Beginner's Guide to Drip Irrigation - 8 Common Questions Answered

[@janhavi7576]

Great video with no useless fluff, thanks! I have recently become the ignorant caretaker of a 5 acre irrigation system with 3 Irritrol irrigation timers, hundreds of fruit trees, ornamental trees and bushes and dozens of small succlents, etc. It has been somewhat neglected since the last irrigation overhaul 2 years ago and i am just now learning about irrigation systems. (i am the renter). The property has Netafim drip emitters everywhere. The soil is clay to loam. Most of the irrigation stations are set for 20 to 30 minutes each. All of the emitters i have seen are either 8 L/hr or 4 L/hr. Many of the trees (even fully grown redbuds and the fruit trees) have 3 or 4 individual 8L/hr emitters close to the trunks, i.e. 24 to 32 L/hr per tree. Even the little succulents and super drought-tolerants like Dietes have 4L/hr emitters. Most of the programs are set to run 3 or 4 days a week, and this is northern semi-coastal California, so not super hot except a few days/week for a few weeks in summer. So I think this is way too much water, especially for the succulents, drought tolerants and even the trees. At least one lovely full-grown apricot tree died last year, i think from root rot. Grass and weed growth, including blackberries & poison oak is pretty extreme around the watering. And when the weed-whacking guys come, drip lines ususally get cut. I think this is too much water, especially for the succulents, drought tolerants and trees. What do you think?

[@darcil1493]

Hi great video. It answered several of my questions. One question I have however is why does my 1/2GPH button emitter flow at a medium-fast rate rather than drip? Thanks for the great information and help

[@dianaromero7611]

Thank you so much you made it so easy

[@roguepetunia]

Great explanation. Clear and to the point.

[@lizbethliss101]

Thank you, very informative and straight to the points!

[@rickkoscielniak7873]

Great information for me. Thanks so much for your knowledge for us new drip system installer.

[@ongnoimay5705]

Thank you for explaining!! This vìdeo was very helpful.

[@Your_Host_Airy7]

Thank you so much for your video. I plan to install an irrigation system on a steep hill of my farm. Your giving me so much ideas, Thank you!

[@InTheGarden]

Thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@SheriTerrell-x4l]

Hello, Thank you for your videos. They are very informative. I have installed a drip irrigation system but where I added a connection it leaks at the hole. How do I fix leaks at the connection area?

[@TheJods22]

Hi there- thanks for your videos. I’m trying to estimate water needs for a large garden I’m setting up this year. I’ll have various vegetables, fruit trees, herbs and berries on my irrigation system. I’m using run off water in a water barrel as a water source and am trying to figure out how much water I need to store each week to provide for my plants. How do you go about estimating how much water plants need per day? I know soil type will have an impact and we are in an area with a lot of clay . Thanks for your thoughts!

[@danmathers5896]

Awesome video!! answers the perfect questions! Thank you for sharing with us!!!

[@InTheGarden]

Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@JAMROC70]

Thanks for your response. I intend to place the barrel on cinder blocks stacked 2 rows.

[@JaniceGoen]

How do I remove the drip line from a flower bed that iam going to no longer use?

[@willtucker8815]

I have raised beds. Will the water run vertically up the line at the bed when I bring the supply line along the ground to the raised bed?

[@carmencristantiello5176]

yes it will

[@christinebalog4271]

Can the emitters be easily pulled out of the black distribution tubing and replaced? For example, two years ago I had planted some new trees and i used 5 gph emitters, but now I would like to instead use 2 gph emitters as the trees are established. Can the 5 gph emitters be pulled out and replaced with another emitter? Or do I need to just cut that whole tubing section out and redo with new emitters that I want to use? Thanks!

[@ruthlopez6087]

I just had new drip irrigation converted from sprinklers after removing my lawn and made everything into bedding areas. I put 1/2 gallon emitters on all the bedding plants since most are drought tolerant or waterwise plants that don't want much water after establishment. The irrigation guy wanted to put 1 or 2-gallon emitters on all plants. I thought I would water longer if the plants needed it. I am trying to keep water waste down since I live in California. Am I wrong?

[@lexpox329]

would installing the pressure reducer before the timer switch mechanism help the longevity of the switch? seems like it might. Also should you install the back-flow preventor first then the timer switch or does it matter?

[@RandyRoberts-l3l]

Can you use a soaker hose for a row crop such as okra? How would a length of soaker hose calculate into your total system output?

[@JAMROC70]

I am planning to use drip irrigation for the 1st time. Do you have a video on gravity feed? I will be using a plastic barrel or a garbage container.

[@InTheGarden]

I don't, but I know that one issue you face in doing a gravity fed system using the pressure compensating emitters is that the pressure will not be high enough from a barrel at ground level. The emitters will water, but the flow rate will be low and uneven. A standard drip system needs 15-25psi to function properly, and a 50gal barrel at ground level will only provide 1-3psi. Many people add a pump to create the needed pressure. Unfortunately, I've never set up a system like that so that is the extent of my knowledge on it. I wish I could be of more help, but I hope this is helpful at least to some degree. Thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@danielalvarez7776]

How long do you set your timer for?

