Whether you are installing a single line of drip tubing or a multicircuit system, a little planning is needed. Start with your garden plan, making some extra copies before you mark it up.
If all the plants have roughly the same watering requirements and your garden is small, a single circuit can handle your entire drip system. Otherwise, you'll need at least one circuit per hydrozone.
Selecting Drip Components
Different drip watering devices are better suited to different hydrozones. Individual drip emitters are useful for watering widely spaced plants, whereas emitter line and sprayers are better for closely spaced plants.
Use emitter line for watering rows of plants, shrubs, or trees. Opt for drip emitters or emitter line to keep foliage dry, but use sprayers or minisprinklers if your soil is very porous or sandy.
Don't worry if some of the devices you select prove to be inadequate, however. You can make changes or additions once the system is in place. See the Drip Emitter Selector chart for more information.
Placing the Components
To determine how many drip devices you'll need for each plant and where to place them, consider the type of soil and the size of the root zone (the horizontal extent of the roots). The devices you select should always water more than 50 percent of the root zone.
You can use devices with different flow rates to deliver more water to some plants and less to others on the same circuit. Just be sure to put drip emitters on separate circuits from sprayers and minisprinklers, which require more pressure and put out significantly more water.
If you want to maximize the number of drip devices on a single circuit, choose the slowest drip emitters or sprayers and water for a longer period of time.
Mark the devices and their outputs for each area on your garden plan. Note where any pressure-compensating emitters are needed, such as on slopes. Also sketch in lines to connect the watering devices in each circuit to a control valve.
Sprinklers & Drip Systems Take the mystery out of installing a watering system with this new edition of Sprinklers & Drip Systems. Visual guides and garden plans help you select, install, and maintain the right system for your landscaping needs.
