Drip irrigation is a great way to water your garden and reduce the amount of time it takes to water your plants. It also helps conserve water, which is especially helpful in dry climates. But it can be confusing to connect a drip line, since there are so many different components and options available.
Before you start laying out your drip line, you’ll need to make a plan of where your plants are located. This will help you decide how much tubing and what type of emitters you’ll need to water your specific area.
You can use a pencil and paper to sketch out the layout of your drip line. You’ll want to account for the tubing lengths that will run from your main header hose as well as those that will go to the individual plants. You’ll also need to consider how you’ll connect the drip lines to your main hose.
Once you’ve drawn out your plans, it’s time to get started with your installation. Drip lines are a great choice for gardens because they are easy to install, cost-effective and provide steady watering at a rate that’s ideal for each plant.
How to Connect Your Drip Line
To begin, determine how you’ll connect your drip system to your spigot or hose bibb. You can choose to go with a simple setup that uses a faucet adapter, or you can opt for a more sophisticated design with a pressure regulator, filter and vacuum breaker connected to the faucet adapter.
A faucet adapter has a barbed outlet to attach your supply hose. It’s attached to the spigot or hose bibb by firmly pressing it into the barbed outlet. The barbed outlet on the adapter allows you to control the flow of water from the faucet bibb or spigot to your drip system, and it allows for a greater range of watering flexibility.
Next, you’ll need a pressure regulator to lower the incoming water pressure to the drip system’s comfort level; 25 to 30 psi is standard. A filter is then connected to the regulator; straight in-line filters can be directly connected to the regulator, while wye style filters will need an adapter. A vacuum breaker is then connected to the filter; this will prevent your hose from clogging and stop the flow of water at the end of the hose.
When you’re ready to start putting your drip line in place, lay out the plastic tubing that will be used to supply water to your plants. Once you’ve laid out the tubing, secure it to the ground by using U-shaped metal tubing stakes that are about 6 inches long.
Once you have the plastic tubing in place, insert your drip head onto each tube. The drip head will be a round, hose-like device that has holes punched in it, which are used to supply water to your plants.
Drip heads are generally available in various styles, including ball and flat. They’re usually pre-installed and have a thread on one end to connect to the drip tube, but you can also purchase them without a thread, so you can create your own design.