried. There's a product (and likely many more!) called a "Walkway Tunnel Kit" that you can thread on to the end of a hose and it will bore you a nice small path beneath a sidewalk or pathway :)
Heya Nikki, in case you still had questions about metal beds, we just posted the video :)
Thank you so much for your guidance! Can’t wait to start!
You're very welcome! If any questions come up, don't hesitate for a second to drop a line, always happy to help :)
You forgot to mention one of the most important things included in orders - tootsie pops! It made me laugh the first time I ordered from you all, but dang was it lovely to sit down with a tootsie pop and a glass of ice water after installing my drip system :) Not to mention that the parts I get from you all are excellent - the tubing is easy to work with and punch holes in, the spray emitters fit perfectly and work. Since I discovered you all, I don’t buy from anyone else.
If we mention the Tootsie Pops too much they won't' be a surprise! My favorite is the chocolate ones -- never thought I'd enjoy a chocolate Tootsie Pop until I tried one, now I have problems saying no to them lol.
Thank you for the kind words, truly! What a great way for me to start the week down here on Monday. Happy gardening out your way! :)
Nice job on the video. I have a good understanding now. I'm off to tackle my beds
Hello, great video and lovely garden!
Im over in Australia and built mine about 8 yrs ago woth ongoing additions and removals.
Do you have a video or advice for cleaning biofilm out of veggie bed driplines with built in emitters? I regularly flush and clean my filters but i get a lot of black sludhe that eventually plug up the emitters over years tgat isnt cured by water flushing.
Can i add a safe chemical somehow to soak in situ while in the beds with plants growing? Often the beds arent completely empty as with our weather asparagus, and other veggies are always in the beds. Ive heard phosphoric?? Very hard non industrial information to find consensus on.
Cheers from Western Australia.
David M
David, thank you for the kind words! I hope your Spring is going awesome so far, I'd love to be down there growing right now (cold and rainy up here in Oregon) :)
You do have the right of it -- chemicals at certain concentrations can be injected into the lines to destroy bacterial sludges and phosphoric acid is one that is indeed used (sometimes sulfuric, citric or nitric even as well).
A couple other options out there: Hydrogen Peroxide solutions, Enzyme based cleaners, copper-silver ionization systems, Peracetic Acid solutions and many others.
As you likely suspect, the proper concentration is what is important, particularly if there are live plants at the moment (but even when there are not due to soil life). Proper concentrations can depend on a variety of factors as well -- current soil pH, extent of the bacterial life in the irrigation lines, material of the irrigation lines, etc.
Without calling in a specialist (expensive!) to do all this, it might be easier to go with a commercial product that has done all the mixing for you, there's probably quite a few companies down there that sell these types of cleanses -- you can contact them, explain the problem in detail and they'll be able to recommend a specific product. Images of the sludge might be helpful too, a lot of these companies can also help prevent it from occurring again (filtering out whatever nutrient they are feeding on -- for us it's often iron and we identify it by the rust colored sludge).
I did a quick search for Australian companies in this field and got a couple results that may be able to at least point you in the right direction: The Pure Water Shop and Hydrosmart -- they both have the same address in Adelaide so it looks like they can tackle a variety of situations. I'll link them below (and hope they're able to help you out!).
hydrosmart.com.au/contact/
www.waterworld.com.au/contact/
@dripdepot Thanks for the great leads. Sympathies re the cold. I grew up in BC. We used to travel to Oregon on the coast road as a kid every summer in the eighties. Although 38c summers here are a shocker.
Can the 1/2" distribution line be buried? My raised bed garden is about 125' from the back of the house, and there's grass that needs to be mowed, plus I drive back there pulling trailer, etc. I'd like to be able to bury the distribution line. Is it made to withstand burying at least 6" deep (so when I do aeration, I don't damage it!).
You bet, it is acceptable to bury the tubing :)
Just like with PVC pipe, you will want a trench of crumbly soil cleared of rocks/gravel for it to rest in -- 6" is an acceptable depth, we most typically see 6" to 8" but have seen our fair share of 12" as well.
I can confirm this works well -- at my home I have it buried about 6" as well and mostly did so for mowing and overall aesthetics. 6" is a good depth to make spotting a leak easier as well (I haven't had any in the 4 years it has been buried, but some of that is likely luck). :)
Thank you for the great video
So so clear and helpful. Thank you!
You're very welcome, thank you for watching as well! :)
Thanks this helped!
You're very welcome, thank you for the comment!
This has been so helpful! Can we bury the distribution line?
I'm glad this helped some!
And you bet, you can safely bury your distribution line :) I'd say it's fairly common, particularly after you hit it with the lawn mower the first time lol.
Just like with PVC pipe, give it a bed of soft crumbly soil to lay in -- make sure to remove any rocks, sticks or debris of that type that could damage it, bury it anywhere from 4" to about 12", and it can be safely mowed and walked over as well.
Thank you for the kind words Sierra, I hope this helps too!
thank you so much for the great information!!!
Very welcome Tracy, truly happy it helped! :)
Hi Adam
Thank you so much for the very helpful video!
Question ……..I have 33 inch wide by 46 inch long raised vegetable garden bed CONTAINERS
I was going to get the emitter hose with emitters ever 6” and run 2 lines length wise
Does that sound right?🤷🏼♀️
Or should I get emitter hose with Emitters every 9” 🤔
(I have quite a few vegetables in each one of my containers)
If you could give me your opinion I would greatly appreciate it
So I can place my order 😊
Thank you
Vicki, this is such a good question that goes straight the heart of drip irrigation. There's a lot of factors that go into both of these (soil type, planting density, etc), but generally speaking, I would also do 2 lines for a 33" wide bed. Emitter spacing is a challenging one. I've had success with all three spacing options (6", 9" and 12") -- I tend to use 6" when I plant densely or in places with sandy soil (or in the case of carrots, both, as they tend to be planted densely and in looser soil types). With that said, 12" spaced drip line is the standard -- in common, loamy garden soil, water will spread about 12" beneath the surface.
Sometimes people think they're not getting enough water with the 12", but that's because they're looking at the wet spot on top of the soil. The wet spot on top of the soil should be small, you want most of the action to occur beneath the surface.
Essentially, all three spacings are good choices, with 6" perhaps the better option for densely planted places and sandier soil types, and 12" getting the nod with normal 1' spacing and loamy garden soil. 9" is that compromise between the two competing feelings (wanting to be efficient, but also wanting to see that water delivered).
That was a fantastic question Vicki, I hope I was able to shed some light on it! -Adam
@@dripdepot
Hi Adam
Thank you for replying to me so quickly I really appreciate that! So I can get started
Yes it was tricky to figure out. Yes, your additional information was extremely helpful.
I have more of a loamy garden soil (happy frog and Kellogg’s brand mixed)
I took a tape measure back over to the garden beds, measured out where 9 inches would be for emitters (keeping in mind that the water would spread to that 12 inch diameter)
Along with that also took into account the spacing of my plants I have in them.
I think the middle of the road with the 9” emitters would be sufficient . 😊👍
Once again can’t thank you enough
For your help and helpful videos
I'm very close to buying my kit for metal raised beds. I'm just confused on which timer I should buy. Any tips on that would be appreciated! Thanks for all the great videos! You do a wonderful job explaining things!❤
Happy to help!
What kind of functionality are you looking for, a digital timer, one you can program by just turning a knob, or something you can control with an app via WiFi?
I've got a link that goes to a list view of our timers so you can browse and get an idea of what's out there -- if you have something in mind for the functionality you want, let me know, happy to help you narrow things down :)
Here is that link: www.dripdepot.com/timers
@dripdepot I'm a new gardner. I don't want anything too difficult to understand. I really don't know if I want wifi capability or not🤦♀️. Maybe I should get a wifi 1, then don't use the wifi at 1st but if I change my mind I can turn the wifi on??? Are they programmed to come on at a certain time everyday or once you turn them on, it only runs for the set amount of time?
@@dripdepot I've been binge watching your videos the past several days trying to get my kit nailed down. I would LOVE to see a video kind of describing the different timers & their functions, but I know you can't just cater to me🤣🤣🤣
@@flintstonegirl3372 Hey, welcome to gardening! You're going to love it, don't let vast amount of information out there overwhelm you, plants are great about growing despite our mistakes :)
You have the right of it, most WiFi timers can be used without the WiFi or the app if you prefer -- so long as they have buttons on the face, they can be fully operated right at the timer itself.
I've got a couple links and a description I'm going to put in below to give you a better idea of what's out there:
This first one goes to the easiest to program timer -- on this one, you just turn the dial to one of the programs and it will run at the pre-set cycle: www.dripdepot.com/8422-aquauno-logica-water-timer
This second one goes to a common digital timer with an LCD screen -- they're pretty easy to program and have some helpful information on the screen (battery life, watering cycle remaining, etc): www.dripdepot.com/hose-end-irrigation-timer-outlets-one
This last one goes to one of the WiFi timers -- this one can be operated via app, or operated like the previous timer (using buttons and an LCD screen): www.dripdepot.com/b-hyve-xd-smart-hose-timer
All of the above timers are programmed to come on at times you program into them -- it can even be more than once per day. During the hottest time of the growing season, I do a cycle early in the morning and later in the evening.
