How to Install Drip Irrigation for Containers and Potted Plants (Complete Beginner's DIY Guide)

[@donutdomination139]

I love these videos! You found the perfect person to be in them!

[@dripdepot]

What a way to start my day, thank you!

[@alexandrab2295]

Fantastic video. Bought my kit from DripDepot specifically because of how helpful this video is.

[@dripdepot]

Alexandra, thank you (truly) for the kind words! I just got back from doing some filming to wrap things up, and your comment is the perfect way to end the day today -- thank you!

[@saraperez4870]

PLEASE READ!!!! If you are a DIY person like me but struggle with skill and experience, this is the kit/company for you! I always have to do everything TWICE because I always make mistakes. ALL of their pieces are REUSABLE! If you make a mistake it doesn’t cost you anything!!! Any errors are quickly corrected and no pieces are wasted because you can always change your design or expand you are garden. Best purchase ever!!!!

[@dripdepot]

I often have to do things twice as well, fortunately video editing saves me some awkwardness! And thank you again for the perfect start to the morning. We're actually going to be doing some filming today and I'll have this in mind and re-double my efforts, thank you truly :)

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

from aliexpress i got even t pieces for the 3mm drop tube !

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

there are timer pumps connected to the WC's cistern (refills itself each time), just works for several plants in the WC room or on its window/balcony

[@Markjameslevy]

Post more videos!! I can’t stop watching

[@dripdepot]

You got it! We've got one that covers punches coming tomorrow or early next week -- it ended up being long (sitting around 18 minutes at the moment!) but shows every function of the punches that are out there. :)

[@rjkral]

So helpful!! Meanwhile on other parts of the internet, they say NO T's at all on 1/4" tubing. Um...I'll follow your advice instead for this application!

[@dripdepot]

Thank you Robert! And I am happy to confirm 1/4" tees are good to go -- in higher flow situations it may be best to avoid splitting the line too much, but with drip emitters you're in the clear :)

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

some flower crests have a water deposit as a reserve at the bottom, but it's spent quickly in a few hours sun in summer since balconies heat up as an oven due to their ceramics.

[@alamshar]

Thansk Adam. Exactly what I was looking for and really well explained with no unnecessary information. I have a doubt about keeping water pressure even through out the system. Will the presurre regulator do that?

[@dripdepot]

You're very welcome James! And you have the exact right of it on the pressure regulator -- it maintains the downstream pressure at a constant determined by the pre-set PSI. This keeps drippers emitting uniformly and protects components from high pressure. So long as other factors are accounted for (primarily making sure there's not too much pressure lost from friction) it does a great job at maintaining an even pressure throughout an entire system. In regards to the friction loss, that's mostly just making sure the flow and line length isn't too great for the diameter of the mainline tubing being used. It can be mathed out, but the general guidelines to recommended maximums (200 GPH for 1/2", 480 GPH for 3/4" and 960 GPH for 1") do a pretty good job of ensuring minimal friction loss :)

[@JasonKimes-c3u]

very helpful! EXCELLENT video !

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

W/ blumat ''carrots'' it's also possible, from elevated water deposit or faucet, just some costly because their cheaoer drip distributers (up to 5 for each moisture sensor) need larger baskets/longer crests (40cm?) to be worth installed

[@ramenchuu]

Thank you, this was extremely helpful 😊

[@marchearn9058]

Excellent video. Great explanations about everything in my kit. Can't wait to put it all together. Thanks.

[@dripdepot]

If you have any installation questions when it all arrives, don't hesitate to reach out! :)

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

w/ an elevated water deposit it's also possible - even w/o timer (only neede for vacations/longer absences), because there's just need to open & close the tube shutter. great advantage is being able to dissolve fertilizer into the tank (even solud solluble) such as DIYbroths such as symphytum comosum or stinging nettle.

[@dripdepot]

You bet, with water soluble fertilizer that works really well -- the only concern I've seen come up is the potential for growth to happen inside the tank, but this can be taken care of somewhat if the tank regularly empties.

