Dave and I have been all over the map with irrigation over the years, but have never really hit on the perfect solution or products.

We have drip down in the tropical garden, but we've been sorely disappointed in the quality of the hoses. That makes us hesitate to convert some other areas into drip, although they really need to be.

So, I'm looking for your recommendations on good quality drip hoses. What brands do you use, and how often are you needing to replace them?

Thanks!!

Trish, have you seen this thread? The soaker hoses he's using look like maybe a good idea:
The thread "Pot Ranch" in All Things Gardening forum

I missed yesterday's update on that thread.

Ok- so one vote so far for the DIG hoses from Home Depot.

Are you taking about soaker hoses? We gave up on those years ago. They always ended up clogging.
For about 5 years now we've been using inline dripper line from Dripworks. The most common one we use has drippers every six inches although we do use some with drippers every 12 inches. We haven't had to replace any of this drip line yet.

We have a large drip system that's been in place for 25 years. There's always some kind of repair needed, although it's usually damage from some water left in the main lines during the winter.

I guess a lot depends on your application. I've had those round soaker hoses for years, but I leave them on the surface, so I've never had one clog.

Mine were always on the surface but they clogged from the inside with minerals from the water. The dippers don't seem to do that.

Tabby- are you talking about drip tape? If so, we also use the drip tape from Dripworks in our veggie gardens. However, I've resisted putting it in the flower beds because of it's inability to do anything other than straight lines. My beds meander all over the place, as do my plants. How do you get around that problem?

I agree about the hoses- they just don't last for us. That's why I'm asking because I'm hoping we're just not buying the right ones! Under the mulch they spring leaks that cause flooding in that area, then dry spots. Then trying to rearrange the whole lot when a new plant gets mixed in If we leave it over the mulch the sun dries them out and cracks the hose within a month or two.

I am Very interested also. I really want to set something like this in my new gardens in RI.

Not drip tape. I've never tried drip tape yet.

I use 1/4 inch soaker dripline. Its about as bendable as the skinny soaker hose and more bendable than the thick soaker hose.
I bend all around my day lilies - I make circles with it all around them and I weave it all around other perennials. I also use it in straight lines in the veggie garden. I use the one where the emitters are six inches apart.

http://www.dripworks.com/categ...

Hmmm, those are interesting, but I'm not clear why they would be less susceptible to mineral clogging. What do you think is the reason?

I think the emitters have bigger holes than the tiny pores of the soaker hoses which "sweat" water. The water sort of dribbles out of emitters. I have a few hundred emitters (single emitters rather than inline emitters) that are 25 years old and still working.

And I suppose if they got clogged, you could clean them, too, which you can't do with the regular soakers. Good suggestion!

woofie said:And I suppose if they got clogged, you could clean them, too, which you can't do with the regular soakers. Good suggestion!

And emitters are fairly inexpensive to replace as opposed to an entire soaker hose.

What's the radius of each emitter?

It seems like with these, my best option is to measure out and design the system to give complete coverage as opposed to working with whatever is currently there. None of my beds look the same- they get changed around and added to far too often.

We have some of the hardest water known to man here, so this is a definite issue for me!

I don't know the radius since it seems to depend on the soil. In my more clay areas it spread out more than in my areas that are made from mostly aged manure. I just weave it all around my plants. If I move the plants around, I reweave the dripline. If the gardens get expanded, I just add more dripline from the main pipe for that zone. How did you do it with the soaker hoses?

Try these:

http://www.dripworks.com/categ...

I use them in the pots but should work with in-ground plants and should cover a large area. Watch out for smaller seedlings they will get flooded. I tested a bed one year and it did flood the seedlings and tore them up. Way too much water at one time for tiny seedlings.

I like the drip hose but the price seems high to me:

http://www.dripworks.com/categ...

I tried this in the 'Pot Ranch', it is not as flexible as the soaker hose. It shoud work and I think I would use this for larger in-ground beds. I too would worry about clogging. We have liquid rock water here in FL where I live.

1/4" soaker hoses would still be my choice number one, you just have to limit yourself to about 30' of run. It is more dynamic than emitters. Heck at $7 per 50' I will replace every couple of years when they clog.

I use a few hundred of those small sprayers too. Some beds are definitely better suited for those and they work well in my cold frames for the potted plants in there. I use them in my terraces. I'm converting other beds from those to the drip hose since there seems to be a lot less water waste with the drip hose. Water is getting to be a huge issue here - we're in quite a drought.

I wish I could use irrigation ditch water in the drip system but that would definitely clog everything. It even clogs the large impulse sprinklers.

Great thread! I couldn't find the 1/4" dripline in the Dripworks paper catalog - thanks for pointing it out online.

Paul, where did you find $7 per 50' soaker hose? Home Depot?

Home depot had them at that price. They are $6.98 a piece and $7 and some change out the door.

http://www.homedepot.com/webap...

Do not forget to get 'goof plugs' for the end connection of the hose.