I hope this helps!
@@dripdepot Thank you so much for your help!!
Any idea when the drip installation for metal raised bed video with be available?
Happy Monday Ruby! Filming for the metal bed is done, so just editing left now. Our editor/videographer is the eternal optimist, so he's hoping to have it done within a week. Knowing him, he'll find a way to get it done despite me requiring multiple takes and making a lot of footage to edit lol. We'll leave a comment here as soon as it's uploaded :)
This video was amazing. I am getting ready to set up my first system ever, and this video and MANY others from y'all have given me confidence to do it on my own. I just have to know one more piece of info. How do you know how many drip lines to run for the width of your bed? I know you said water will spread about 12" under the surface, so for your 4' wide beds, is that why you ran 3 lines? What would be the recommended for an 8' wide bed, 2 of my 13 beds are 8' squares?
Jesse, thank you for the kind words! What a great way to start up Friday afternoon :)
You got it exactly right, water spreading about 12" is why we go with 3 lines in a 4' bed -- that provides a little bit of cushion/overlap as well. To some degree this depends on soil type, so there's no one right answer, but it's a good general approach -- in an 8' wide bed I'd likely go with 5 to 6 lines, likewise with the 8' squares -- if the soil were particularly loose or sandy I might go with more or with a tighter spacing.
Another good general rule is to run a line for each row of plants -- if you have thirstier plants on the same zone, you can use an extra line for them (one on each side) or go with a tighter spacing (6" instead of 12"). You're likely to get good results however you approach it though, drip irrigation definitely provides a good margin of error -- the fun is also in tweaking it a little each season :)
I've been trying to get ahold of your customer service..I was wanting help. I have 4 raised beds but they're METAL. The kits all have the hose clips with nails ..great for wood beds. How do you keep the hoses fixated for metal beds? Also, since Central Florida gets alot of rain, are there any timers that can not water when it rains?
There are two options for keeping the tubing secure with metal raised beds: 1.) dig a small trench underneath the bed and run the tubing under then up the inside of the bed so that the soil keeps it in place (a great option) or 2.) Add two more elbows to the top of the header row so into can "hook" to the wall of the bed, then stake down the header row tubing in the soil. As for a timer fit for Central Florida rain, the B-hyve Smart Hose Watering Timer receives local weather data and automatically adjusts to deliver the right amount of water to your plants. It shuts off the timer in the rain and increases water when it’s hot. Here's a direct link to the B-hyve smart timer: www.dripdepot.com/search?q=13233
Sorry to hear you've had a hard time getting ahold of us. Sometimes we end up in e-mail spam/junk folders, which may be the problem. We're available through e-mail (support@dripdepot.com) from 7 am to 3 pm PST Sunday thru Friday.
Question. I need 100 minutes per bed to get 1” of water. If I determine that I need 1” per week is it better to spread it out daily, every three days or once a week. Or is the answer plant specific based on the depth of the roots. Tomatoes are deeper than lettuce.
Question 2. Is there a time of day when it’s better to water with drip?
Great video. You voice is so reassuring 😊
Great question Richard -- I suspect you instinctively felt it out when you asked if it were plant specific, as this is indeed the case. With that said, I find most common garden veggies prefer to receive the water spread out across several days rather than all at once. This helps ensure their roots never become water logged -- you want them moist but not soaked :)
In regards to time of day, I've experimented with this a lot. Anecdotally, I've had the best results with later in the evening or earlier in the morning -- this helps prevent any evaporation that might occur. Later in the growing season, when water demand is at its highest, I'll run a cycle in both the evening and morning. The biggest tip is to monitor soil moisture during the hotter parts of the growing season to make sure it's not drying up during the daylight hours (dig around a little to check, the top of the soil or mulch most likely will be fairly dry, but moisture should be beneath the surface).
Thank you for reaching out with a great question!
Thanks for this awesome installation video! I had a few questions and they were all answered - except one. I'm planning on setting up a system for 9 raised beds. I want to have this in place above ground for a garden season to make sure it suits my needs. Then I want to sink it under ground, under the garden path wood chips. My questions is this - is it fairly easy after a year to replace mainline tubing from the bottom of the raised bed to the top - so, exchanging an 8" tube with a 10-11" tube? Is it difficult to replace the tubing with the barbed Tees and Elbows? Thanks!!!
You bet, this is generally pretty easy to do -- if you're using barbed insert or Perm-Loc fittings, removing the tubing from one of them isn't too bad (easier with Loc style than with barbed insert, but both reasonable to do). If you don't need to remove a fitting to make the change, you can simply cut into the tubing where you'd like to add a new fitting and just splice it in to run you new lengths.
If you're using compression fittings it's still not too bad -- they are generally regarded as not re-usable, but you can cut them out, add in a new coupling and run your new length from there.
All in all, I think you'll have a pretty easy time of it -- drip irrigation is often referred to as "modular" -- in this case it's not just a marketing term, it really is quite modular and pretty easy to add on to and expand at any time.
When the time comes for you to make some changes, don't hesitate to drop a line with any questions, we'd be more than happy to assist :)
I'm not using my city water as I installed a well for my yard & garden. Do I need the backflow preventer since the irrigation system won't be attached to my City water system.
Very good question! The first thing I would do is get in contact with local water officials -- with how heavily backflow prevention is regulated, there's a good chance they could solve this one for you right away. Beyond that, we've seen folks use backflow prevention even in cases like this, where the water is not from their potable water supply. Some because they have another well on the property for their potable water, others just to prevent growth (backflow can bring bacteria, algae, etc with it, which can then begin growing in undesired locations).
Definitely check with the local water officials first, backflow requirements vary significantly from location to location -- one thing we've learned with backflow prevention: there's too many acronyms and every location has a different take. :)
Does it matter the size of the drip line? I have a bunch of 1/2 inch drip line. Does it still work the same as far as water distribution?
You bet, 1/2" emitter line will work much like 1/4", except it can handle longer runs (1/4" emitter line is good for up to 20' to 30', after that you want to go with something larger like 1/2"). A lot of 1/2" emitter line is pressure compensating as well, this also benefits longer runs. It also works great on shorter runs, so if you already have some, you can definitely put it to use :)
Thanks! I will make use of it
Should the main faucet valve that feeds the entire system remain open after you attach the timer with connection kit?
You got it exactly right -- so long as the PSI is within the operating pressure of the timer, you can leave the faucet open so that when the timer opens for its programmed watering cycle, water goes straight into the irrigation system :)
@@dripdepot Thanks!
Very useful. For this setup, do you recommend having a water hammer arrestor before the timer?
Thanks, glad we could help! Typically with Water Hammer, you only need an arrestor attached directly to your spigot (before the timer) if you notice water hammer symptoms. Hope that helps!!
Hi almostt ready to make an order. Most of the videos are showing raised beds that are less than two feet high. My garden dimensions are roughly 28 by 28 and I have 4 large 4 by 8 large raised beds will the drip irrigation work to get the flow of water into my beds or will I need to make them 1 ft tall beds. Kinda confused
Linda, water pressure is generated/lost by 0.433 PSI for every 1' of elevation change -- this means that unless your beds are extremely high you likely won't lose too much pressure when getting the water up the bed. Unless your water pressure at the spigot is uncommonly low or your beds extraordinarily tall, you're likely to have no problems getting the water up and into the beds :)
Hi Adam
Question for ya …..
Probably a silly question BUT
Should I put down my mulch first then my drip line
OR should I put my drip line down first and the mulch over the drip lin the top of it 🤔
Please let me know when you can
Thank you
That's a very good question! There's two schools of thought on this, as there's a little tradeoff either way. Placing the mulch over the top of the drip line is the most efficient route and loses the least amount of water since the mulch traps the moisture. The tradeoff is a slightly elevated risk of clogging, usually from the emitters inside suctioning back debris after shutdown (the lowest point emitters drain and that water is replaced by air and sometimes the only way air can enter the system is via the emitters).
Anti-siphon drip lines and those with an "outlet flap" can help alleviate this to a degree, but those types of drip lines aren't totally common yet. With all that said, drip emitters are designed to resist clogging and some folks have gone many seasons without a clog using their drip lines beneath the mulch. In my home garden I do use mine beneath the mulch (we're in the Pacific Northwest which has faced quite a few years of drought conditions so we tend to try out the more efficient routes).
Thank you for the great question Vicki!
@@dripdepot
Ok that’s all good info to know
I really can’t thank you enough for your all your help Dave 😊👍
I hope you have a great day
I didn't pick up on where're located. For us'em in the Northern climate where are you typically putting in a drain system near the garden or water source?
We're located in the "warm north" here in Southern Oregon. Freezing is reasonably rare around here, and when we do drop below freezing, it's typically not very far (but we still winterize any above ground systems for those couple stubbornly cold days we get every year lol).