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

they advice to install the tank's outlet not at its bottom, but some inches higher for the debris acumulated there not to flow into the dripping system. sometimes at getting its level low in summer, it would have to be cleaned by brush@@dripdepot

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

pouring the fertilizer directly into the tank i'd prefer to install a solar pump w/timer for removing it instead of forming layers, but then even the debris would float up. may be better to install a recycled water bottle to be filled up w/ fertilizer solution on its outlet tube. in case of timered dripping system less permanence as by blumats. my fertigation injector supposedly works from 0,2 bar (=2,+m high tank for the pressure loss in hoses) on (now at fall less need to try it, also it has to be installed still, although possible to connect it directly to the hose 1x weekly for feeding the pressurized system by faucet, although it needs a 3 bar reductor then unlike the injector able to withstand up to 6 bar supposedly...@@dripdepot

[@dripdepot]

@@wolfgangwunschel-b4p Wolfgang, does your injector have any tubing associated with it? The reason I ask is that you may be able to use some coupling valves so you can have on/off if you won't be injecting on every watering cycles.

[@dripdepot]

@@wolfgangwunschel-b4p That definitely makes sense -- the tank we used for the gravity video also had the tap a few inches above the very bottom. That tank is still at the vineyard we installed it at, next time I'm there I'll give the bottom a cleaning as I don't think it has been, thank you for the heads up on that.

[@suehenderson6687]

What a great clear video for a first time drip installer!! Thank you!

[@dripdepot]

You're very welcome, thank you for the comment as well! :)

[@cassieglanz]

Hi! What a great video- I am excited to try to install this. I am watering a container garden on my balcony with no hose bib- is it possible to connect this system to a tub faucet? (running it through the bathroom window out of the tub) Thanks so much!

[@dripdepot]

Unfortunately probably not, at least not unless the tub faucet just happens to have hose threads, but I suspect that is not the case. With that said, you might still have some viable options :) We actually just shot a video for both of these items last week -- the video was for vacation watering, but they could totally work here as well. www.dripdepot.com/aqua-magic -- This first one is basically a complete automatic drip irrigation system -- it comes with everything needed except a container to hold the water. Almost any container works, you just run the small tubing into the container and this will pump the water to the drippers you put at plants. It also has a built in timer, so you can have it all be automated. Maybe best of all, it's solar powered, so you don't have to worry about changing out the batteries all the time, you can use rechargeable ones and it will stay charged with even just ambient lighting conditions. www.dripdepot.com/watering-rock -- This one probably is not as elegant, but it is more discreet. There's no timer for this one, so it's "always on", but it drips pretty slowly. You could control it to some degree by putting it up on a shelf or similar when you want to water, then placing it on the floor of the balcony when you're done. I hope one of these can do the trick for you!

[@cassieglanz]

​@@dripdepot Thanks so much- Ill check it out!

[@dripdepot]

@@cassieglanz You're very welcome! If any questions come up, just say the word :)

[@mnchnn]

I needed some advice about the different kits. I have 60 pots with individual plants..which kit size would be best suitable roughly?

[@dripdepot]

The Premium Container Kit (at this link: www.dripdepot.com/124) would probably be the best place to start -- that kit is designed up for up 70 plants of varying sizes. A few more plants than you have, so you may be able to modify the kit to remove additional items you don't need -- most of it just making sure there's enough mainline tubing to get from your water source to your furthest plant, and enough fittings to accomplish your design (mainline elbows for 90° turns, tees if you need to split the tubing anywhere, etc). If it's helpful, here are a couple same designs we made for our container kits -- scroll down a little bit to get to the larger ones that use the 1/2" mainline for more plants: help.dripdepot.com/support/solutions/articles/11000119079-container-garden-sample-layouts I hope this helps!

[@mnchnn]

@@dripdepot thank you!

[@jenniferwalters579]

Here it is! Just what I need.

