Set up an Inexpensive Irrigation System

Are you looking to maintain a lovely garden, but you're not sure when, or how much to water? Or perhaps you just forget to water, and all your hard work wilts or dies? Here is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to solve your watering dilemma.

Steps

  1. Purchase a faucet hose timer. These items can be bought for as little as USD $15.
  2. Put in fresh batteries at the beginning of each growing season.
  3. Attach the timer to an outdoor spigot.
  4. Attach your feeder hose to the timer.
  5. At the end of your feeder hose, attach a hose manifold or multiple line splitters to accommodate the number of soaker hoses or sprinkler heads you need.
  6. Test your set up by turning the faucet on, turning the timer on, and checking to be sure water is coming out where you need it to.
  7. Adjust the stop valves as necessary to regulate the flow of water.
  8. Set the timer. The inexpensive ones give you several options such as half an hour twice a day, or an hour once a day, etc. The expensive ones allow you to be much more precise in when and how long you are watering.
  9. Observe the next few days of watering cycles to be certain everything is working as planned.
    • Note:If using sprinkler heads, you can use the method described in How to Calibrate Your Sprinklers to make sure your plants are getting the right amount of water.
  10. Relax, knowing you can leave for extended periods of time without worrying about whether your plants will be alive when you return.

Tips

  • Some people use "regular" garden hose with nail holes at intervals in lieu of a soaker hose. This works fairly well for a long row of bushes, for example, with holes poked in the hose only at the base of each successive bush.
  • A soaker hose can be placed under mulch for even better water utilization and savings.

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