Our end caps will typically be near the garden, preferably in a spot without much foot traffic (water/ice being a possible trip hazard). Some folks like to place their end caps so that they drain to a spot that won't he harmed by the water draining from the system (thirsty bushes, etc).
Basically, so long as the water isn't draining somewhere it could cause issues, you'll be doing it exactly right (and even better if it can drain somewhere that does some good, but not always possible) :)
Hi, Love your drip systems. We use it in our community education project garden (Stetson University) at Tomoka CI. Our students have asked me to forward a question. How to unclog lines that no longer drip properly? Thanks again!
Great question, happy to help!
Is this a type of emitter line that has emitters beneath pre-punched holes? If so, flushing the lines will often get rid of clogs -- to flush the lines, remove the end caps so that the ends of the lines are open. Then, turn on the water and allow water to make its way through the system and out of the ends for a few moments. Depending on available pressure and flow, you may only be able to do a few at a time.
Emitter line is designed to have "turbulent" flow -- the idea is that the turbulence will dislodge any debris clogging the emitter inlet filter, and with the ends open, flush it right out. This will often get emitter line up and running again.
Flushing on occasion during the growing season can also help prevent clogs from happening as debris won't get a chance to accumulate in the emitter filters.
I hope this does the trick for them!
Adam, a few quick questions (again). I’ve got my beds in place and ready to order my drip irrigation system. We are using 6 ft diameter deconstructed silos. Does the 1/2 inch tubing accommodate an arch rather than putting in a straight line? Ideally I’d like to follow the arch of the bed at the head and run 1/4 drip line (not tape) vertically. Hopefully this makes sense. Did you complete the video yet for attaching tubing to the metal raised bed?
Good morning Barbara! I'm going answer your last question first :)
We just finished filming the video yesterday, we shot it on Wednesday and Thursday. Our video editor is in full edit as I type this, he's going to try and get it completed by next week, so it shouldn't be too much longer now.
Our video does actually address both of these (but I'm not going to make you wait!) -- the 1/2" tubing does have some curvature that you can take advantage of to fit the curvature in beds and containers. The tubing ships in a coil shape, so just lay it out matching the direction the coil does and you'll likely get a pretty good fit.
Heya Barbara, if you were still in need, we just posted the metal bed video :)
Great video, I followed everything to a tee, drips fine, timer works etc however, the whole head assembly leaks. I've checked and replaced the gaskets, I'm using your T filter and the Claber Aquauno Logica timer. Any help would be appreciated. Water is so expensive here in Hawaii, I need help figuring this out. 3 beds, 6.5x3.5. Do you think I need the bigger filter??
Jacinta, I can confirm your head assembly should not leak and I'll be happy to help get it up and running. We're not at Hawaii levels yet, but a couple years of drought has our water pretty pricy too -- let's get that going leak free.
I'll cover some common causes (except the gaskets since you already took care of that) below -- if these aren't it, send us a photo of your head assembly via our website. You can say "Attn: Adam" in the title and it will come to me (though the others here are great too) :)
Ok the first thing I want to check is the head assembly order -- the order should be: .
Basically, we want to make sure everything comes after the timer outlet, as only the timer valve is rated for constant pressure (it sounded like the filter might be before the timer -- if it is, move it to after).
Second thing -- be sure not to use any teflon or thread seal tape. With hose threaded connections, this can actually cause the issues it's meant to prevent.
Those are probably the most common things we see along with the gaskets you already checked on -- if none of that does it, fire off that email with a photo of your head assembly and I'll take a look. We're just about to leave the office for the evening, so you might not hear back from me until tomorrow, but I'll be here and jump right in when I come in :)
I have a question about flushing. I see that you did the half inch line with the end caps removed, but what about the 1/4” drip tubing itself? I’m just thinking debris might get pushed down into those from adding button emitters or being flushed in there from the half inch line?
That's a very good question and I think it's open to interpretation to a degree. My thought during the making of the video (and it looks like your thinking is similar) was that I didn't want the water during flushing to go into the drip line too much, as I feared it might push debris into the dripline and get caught on one of the inlet filters at each emitter in the drip line, potentially causing a clog (or starting the process that could lead to one).
Looking back, I think I'd flush the 1/2" line first as I did, then flush the 1/4" drip line after -- that way, the majority of the debris would be carried out of the end of the 1/2" line on the first flush and then any small bits that got into the 1/4" could be flushed out after.
Very good question, thank you!
@@dripdepot Thank you so much for your fast reply! I like your rationale. I am going to go on your recommendation and flush the 1/2” first and then the 1/4” second💙🙏
@@dripdepot I will be setting up my relatively small (2 raised beds 6x6 & 2 long flower beds) system using lake water in Texas. Im concerned that this emitter system might get stopped up with the IKKY stuff that comes from the water when it gets warm. Do I need a special filter at the head assembly or do I just need to check the filter more often.?
@@torjiesweeten3482 Very good question! You are 100% on the right track to know to ask that.
Ok, if the water quality is as bad as it sounds, I'd probably go with a special filter -- not really special in any way other than larger. The larger the filter element inside, the less cleaning that's required (though with poor enough water quality, even then the cleanings could be frequent).
Is it primarily soft organics (algae, etc) that comes out of the lake water? If so, look into "Disc Filter." They're a bit better with organic debris than screen filters are. Though screen filters are a bit more involved to clean in general, they are easier to clean algae out of than a screen filter (it can get mashed in between the mesh of the screen and difficult to get out).
If you're sure of the water quality and how it relates to filtration, you could start with an inexpensive smaller filter and monitor it that first day irrigating to determine how often you'd need to clean it :)
@@dripdepot I will look in to the disc filter. Thanks!
Hi Adam, we installed drip tubing with 6 inches emitter on our 4x8 raised beds. rated for 0.5 gallon. How long should i set timer on? 10 minutes every day?
I have 4 or 5 lines the length of the bed
Great question Peter! There's no one right answer as there's a lot that goes into it: soil type, soil infiltration rate, plant type, microclimate conditions, maturity/stage of the plant and others. With that said, you're on the right track -- right now (with low precipitation in our area) I'm doing 10 minutes per day as well -- as it gets hotter and drier I'll probably add another watering cycle in the evening and when water demands are at their highest, increase each cycle in length (rather than adding a third cycle).
You can mostly account for all the variables above by keeping in mind you just want to maintain soil moisture -- not wet are water logged, just moist. Dig around a little (careful of roots) and make sure the soil near your plants is at that moist but not wet level. When you've got that, you're essentially doing it right (and the plants will let you know!). When testing water cycles I always keep in mind to err on the side of too little -- it's always easier to add more water than it is to remove :)
Wow , just the question I had and a good answer. I think in your video it was on the order of 70 GPH so at 10 minutes you are using 70 GPH / (1/6 H) or 70/6 G per Run . Well aproximately on that order
This is such a great video. I have one question: What is the reason for making 3 separate rows of the 1/4" drip tubing? We're thinking about doing 4 lines in our 4x8' bed but cutting the drip tubing double length (so 16'), attaching 2 lines into the main tube and then sort of bend the drip tubing like a U so each line of drip tubing will make two dripping rows. I understand there's a limit to how long they can be to work properly, but I think I remember you said max 30' in the video. Are we missing something or is it simply personal preference? TIA.
Great question -- to some degree it's personal preference, but there are a couple advantages to running individual lines. Less chance of an emitter not at a plant (if any emitters end up in the U section of the run, there may not be a plant there) and potentially less material used since no material fills the U portion. That's assuming one line per row of course, if you're turning the tubing back to run across the same row (to get drip line on both sides of the plants in the row) then those are less likely to be concerns.
Performance is also a possibility -- the maximum run length of 12" spaced drip line is about 30', but if you go with tighter spacing (6" and 9" are both fairly common), friction loss can start to get pretty high in runs over 20' -- at 20' in 6" spaced drip line, about 6.2 PSI is going to be lost from friction, which is enough to start noticing uniformity differences.
At 16' in your beds you're likely to be good to go even with 6" spaced drip line though -- at 16' the loss is only about 3.3 PSI. Yes, that does impact uniformity, but probably not enough to even notice there :)
Question.. do you get ad sense is I download this video? Or is it best to stream so you get the $.
It's safe to go either route Gracie -- at the moment, none of our videos are monetized, they're there only to share the information. I'm not sure if that means they'll still play ads or not, but I just double checked and none of our videos have the monetized box checked :)
@@dripdepot you should! Get money for your videos! We see your hard work
Hello Adam! Can you produce or link a video of how I should clean them for putting up for the winter?
Jennifer, good to hear from you -- hope you had an awesome end to summer :D
And you bet, here's a link to our winterizing video -- you're going to be happy to see that winterizing a drip system is easy :)
Here's that link: ruclips.net/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/видео.html
@@dripdepot yay!