[@Sound_Enthusiast]

If a 2 gph emitter is set directly on the 1/2 tubing, could I add a 1 gph at the end of the same line to decrease the output? I'm trying to avoid digging up the line while still decreasing the output.

[@InTheGarden]

I'm not sure how that would work. It should reduce the flow, but I'm not sure what the final output would be. But if you just want "less output" you could definitely give it a try and see how it does.

[@kendrathompson9334]

Currently I have 2 rows of corn, with 20 plants in each row. I'm not sure what the best attachment to my main 1/2 line is for this. I don't want to run 40 1/4 tubes from the main line. Is the soaker line enough water?

[@InTheGarden]

I would definitely recommend using soaker hose for this. Just run it down each row and adjust the time it runs to get the right amount of water.

[@kendrathompson9334]

@@InTheGarden Thank you!

[@AtmospheriqTides]

What is a good fix for a hole with a Goof plug that doesn’t seal completely?

[@InTheGarden]

There are a couple ways to do it. First, depending on the type/brand of goof plug you have, it may have a larger end and a smaller end. If you have that type, try putting the larger end into the hole and see if that helps. Second, if that doesn't work, you can cut the tubing to remove just a small piece where the hole is and then attach the two pieces of tubing using a coupling. I show how to do this in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpDHhKWrpLyEf9k Hope this helps, thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@AtmospheriqTides]

Worked perfectly, thank you!@@InTheGarden

[@jerryforrest7635]

Can the dripper be placed in the main line or must it be placed at the plant?

[@InTheGarden]

Yes, you can place an emitter directly in the main line. Just know this limits your ability to make adjustments in the future if you need to move it. Hope this helps, thanks for watching 😊 🌱

[@bygonebob]

Re the general rule of 200 gph per system, is that based off of a 45, 40 or 30 psi pressure regulator? Thanks.

[@InTheGarden]

That's at 25-30 psi

[@alithzalizaola9271]

How do I convert a sprinkler head to a drip irrigation system

[@InTheGarden]

It depends on the design/setup of your current sprinkler system. Essentially there are 2 main steps. 1. You need to add a pressure reducer to the system which is typically done at the valve and 2. You need to adapt the sprinkler risers to drip line. There are adapters for this that will screw directly on to the sprinkler risers. One note: It's not recommended to have drip and sprinklers on the same system as the required pressures and the flow rates are much different. Therefore, if converting a sprinkler to drip it is recommended to convert the entire system, or install a new separate one. Hope this helps, thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@randallaustin3538]

This is my second year in the garden and this year i picked up a drip irrigation kit b4 catching your video; which is very informative and did answer a few questions I had... all but 1 of them. my kit came with a sampling of .5, 1, and 2 g/h emitters. Soon I started thinking that plants may have different watering requirements. In trying to find answers I've learned that some plants require 1-2 inches of water per week but others just say keep moist. At the 2:25min mark you said you use 1 g/h emitters. I'm assuming that is because of the adoration rate of your soil. I'm not sure what your growing but I am wondering do all your plants benefit from the equal amount of water?

[@InTheGarden]

Hi there, I apologize for not answering this sooner. Your comment some how slipped by me and I'm just seeing it now. In my garden I use the 1gph emitters. I chose these because like you said the infiltration of my soil means no run off. It infiltrates basically as fast as it flows. And yes, most of what I grow is good with the same amount of water, but on plants that need more I place 2 emitters on those plants. I prefer to use one rate emitter throughout my garden just so I don't have to mess with multiple types and keeping track of what's where. But that'd just my preference. I hope this helps, again I apologize for not replying soon. 😊🌱

[@billpopp7724]

question not on the 8 -- how long can one 1/2" tubing run be? I've heard 200' max. I want to go 450'

[@cherylpa527]

3/4" will be better, that one can go 450 feet

[@InTheGarden]

Around 200-250 would be the max for 1/2in tubing.

[@MRumfelt]

What best time of day to water? Night?

[@InTheGarden]

In most situations watering in the early morning just before, or at, sunrise is best. This gives the water a chance to infiltrate into the soil and be available for the plants before the temperature rises. The issue with watering at night is that because the surface of the soil doesn't dry out until morning it increases the chances of fungus and things like that, that could pose a threat to your plants. Hope this helps, thanks for watching 😊🌱

[@williamherman9574]

Where do you suggest I purchase drip irrigation supplies?

[@InTheGarden]

You can find everything online (there are links in the video description) or at your local home improvement store.

[@regatta2k]

👍

[@patrickglaser1560]

If you're over 200gph you probably don't need a PRV anymore

[@thomashom7514]

Show us the components instead of talking so much.

[@InTheGarden]

In this video I was really focusing on some questions I get often. I do have another video where I show all the parts, how to connect them and explain them in depth: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4KxlXp8fp6qn7M Thanks for watching 😊 🌱