I may have over watered some, under watered others, so I’ve having some successes and some failures. Better next year!
i found quite interesting yt videos: 1 about the outcome of trying to produce water chemically knowing its formula h2o, other about poultry catching mice devouring them even !
astronomiaweb, yt & haven's homestead, yt
Thank you Wolfgang! Very interesting on trying to chemically produce water, I'll check that one out, water issues are going to be the theme going forward.
if chem. elements combine easily or not, depends on their spectral colours: warm colours (red, orange, yellow) combine easier w/ cold colours (blue, green, purple?) such as pointed out in prof. ohsawa's book ''the far eastern philosophy in the atomic age'': for the difficulty to combine cold cooured elements amongst them (as well as warm ones) they need a factor such like heat or electricity etc. the ancient taoist alchemists were even able to reduce (reduction chem. process contrary to oxidation) gold in very small amounts from mercury (quite similar atomic weight). the hydrogen double molecule didn't combine w/ the split up O (from the double O2) so far.@@dripdepot
i'll tell my neighbors to getting trained their chicken better to catch mice after their cat had died !@@dripdepot
i already asked in comment section of lawyer ben davidson's suspicious observers, yt how to do it, since i remember ice formed in space coming to us by comets...@@dripdepot
Hi Adam, got a question for you. I have multiple raised beds and I am using 12" and 6" drip line emitters, some beds having both lines. I would like to "mark" the 12" drip lines. What options would you recommend? I was thinking using a tree label, or maybe a dot of red nail polish/ paint on the line, close to the mainline? Would the nail polish/ paint mess up the drip line? Would it bake off in the summer? Wash off in the rainy Pacific NW weather? Thank you in advance.
A tree label could definitely do the trick! There's some brightly colored ones that would stand out really well too. A zip tie could similarly work, with the tail end sticking up like a flag to identify the line. I think your concern with the paint is a good one, there's a reasonable chance it could erode off over time from wind and rain (not to mention the summers we get up here!). That and you'd want to make sure it's a plastics safe paint (nail polish is often used with acrylic nails though, so maybe it already is?).
The brightly colored poly repair tape you see out there could also work -- the manufacturer makes it in yellow, so it would stand out pretty well in a garden bed.
And last but not least, though it's probably too late to do so now, 1/4" drip line is available in both brown and black colors -- you could have all one spacing be black and all of the other be brown. If you ever add more beds in the future, keep this one in mind :)
Thank you for the question Imola!
@@dripdepot How long do I need to water the raised beds? I want to do the deep watering method. I am thinking 20-30 mins ever day? Or every other day. I have the 0.5 gal drip line all set up and working. I have mulched the raised beds with straw. Not sure if what I am growing is important but here is the list: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, peas, beans, squash, melons, parsley, kale, broccoli. I have 3 zones set up to cover my backyard garden, and I did the mapping as recommended.
Your garden sounds fantastic! I've never had much luck with melons for some reason.
So, the answer to this varies a lot (on microclimate conditions, soil type, plant maturity, soil infiltration rate and many others) so it's tough to pin things down to one solid watering cycle answer. I think you're on the right track with the 20-30 minutes a day or every other day. That cycle would be a little long for us up here in Oregon at the moment, but we're not into the heat and dry summers we get up here yet. If you're in a dry climate I could definitely see 20-30 mins per day or every other being a good cycle for deep root watering.
I'd start on the shorter end of that and monitor the health of the plants and dig around the soil a bit between watering cycles -- the soil should be most but not wet. If it's moist but the soil is still crumbly, you're in a good spot (if it's wet or muddy, shorten the cycle or reduce their frequency).
You'll also be increasing the cycles as the summer heat kicks in, so if you find that what works now isn't working in a few weeks, don't worry, that's completely normal. I also usually like to err on the side of starting small -- this is because drip irrigation is more efficient than folks realize, it really is good about delivering water directly to the roots -- that's why I suggest digging around the soil, as the top of the soil will probably look dry with just a few small wet spots. With drip, that's a good thing, as mots of the action should happen beneath the soil. :)
@@dripdepot Thank you so much for your answer. I will monitor the soil and see where that takes me. I am hoping the melons turn out good, this my first year of planting more than 1 plant.
You're very welcome Imola! You're gonna do great and you're going to love the fresh foods -- when everything is fruiting, take a walk around your garden and just munch a few things right off the plant and you'll spot the difference between store bought and home grown food right away :)
Hi Adam
QUESTION…..
is there a way to stop slow drip coming from a stopper where I needed to put it in the half inch tubing after taking out my quarter inch tubing to replace it in a different spot???
(I was hoping that I didn’t have to replace that section of half-inch tubing🤞)
Let me know when you have a second if you could, I would greatly appreciate it
Thank you for all of your help through this process
You bet Vicki, happy to help! Are you using a goof plug to fill the hole currently? If so, check that you're using the large side of it -- the large side of the goof plug is a good deal larger than a 1/4" fitting (which can make them hard to push in!) so should fill the hole up leak free :)
If you are using the large side of it, you might have to replace that section, but it's possible to do it with just a single 1/2" coupling -- cut the hole out of the tubing as thinly as you can, then just re-join the two sections with a coupling and it will be a permanent fix.
@@dripdepot
Hi Adam
Yes, I’m using a goof plug
OK, I will be sure to check that in the morning hopefully I am using the thinner side, but if not, then I will go ahead and replace that section
Thank you for taking the time to get back with me, so promptly
Always appreciate all your help
Thank you Adam
Yeppp I had the goof plug with the smaller narrow side in, so I switched it around
And yay the leak stopped
Thank u again
@@vickirickman9373 Heck yeah, awesome Vicki! =D
Thank you for this video. I was wondering if I should burry the micro tubing with drippers under the mulch or leave it out. You are saying the emitters on the tubing will get clogged, so probably I shouldn’t burry them. But I watched some other videos and people say animals like squirrels and chipmunks will chew on the tubing to get water, especially during hot spells. So burry or not to burry?
You have it right that burying slightly increases the risk of clogging -- less so when it's buried under mulch than when buried under soil (but we still see both done). In regards to critters chewing on the tubing, that's definitely correct whether buried or not, they have no problems digging through a little mulch or soil to get to the water. With small animals, we usually find the most effective method is to simply provide an easier source of water (water fountain, water feature, etc). They'll go for the easiest source :).
With burying it basically comes down to personal preference for the most part (though I usually avoid direct soil burial in my own garden). Burying under mulch increases efficiency on what are already efficient irrigation systems, but at an increased risk of the occasional clogged emitter (which to be fair, are fairly easy to fix, and in my experience pretty rare).
My wife and I watched your videos and just finished installing one of your systems.
We are having a loud low hum inside the house while the system is running. Any advice to fix this issue?
Does the sound persist the entire time it's running?
First let's check to see if it's a trapped air issue -- the turbulence from air can cause a humming (or even hammering) sound at time. To bleed the system of air, remove one of the end caps on the system and just let water run for a few moments -- this will generally allow trapped air to escape.
If you can, also pin down the source just in case the hum is coming from one of the head assembly (backflow preventer, pressure regulaor, etc) components :)
Hi again. I noticed at 18:01 mins into the video, there is a quick tip that said to check the link in the description for how to install a drip system on metal raised beds but I can’t find the link. Can you send?
Heya Barbara! That video is incoming soon, it's our next one, we're just waiting on the beds to arrive so we can film it. We expected them to be here some time ago, but bad weather has made their trip across the country slow. I'll reply to your comment with the link as soon as we get it uploaded. :)
@@dripdepot Perfection, Tx! We purchased 2 used silo feeders that we’re dismantling in sections for our raised beds. Recycling and saving money! Will be on the lookout for your video. In the meantime, my attention is on making the top layer of planting mix. Using the Mel’s Mix formula. Wow, coarse vermiculite is EXPENSIVE! If you have any tips there, let me know!
You're definitely right about the price! Fortunately it is great stuff -- a little ding in the wallet for great results in the garden. I did get a tip from a colleague who uses it: Be sure to fluff it she said -- it will go further than you think with a good fluffing. If you're doing square foot gardening or similar, be sure to use the same bucket for all your measurements for even distribution :)
@@dripdepot Tx! I’m leaning on you heavily, I know, so shut me off if I’m talking too much of your time. Does your colleague recommend a certain depth for the growing medium in the SQF gardening? My beds are 32 inches high and I plan on doing the hugelkultur method to fill the majority of my beds.
Barbara, that's awesome! We're essentially going to do the same thing in our metal beds video coming up. Right now the plan is: 5 Cardboard (with no ink), 45% Wood, 10% Plant Waste, 10% Compost and 30% Organic Soil -- some folks go without the cardboard and go: 40% Logs, 20% Branches/Sticks, 25% Plant Waste, 10% Compost, 5% Top Soil.
We've seen both mixtures work pretty well :)
I'm finally ready to lay down my system, but I can't help but wonder about a very important question... How do I know the length of time to run my water with 0.5 gph drip lines??? I'm worried I may under/over water and lose all of our veggies.
Typically we recommend to pick a watering cycle and monitor the health of the plants -- this is largely because there's no one right answer in regards to watering duration -- or rather, there is, but it depends on may variables (time of year, maturity of plants, local conditions, humidity, soil infiltration rate and many more).
Don't let that make you worry though, the "water and watch" method is very effective and is even used on the commercial side of things. Your plants will let you know if they need more or less water.
In Oregon, I typically start with a 10 minute cycle when the plants are young (unless we have rain, then no cycle). As they mature and the days get hotter, I'll increase this to either a longer cycle, or running a second cycle later in the evening. My first year using drip I ended up with two 45 minute cycles when water demands where the highest (hottest days, plants fruiting). The next year I dropped that down to two 30 minute cycles and still had great results -- basically, there's some room for error with drip.
Your aren't likely to be exactly the same, but you can start around there if you're growing some common garden veggies. Watch to see how the plants respond and adjust as needed :)
Quick Question: I see that some people prefer emitters every 6 inches. If emitters cover 12 inches, why use emitters every 6 or 9 inches, as I have seen available. I will be using my system for vegetable garden. Tx for your thoughts.
Barbara, first thank you truly for the kind words :)
I tend to agree and I think some folks use 6" spaced when they really only need 12". Drip takes a little getting used to not seeing the surface of the soil being covered by moisture. At times folks newer to it will think it's not delivering enough water and add emitters until they see more of it on the surface. In most cases they do not need to, as most of the action will be going on beneath the surface (or should be!).
6" spacing can be a good choice in sandier soil types and locations with particularly dense planting. Some really thirsty plants and some trees/shrubs/bushes can benefit from a ring of 6" spaced dripline going around it as well.
OH tx for replying! Another question, since I have you! Our water pressure is 32 psi, water flow is 273 gph and the distance to the furthest plant is right at 200’. So far my design shows about 175 emitters if 12 in apart. According to my math, I should be able to use one system for my entire garden. Will my 32 psi support a 25 psi pressure regulator? Tx!
Heya Barbara!
It's close, but your system should be able to support a 25 PSI regulator -- the Senninger regulators require 5 more inlet PSI than what they regulate to, so you're within spec at 7 PSI higher than the 25 PSI it will regulate to :)
Oh wait. I was wrong about the distance. The total linear distance to the farthest plant is 100 ft. However, if I add up all the actual 1/2” tubing needed to run to the beds, up the raised beds, create a header in each bed, etc is a total of 200’. With that in mind, is it still ‘close’ and should I consider creating 2 zones?
At 100' from source to plant you'll be well within the green, even if the total length used is close to 200'. I'm cautiously optimistic you can run this as one zone as you have plenty of flow at 273 GPH. If I understood correctly, the system flow will be 87.5 GPH (175 0.5 GPH drippers), which means your water source has plenty of flow to feed them :)
how do i determine how long to run the irrigation for a 4x8 raised bed?
There is unfortunately no one answer to this, as it depends on many variables (time of year, sun exposure, plant maturity level, soil infiltration rates, the list goes on) -- we generally recommend watering and watching the health of the plants, they'll let you know if they need more or less water. For those who like to dial it in a little more specifically, they can look up their plant type and get information on how many gallons of water they need at various maturity levels and then match the watering cycle based on the flow rate of the emitters used.
Here's a quick video we made that goes over "How long to water" and covers the above in a little more depth: ruclips.net/video/caF5_paR8Uo/видео.html
I did this last year but the following week my pressure valve in the basement had to be replaced. I'm nervous about trying it again this year.
The valve in your basement went after installing irrigation? Definitely a nightmare scenario and I hope you were able to get it shut off before it flooded too much.
The good news is, it's extraordinarily rare for newer parts like this to fail quickly, so you're likely safe from a flooded basement for some time. Was it an older pressure valve? If so, that could have been it, but it might be worth making sure your PSI there isn't particularly high :)
I am a DIYer that needs to connect some poly water lines that are connected to two different impact heads for overhead and connect them to drip irrigation to a greenhouse. How can I find out what I need to go from a 1/2 inch water line to drip irrigation?
Happy to assist :)
Are the poly lines that are connected to the impact sprinklers the thick walled funny/swing pipe type that's only a little flexible, or thin walled and very flexible LDPE? If you're not sure, fire us off a photo at the Contact Us on our website, good chance we can identify it with a picture or two (one straight on so we can see how thick the walls are).
Either way it shouldn't take too much, if both poly lines are swing pipe, a barbed swing pipe coupling will do the trick -- likewise if they're both LDPE, a small poly tubing coupling will get them connected.
@@dripdepot I will see you a pic at the Contact Us. Thank you for your time.
@@MicroUrb You bet! I'll keep an eye out for it -- you can include my name (Adam) in the title or body and any colleague who gets it will make sure it gets over to me :)
So if I'm on a 30psi water tap and I want to use a single 200-250ft 3/4" dripping hose with holes every 1.5ft or so for 0.5gph, do I still need to use a water pump?
At 30 PSI you're at the high end of drip irrigation pressure, but from what you've described that's likely a good thing as button drippers typically operate at 25 PSI but can absolutely handle 30 PSI.
So, your pressure is good enough (and not too high) to push the water, let's also make sure you have enough water available to feed the emitters without a pump.
To test the flow rate, time how long it takes to fill a bucket whose volume you know (for example, 2 gallon bucket, 5 gallon bucket, etc). Once you've got it timed, plug the numbers into the flow rate calculator at this link -- you'll just need the size of the bucket and how long it took to fill: www.dripdepot.com/irrigation-calculators
There's a good chance you'll have enough flow without a pump (but definitely still test it!) -- If you had 250' of 3/4" tubing with a 0.5 GPH dripper every 1.5' you'd have a system that flows at 83.33 GPH, which isn't too heavy of a burden for most water sources.
After you test your flow rate, reply here and let me know what you got and I can send information on what that means for your system :)
@@dripdepot amazing! thanks a lot for the super detailed explanation and help!
How often should i water my tomatoes, straw berry and blueberry plants? They are in a raised bed, and I live near the coast in VA, and it gets near 100F during the day.
There isn't one right answer to this, as a lot of variables are involved (cultivar of the plants, soil moisture retention rates, maturity of plants, number of fruit, etc) -- basically, it will vary from location to location.
For the most part, we recommend "water and watch" -- pick a watering cycle and monitor the health of the plants so you can adjust accordingly. With that said, during the hottest part of summer (often around 100° here too) I typically water my garden fruit and vegetables for 30 minutes, twice per day using 0.5 GPH emitters. Your optimal cycles will likely be a little different, but you can use that get a rough idea -- for example, my soil moisture retention isn't great (I really need to get more mulch) so I have to add that second cycle in the evening.
When experimenting with watering cycles, always remember it's easy to add more water at almost any time, but not to remove water, so I like to err on the side of potentially too little when first picking a cycle.
Also, don't use the wet circle on top of the soil as a benchmark -- when done correctly, drip irrigation should only leave a small wet circle on the surface, all the action happens beneath the surface of the soil. You can dig around a little after a watering cycle to see how the water spread -- remember, for most plants you want it to be moist, but not wet :)
How do you know when to use 1/4 inch drip tubing or run lines to button drippers? Also, do you recommend adjustable dripper buttons? Thank you.
I like to use the 1/4" dripline when I have a row of plants across a distance, such as in a raised or in-ground bed and when planting density is reasonably thick. I use button drippers almost exclusively for potted plants and container plants, similar to the onions in this video. They also work well for plants that are just out of the way of the rest of the system :)
@@dripdepot Thank you. Your videos are very helpful.
I have used drip irrigation in my raised beds and for my in-ground plants for years, and I am re-doing my plans for this year. I already have main line tubing that I purchased locally and I plan to buy fittings from you. One thing I have thought about is to use 3/4 inch PVC instead of poly pipe for the longer runs between the faucet and the beds. If I do that, do you have fittings to make connection to 1/2 inch main line tubing? Also, I have always used four lines of drip tubing in my 4' wide beds. I live in the high desert and things dry out quickly. Are 3 lines of drip tube really enough? I have used 6 inch drip tup spacing in the past. Am I overdoing it?
Great questions Nadine!
In regards to 3/4" PVC to 1/2" tubing, this can definitely be done -- with that said, the cost to go with 3/4" tubing could be about the same and it's much easier to work with poly. PVC will also have to be buried, where you can use poly on the surface if you like. Either way I'll be able to help :)
In regards to the 3 or 4 lines -- 4 lines of 6" spacing may be a little over what I'd do, but that doesn't necessarily make it wrong -- as you noted, you probably need more water due to how hot and dry it is out your way. We're located in Oregon so definitely have a bit more humidity in the air. With that said, a lot of it comes down to soil type -- if your soil is looser or sandy, close spacing and an additional line like you're doing is absolutely ok. If you have denser soil, you might not need that 4th line, water can spread out pretty far from the point of drip in denser soils.
If you haven't planted in the bed yet, you could try running the irrigation system with just three lines in it and then dig around in the soil to see how far the water spread.
@@dripdepot Thank you. I am in Southern Utah at about 5500 feet. The soil in my raised beds has a lot of organic matter in it, so it holds water reasonably well. La Nina has given us a lot of water (by our standards) over the winter, but it is very dry in the summer. Still, the beds tend to be moist enough that I manage to dig up little desert toads on a regular basis that need a moist environment. I think I will try running 3 lines per 4 foot bed and see how it works. The only things in the beds now are a few perennials that have wintered over and the garlic that I planted in the fall. I got down to 17 last night so I've got some time before I will need a full blown watering system.
The reason I am considering 3/4 inch piping is that the garden is pretty large and I though I might get better water flow over the distance. Maybe I am mistaken about that and I would welcome your opinion. As for pvc rather than poly, the lines will have to cross over places where there are gates, and will sometimes have wheelbarrows crossing them. What I have done in the past with the 1/2 inch tubing is that I have run it through some pvc to protect it from the wheelbarrow wheels, and I could do that now as well. I plan to test my water flow rate later today, but in general our water comes out pretty fast. I think I'll give the three line method a try, with two lines in my narrower beds.
As for burying pvc, I have some that has been out in the open for more than a decade without cracking. It has been surprisingly durable.
@@nadinehansen9241 We had a small freeze last night too, but pretty much 32° on the nose, so not quite as cold :)
You are correct that 3/4" tubing will provide for better flow and pressure, at least if conditions are present that would otherwise overtax 1/2". By that I primarily mean line length and total flow going through it -- after about 200' length or 200 GPH in flow, the friction loss curve does get pretty steep in 1/2" tubing and it's better to look into 3/4".
And roger that on the PVC -- awesome you already have some! Definitely a good idea to put it to use in that case. Yours could be UV treated which does slow down its deterioration significantly.
From the sounds of your soil, 3 lines per bed is great to start with -- tentatively, it's sounding like it will be enough and provide for great coverage. If after testing it doesn't, it's fortunately easy to toss in an additional line (or even just a couple drippers coming off the mainline with 1/4" tubing).
@@dripdepot I just did my flow test: It took 8 seconds to get 2 gallons of water. That's 900 gallons per hour. I guess I don't have any problems with water flow. 🙂Now I'll do the rest of my math and I'll be ready to order.
@@nadinehansen9241 Nadine, wow! That's a healthy flow rate -- I thought mine was high at 750 GPH, but yours can support a serious irrigation system :)
That's great news and really helps reduce some of the more annoying problems that comes from lack of flow -- you're on the right track all the way.
I am putting together my drip system now that I got the parts for a couple of months ago. I didn't buy 1/2 inch tubing because I already had a large roll that I bought locally. I am finding that it is really hard for me to connect the perma-lock fittings. It looks really easy when you do it in the videos. Would it be easier if I bought your 1/2 inch tubing?
Potentially so Nadine! That or slightly different fittings (I can help with either one).
In the industry, there are a lot of different 1/2" tubing sizes that all say 1/2" even though they actually measure different. We use one of the more common sizes with a 0.600" inside diameter and a 0.700" outside diameter.
There's also quite a bit of 1/2" tubing that measure 0.520" inside diameter out there, and I suspect that's what you have if it feels like the barbs on the fittings are a little too large and it's difficult to push the tubing on.
Our 1/2" tubing will work with all of our 1/2" fittings (our 1/2" fittings work with a small range of 1/2" sizes, but unfortunately not the 0.520" inside diameter tubing) -- our 3/8" fittings will work with that 0.520" inside diameter stuff, however.
This is a common enough problem that we actually made a video about it -- I've described most of it above, but if you'd like a little more detail, here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/SY71GKA_CyQ/видео.html
If you wanted to return fittings to get 3/8" or just grab some tubing, I'll be happy to help either way :)
@@dripdepot Thank you. Mine doesn't say what size it is but that is the same size Home Depot sells now. I bought this at HD a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure it is the same. In any case I ordered some from you. I hope it's easier to use than what I already have, which I have really struggled with, even when putting the tubing in hot water.
@@nadinehansen9241 You bet Nadine -- I can confirm our 1/2" tubing works with our 1/2" fittings, so you'll be good to go there.
It can still be a little difficult to get on (to some degree it has to in order to make a water tight seal), but I know some tips that will help.
When poly tubing gets warm, it gets softer and more flexible -- this can make it easier to get it on over the barb. What you can do is drip the end into some very hot water (careful not to burn yourself though! I've done that) for a few moments until it gets soft -- you'll find it goes over the barb a lot easier then. Sometimes just leaving it out in direct sunlight can warm it up a lot too.
Another tip is to use the "walk on" method. As you push the tubing, wiggle it back and forth a little bit to walk it on over the barb.
If you experience any troubles, just let me know, I've got more tips and will make sure this gets up and running for you :)
Watching your videos to customize my kit before I order. I notice you didn't seem concerned about going through the middle of the garden area. Is it ok to run the mainline through a high-traffic area? It makes the most sense to do mine that way, too, but I want to be sure it's ok.
This is a great comment, and if I could go back I think I would address it in the video, as you bring up a really good point. You are correct, in the video we weren't concerned with just running the tubing through the middle of the garden -- the house we installed that one at has no small children who might be unaware (or quickly lose focus on) of a trip hazard like tubing.
It was fenced off as well, so less concern about guests or visitors who are unaware of the tubing walking through the garden. And with all that said, the tubing is pretty small and during daylight hours very visible. If there's not a lot of foot traffic in an area, it's very common to leave it above-grade. If there were young children (or a lot of foot traffic) I'd likely bury the mainline in high traffic areas.
Great comment, thank you!
@@dripdepotAhh, the mainline can be buried! That will work nicely, thank you.
@@Daedal71 You're very welcome! If you bury it, do it like PVC (though you don't have to go as deep) -- build a trench of soft crumbly soil for it to lay in, pull out any rocks or sharp sticks, and you're goood to go :).
In my home garden I probably have 3/4 of my tubing buried and the rest above grade -- I've made more repairs in the above-grade parts (dang raccoons) than I have the buried parts.
@@dripdepot thank you for the tips!
You mentioned that a 1/2 gal emitter with 12" spacing will water approximately a 12" square. In one of the comments below someone asked how many lines for a 33" wide bed and you said two lines. Won't that leave about a 9" wide strip of the bed unwatered?
Good question, and to some degree I made an assumption that this would be in a raised bed with two rows of plants with common loamy garden soil. In the 3' wide bed, we usually see 2 rows of plants, with no plants right against the edge of the bed, so two lines will get it done.
A more general rule can be applied -- run one line of drip tape per row of plants, and ideally, at least one emitter at the location of each plant (it doesn't have to be right on top of the plant though, water will make its way to it, and roots will also seek water).
Can the main line be burried to make lawn mowing easier?
You bet! It's pretty common to bury the mainline tubing -- when you do, go about 6" to 12" deep and make a bed of soft crumbly soil for it to rest in, much like you'd do with PVC :)
So glad I came here to read these questions/comments, thank you for asking. I didn’t even think about weed whipping in the garden and the half inch line running on the ground!
Does the cross fitting come in any of the raised bed irrigation kits? I ordered the standard kit but don’t see it on the list of the fittings and now am worried it’ll end up delaying my project. 😢
None of the raised bed kits include a cross -- the cross fitting is actually one of the least used fittings (we've been trying to find a reason to use one in a video) -- do you have a location where you need to come in from one direction and then split 3 others? If so, see if you end up with an unused Tee, as two tees can accomplish something similar and may save you having to wait for a cross fitting. If you do end up needing one, let me know, I'll make sure you get free shipping on it. :)
how long would you set the run time? one hour sufficient? one gallon will soak one cubic foot of soil, correct?
One hour is a common run time in some places -- how long to run the system and how much soil is moistens are very dependent on the location (in denser soil water spreads further than in loose soil), maturity of the plants, exposure to sunlight, temperature, relative humidity -- basically, many factors, most of which are specific to the location and its microclimate.
With that said, for common garden vegetables, a 1 hour cycle is common when the plants are mature and fruiting and the days are hotter. Some break that cycle up into two 30 minute cycles, and in some places we've even seen two 45 minute to two 1 hour cycles be necessary.
We made a reasonably short (4:49) video that covers the above in a bit more depth if you wanted a little more information: ruclips.net/video/caF5_paR8Uo/видео.html
When do you use the dripline and when the button drippers?
For the most part, drip line when the plants are in a row or densely planted enough that snaking it through the area doesn't have emitters dripping where the water can't be used. Button drippers for individual plants or out of the way plants.
The two are interchangeable to some degree, and are often used on the same zone, as they can both have the same 0.5 GPH flow rates. In those cases it comes down to labor time, while you could install a button dripper at each plant down a row (and you'd likely get good results), the additional time it would take is quite a bit longer than just running the drip line down the row and capping it off :)
is it possible to attach both drip tape and drip line to a designated water line say a 1/2' or larger water source line?
It sure is! A setup like this can perform well so long as the limitations are respected (not going over 200 GPH in flow in the 1/2" line, etc).
In these cases it's best to pressure regulate for the drip tape (15 PSI for 15 Mil thick tape) versus the drip line (25 PSI). This will protect your drip tape from pressure and drip line will still perform great at 15 PSI, it's well within its operating pressure range :)
Could you run one 1/4” line and coil it around the entire bed instead of running 3-4 individual lines or would that decrease the flow of the emitters towards the end of the line?
It can be done within some limitations -- if you exceed those limitations, it could potentially cause the issue you described, so you're definitely on the right track.
If the total length of the line is less than 30' (with 12" spaced drip line) it should still be uniform throughout the coil. With 6" spacing I typically try to keep it no longer than 15' to 20'. After those lengths the friction loss curve gets pretty steep and could impact uniformity enough to be noticeable.
Great question, thank you truly!
My standard kit did not come with the backflow preventer. Is this a mistake ? It appears to be in the photo of the parts but now that I’m looking I don’t see it on the list of parts. 😢 Is this absolutely necessary? Can I come back and install it later?
Lauren, you'll definitely want a backflow preventer, but, I was able to locate your initial order and do show one was on the order, so you may be covered (and definitely let me know if it's not there).
Did a brass piece come with your order? On the receipt and order (and likely the tag) it will be called a "vacuum breaker" -- this can be a little confusing, but the vacuum breaker is the backflow preventer (it prevents backflow by breaking vacuum conditions that can lead to back-siphoning). If that piece is missing, that's on us and we can easily send one out to you :)
Here is a link to the brass one that should have been included so you can check it out and see if it made it: www.dripdepot.com/brass-three-quarter-inch-hose-end-vacuum-breaker
Ok I see the vacuum breaker! I was looking for one that looked like what you used in the video. I went ahead and ordered another one from you all but probably don’t need that now.. it’s ok. No big deal. Thanks so much for responding!
@@laurenstokes675 Perfect! Lauren, looks like they got your order packed early this morning, but I'm going to issue a full shipping refund so that it ships for free. A backup backflow preventer is often a good idea either way (backflow preventers protect the water supply in the house from irrigation water, so nice to know you'll have a working one if anything happens to one of them).
I have your raised bed kit, and I ordered the drip tape kit as well. Can I just tap into my drip tape kit main line and attach the drip tape? Or do I need a pressure regulator to bring the pressure down to 15?
When using drip tape you'll definitely want to regulate the pressure at about 15 PSI -- this will protect the thin walls of the tape and also keep it dripping at about the stated emitter flow rate :)
@@dripdepot what part do I need that can throw on a regulated from the main tubing?
Is your system operating from a hose bib? If so, item #3525 should get the job done for you. It has female hose threads on the inlet and male hose threads on the outlet, so it can thread on to a hose bib (or other male hose threaded connections like a hose bib) with no additional adapters needed :)
Here is the link directly to it: www.dripdepot.com/search?q=3525
Our bed is approx 15 feet from the house. Do you recommend digging a trench for the main line to each the bed? How is this system in the winter? We live in NJ
Great questions! Drip Irrigation tubing can be buried underground. It's all up to your personal preference! We find some gardeners love to keep their gardens neat and tidy, and in that case, they like to take the extra steps to trench out the mainline. Others prefer to keep it above ground, so it's easier to maintain and add on to in the future.
Keep in mind that burrowing rodents, like gophers, can chew through the tubing seeking water, and with it being underground, it is harder to locate the leak. If you decide to bury your tubing, keep an eye on your system to make sure everything is running correctly; so that if a rodent does chew through the tubing, you can spot the problem immediately. Once you have your trench dug and the tubing laid out, you may want to have the system pressurized before burying to reduce the risk of tubing collapse.
A drip system will do great through a New Jersey winter; just remember to winterize it before the first freeze. Winterizing is essentially flushing the lines of any excess water and storing away sensitive components like the head assembly. If you'd like to follow a guide to preparing a drip irrigation system for winter, we made one that covers all the bases [ruclips.net/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/видео.html]!
Does the water pressure stay constant through to the end of the drip lines or does it weaken with each emitter in the line?
Thank you for reaching out!
You bet, so long as you stay within spec of the mainline tubing you're using, you'll have nice and even pressure throughout the line thanks largely to the pressure regulator. If you have too high of flow or run the mainline too long, you'll experience high rates of friction loss which can impact performance.
The good general rule is 200' Length and 200 GPH flow for 1/2" tubing, 480' Length and 480 GPH for 3/4" -- after those thresholds, the friction loss curve can get pretty steep, but staying within them minimizes pressure lost from friction :)
Is there a link on what to use when installing on a metal raised bed?
We're still working on that comprehensive guide and hope to have it completed soon! In the meantime, we'd be happy to assist you personally via email. If you like, reach out to us on our contact page or email us at support@dripdepot.com. During office hours, we'll get back promptly :)
When we get the video completed, we'll also reply here with the link to ensure it gets shared with you.
@@dripdepot I am replying so I get notified when this posts. I have a bunch of Vego garden beds and a couple hundred bucks of drip equipment from yall and I'm ready except for this one part.
You bet! I will post here when the video is complete. We're just waiting on the beds to arrive now, we've got everything else ready to go so we can shoot it quick. We're hoping to get it up before growing season is in full swing. If you end up needing the information sooner, email us from our website, we can send you some images we made with metal beds and drip irrigation :)
I don't find the backflow preventer in my order. I have a vacuum breaker. Is that the same thing?
You got it exactly right, that one is the backflow preventer -- it prevents backflow by breaking the vacuum conditions that can lead to back-siphonage :)
How to take off the barbed elbow or tee from the existing mainline. They are too tight. Any tips ?
That is definitely a challenge! It's best to attempt it when the tubing is cold, that is when it will be contracted the most (and will prevent the tubing from simply stretching when you try to pull it off the barb). In some applications, it might be easier to cut the tubing off the barb, as they are indeed a very tight fit (which they have to be to keep water pressure from blowing the tubing off the fittings).
I have a reasonable success rate when doing it while the tubing is cold -- if you need to, you can run some water through it first, the water will cool the tubing -- then, try to pull it as straight as possible.
Can you bury the main line? I have three 24 inch tall raised beds and I don’t want the water line to be on the outside where someone might trip on them.
You sure can! A trip hazard is a good reason to do so too :) Also, lawn mowers love to eat tubing, so it protects the tubing as it does foot traffic.
Just like with PVC, dig a trench 6" to 12" of soft crumbly soil, and then you can lay the tubing in and cover it up with soil (and grass if it's going through the lawn).
Do you bury the drip lines after completion? If so, how deep?
For the 1/4" drip lines themselves, those are typically left above grade in raised beds, though it's not entirely uncommon for folks to put them under a layer of mulch. Going under a layer of mulch does increase the efficiency a bit (less evaporation) but does increase the risk of clogging.
The mainline can also be buried if you like (and can be handy if the area is mowed or needs maintained with equipment. In that case, 6" to 12" depth is good :)
If I use a 50ft hose to calculate my GPH flow rate will it still be accurate?? Our bib isn't in a location where we can get a bucket directly under it.
Great question -- there will indeed be some loss due to the hose, but that might be good in this case. Are you going to be using the hose to feed the drip system? If so, it's best to test the flow rate through the hose so you get the flow rate of what you'll be working from.
If you won't be using the hose for the drip system, that's still ok -- a 50' garden hose isn't going to cause a heavy flow loss in most cases :)
@@dripdepot yes we will be using the same hose to connect to the main line each row will feed off of. Thanks for responding!
@@angelawagnon9778 You're very welcome -- and perfect! Definitely use the hose then as that will get you an accurate flow rate where the irrigation will be connected :)
I am in SC. You dont bury the line? Is it that freeze resistant?
It is indeed that freeze resistant! At least so long as the lines are drained -- we generally just gravity drain them with some end caps at low points though, you don't even necessarily need a compressor.
Poly tubing actually got its start in the US up in the Northeast due to its freeze resistance (it's fairly popular in Canada for the same reason). It has a "bend but don't break" property you don't see in a lot of other pipe/tubing types due to their rigidity.
I hesitate to share this anecdote because I always want people to winterize properly, but one time we filled up some poly tubing completely full of water and capped both ends -- we then put it in the freeze for a few weeks, and it came out completely undamaged -- we were actually hoping for damage for our winterizing video, but were out of luck.
To anyone reading this, don't let that keep you from winterizing! :)
Does it matter if the filter is vertical like you have it in this video? Or could be be horizontal or some other angle?
For the type of filters we're using in the video, it is ok to have it oriented at almost any angle, so long as the direction of flow is respected. Most of these types of hose end filters will have an arrow printed on them that show the direction the water should travel through it. If you've got that part done, it's no problem to have it horizontal, vertical, etc :)
@@dripdepot thank you. I appreciate the speedy responses as I try to figure this out.
Thank you
You're very welcome Jan, thank you too!
Hello I am currently looking for a kit in your website, i have 3 beds, 1- 12'x4' and 2 4'x8', the 12'x4' will have 2 rows of tomatoes with a row of green onions and a row of basil so 4 rows total, would i still only run 3 lines of 1/4" emitter tubing? Or would I run 4 and double up per tomatoe plant as i heard tomatoes need more water? or with tomatoes would i run 2- 1/2 mainline tubing down the rows of tomatoes with individual drippers for each tomato and then run a 1/4" Line for the basil and onions? I have no idea how this stuff works.
Secondly the kit im looking at has things I dont think I need, is there a way I can contact someone that can assist me i adding things I might need extra of and taking things out I dont need?
Thirdly my beds are metal so I cant use the hold downs with the nails, so would I run it over the side where it risks getting cut and hot from the sun or up underneath into the bed and then bury the lines??
And Finally I also cannot run the mainline tubing from my house as its 100' away and there's a cement walkway , garage, shed and driveway, can I run a good hose out to the garden that will hook up out there where I will have the timer>backflow >filter >pressure reducer into the mainline all hooked up in a junction box with a quick disconnect for the hose as it has to ge detachable for years work , driveway etc etc.
The first, in regards to how many lines of drip line to run, could go either way depending on soil type, etc, but I'd likely run 4 lines, one for reach row of plants. Doubling up on the tomatoes may be a good idea, as they do require more water than some of the other plants, but you could also go with a tighter spacing (6" instead of 12" for example) for that row to ensure they receive adequate water without overwatering the others.
Absolutely happy to help in removing items from the kit you don't need -- in fact, we recommend customizing the kits to make it an even better fit, so you're 100% on the right track here. Reach out to us from this link (this is our contact us link and sends us an email -- during office hours, we get back to email quickly): help.dripdepot.com/support/tickets/new
Also good question on the metal beds -- this can also go either way. I'm fond of just hanging the elbow at the top off the edge of the metal bed, but there's no harm in coming from underneath unless you've laid metal mesh or similar down before the beds. We made a video for metal raised beds I'll link here -- there's a lot of crossover between this video and that one, but you can definitely skip ahead to see how we secured our lines to the bed: ruclips.net/video/ug_CAB9920w/видео.html
You can incorporate a hose into a drip system, you bet -- you'll still want the head assembly (timer, backflow preventer, filter, etc) at the hose bib however, as most garden hoses are not rated for constant pressure, which it would be under if the timer valve was downstream of the garden hose. The filter and regulator could be at the end of the hose, but the timer and backflow preventer you'll definitely want on the hose bib.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us here or the contact us link above if you have any questions, happy to assist :)
@@dripdepot I think the standard kit suits everthing I need , I do think doing 6" spacing for the tomatoes is a good idea as that will give me 1gph per tomato plant and 12" spacing for carrots, onions ,basil, cilantro, Oregano, would I do the 6" spacing for cucumbers and green peppers that are in the 4x8? I emailed and they did respond back with the standard is what you all recommended, the only thing in the kit I wouldn't need for the raised beds is the button drippers but I can keep those for future upgrades if I add bags or containers .
So with the hose bib , at the house right at the hose bib is where ill put the timer, backflow and filter, connect the hose to the filter outlet which will go out to the garden and that's where I'll have a quick connect for the pressure reducer and fitting to connect the mainline (plug and play) I just want the timer and the backflow and filter right at the strongest point is what im Understanding the others can be at the garden for the hose to attach to correct?
And finally do you all sell the rubber stripping to go around the top of the metal beds separately, I'm a stroke survivor on blood thinners so Getting cut is a big no no, if not can probably find it at the hardware store right now I just have a few pool noodles in areas that have sharp spots
@@godlikedesigns9269 Bit of a tough call on the cucumbers in particular -- yes, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers all need about the same amount of water (this can vary based on cultivar, but in general), but tomatoes like to dry out between waterings where cucumbers enjoy always moist soil. To balance that, you could apply more mulch on the cucumbers, and/or less on the tomato plants.
Your proposed head assembly (timer, backflow filter at the hose bib and then regulator and hose x tubing adapter near the garden) sounds good, that should work just as well as having it all at the hose bib. :)
@@dripdepot got it ordered and being processed to ship ty, one final question, there's one area in the garden where no matter what i do i have to run the mainline across the walk area, I personally wouldn't have issues with not stepping on it but company for some reason just can't stay out of the garden area no matter how many times i tell them, can I bury that part of the line or should I just make a type of cover to put over top?
I could build an arch type thing and run it up Over the top of that area but I would be wasting fittings and line also doing so would probably lower the flow as it'll go up 7' in the air (I'm 6'2") over abd back down 6' into the bed, just thought maybe you might have an idea on how I can protect that one 3' cross over
@@godlikedesigns9269 Awesome, sounds like it'll be shipping today if it's processing now -- when it arrives, you're welcome to reach out with any installation questions as well.
And yes, foot traffic is the bane of above ground irrigation systems sometimes -- it is acceptable to bury tubing there and probably not too difficult if the walkway isn't terribly wide. Another option, and this came from someone else in the comments on a video (thank you!), is to use one of those cable protector speed bumps you see in office buildings to prevent them from being a trip hazard (and to protect the cable).
I haven't heard feedback on how it worked, but he gets the credit for the idea and it absolutely seems sound in theory.
How far apart should the driplines be spaced if you have sandy soil?
This can vary quite a bit depending on how loose the sandy soil is. We've seen them as near as 4", and as far as 9" in sandy soil types. What you can do is, drip water very slowly (with a barely open hose or even a dripper if you already have some) to mimic a drip emitter over 15-60 minutes. After, dig around in the soil to see how far the soil's capillary action carried the water. This will give you a great idea on how to space your lines :)
@@dripdepot Thank you, I'll do that. I have some 4 foot square beds I want to try drip irrigation on. I see that you used three drip lines to cover each 4 foot wide bed. I guess I would need more than that.
Possibly, at least with very sandy soil! One great thing about drip is it's very easy to expand on -- if you wanted to start with fewer, you could and then easily work in another line if needed :)
another measure for fruits' yield increase is installing humble bee hives (about from mid march on in our climate) for about the 2 months fruit tree flowering period: they have more efficient polinization technique and fly up to 7ºc air temperature (below, their muscles cancel working).. unfortunately, they use to fall in anarchy killing their queens about may for laying the workers eggs for drones (same as queens do at the end of their lives due to consumed stack of inseminated eggs) competing amongst them for just feeding their own drone larvae % devour others' larvae. workers live about 6 - 8 weeks, so after a while hives get deserted. we got 1 ton of fruits this year thanx to 2 hives. (together about 70€ mail ordered from biocotrol brand f.e.). they feed themselves if shine, longer rain/snow/ice periods would get costly feeding pollen/sirup. i installed their double hive on the shady side of a shed 'cause they prefer less than 30ºc (please look for fahrenheit: quite different!)
Great info here Wolfgang! And no problems on the Celsius, I still remember the formula from long ago and now there's online calculators to convert right away. One ton of fruit harvested aided by bees is pretty impressive. We have a pretty large bee population out here in Oregon thanks to the pear blossoms, they love them. I've had large swarms of bees, who are en route to the pear orchards, sleep overnight clustered up on a branch on my oak. It's quite a sight to behold.
drip irrigation is not so cheap here in SA
I think that's a fair assessment for many locations at the moment -- we're hoping with supply chains coming back together, supply will be able to keep up with the demand and hopefully stabilize costs.
12" emitter spacing seems insufficient for raised beds that are typically planted denser than farm rows. Raised beds do not suffer from pooling and will result in dry spots.
In most common loamy garden soils, water will spread about 12" from the point of drip, making 12" spacing a good match to many gardens. Yes, dense plantings (carrots come to mind) might enjoy a tighter spacing, as will sandier/looser soil types, but for the most part 12" is that sweet spot where water from one emitter spreads near the other.
When checking soil moisture, be sure to dig down -- when done right, drip emitters should leave only a small wet spot on top of the soil (minimizes evaporation or the potential for run-off).
@@dripdepot Dense planting is not an outlier. Square foot gardeners plant heavily and tightly with the intent to provide more care than a row gardener would.
@@Josef_R 12" Spacing is often used by square foot gardeners, though instead of a single row of drip line, they'll sometimes make more of a grid pattern with their drip line. A lot of it really depends on soil type. We do a lot of square foot gardening, with great results, and do intend to make a video specific to it :)
@@dripdepot I suppose 12" might work if you staggered the emitters so that they alternated, that would give you a 6" spacing...I'm just trying to decide what to buy and this stuff ain't cheap enough to make mistakes with.
@@Josef_R That definitely makes sense! To some degree, it's really hard to mess up too bad with drip, at least so long as you're using the right emitter type (don't want overhead watering for plants that like dry foliage, for example).
Being modular you can work pretty much anything in and still use what you already have. It also has a very large margin for error, we've seen people new to both gardening and irrigation get great results, almost on accident.
I think you'd likely be good to go either way (12" or 6"), and if the 6" makes you feel more confident in it all, there's absolutely no harm in that -- worst case scenario is you reduce the watering cycle a little bit or remove or move a line here and there. When I was new to it all I used a lot of 6" spaced drip line and got great results, and I still use a good bit of it in my home garden.
Basically, either route you go (or even a mix of) I think you'll have success :)
You Yak TOOOO fast !!
If you click the cogwheel on the bottom right hand portion of the video window, you can change the playback speed -- at 0.75 playback speed it still feels "normal" :)