[@dripdepot]

You got it! I'll still email you those graphics just in case they're helpful :)

[@kaya1460]

Hi extremely helpful video. I installed my items today. I have a lot of leaking from the hose by tubing adapter. I even ordered an extra and tried both adapters. The leak is not coming from where the tubing connects, it’s coming from the perimeter of the round part of the adapter. Any hints? Thank you.

[@dripdepot]

Happy to help! And I can confirm this should not leak, so let's get you up and running leak free :) The first place to check is inside the female side of the adapter -- there should be a gasket in there, if it's missing that would be the likely cause. If it's in there, be sure the adapter is threaded down enough on the pressure regulator that it's engaging that gasket. If it's still leaking, just let me know and I'll get a replacement en route to you :)

[@jaimea2722]

Hi Excellent video. I travel overseas about 4 months a year and you know how sad it is to return home after 4 mos only to see everything dead ! Yes, I even paid a neighbor to water my balcony plants and although they swear they did it, those of us that know about plants can tell that is not true. I followed you on this nice video, my only issue is I have no tap/faucet on my 10X5 balcony to feed the system. Planning on on using a large barrel and a submersible water pump. It will be easier to ask a person to come every 2 weeks and fill up the barrel than asking them to care for plants. Need advise on what kind of submersible pump to buy, probably I will need a timer for the electrical wire that powers the pump (pump to wall outlet) and then have the system running. Need to have this system running before I leave mid December. Thanks !

[@dripdepot]

I've been there on the dead plants on return as well! I was particularly bummed about my young Ficus. I'll be more than happy to assist with this, and you'll have a couple options. When you have a moment, could you reply here and let me know how many plants you have that need watered while you're away? Pending that answer, there might be a very easy route you can go (a unit that is both a water pump and a programmable controller, solar powered as well so no worries about batteries). Thank you for reaching out!

[@bittypie]

Does the pressure regulator help in cases of low pressure? I'm using rain barrels as my water source.

[@dripdepot]

Unfortunately the only way to raise pressure is to either raise the water source or use a water pump. A pressure regulator can only maintain downstream pressure if the inlet pressure is 5 to 10 PSI higher. If you've overtaxed the barrel's ability to provide water for the entire system, zoning it into two zones can sometimes be helpful -- basically, if the barrel has no problems with about half of the current emitters but struggles with the entire thing, you could divide it into two zones that operate at different times, that way the barrel only has to feed half the system at a time. Unfortunately it would only help if it could successfully feed half of them at a time (but if it can, zoning could definitely help).

[@bittypie]

@@dripdepot Ah I see. This is very helpful. Thank you!

[@atarimama]

LOVE your videos and your site! New to Central Texas and the drought conditions are no joke. I just received my foundation drip irrigation supplies from your site (thank you for the extremely helpful video on that!!!). I used the recommended 25 PSI pressure regulator and 1/2 inch dripline with 0.5 GPH on the less sunny side. I have some potted plants in the back and eventually will set up several raised beds. I have one hose bib that is at the front of the house 65 feet away. My question is, would I tap into the foundation watering dripline that is along the back with a T connector to water my plants? If so, can you link the connector that will go from a 1/2" line to a 1/4" line? I'm a little confused on the site which ones would do that. I think I'd want ones with the on/off switch as I'm not sure if they need to be on the same schedule as my foundation. If not, do I hook up another timer and pressure regulator to a new mainline line that runs to the back? Thank you so much!

[@dripdepot]

Thank you, we're glad you found us too! We're in the pacific northwest and can fully related to those drought conditions, the last few years have been brutal -- fortunately this year was a bit wetter than previous. We're still in drought, but not as severe as the last 3 or 4. You could absolutely tap in to the tubing on the foundation watering system -- all it takes is a 1/4" punch to punch a hole in your mainline (or in the 1/2" dripline, just be careful not to hit an emitter) and then insert a 1/4" coupling into that punched hole -- you can then run 1/4" tubing pretty much anywhere it needs to be, just try to keep the 1/4" tubing to 30' or less in total length. If the length is over 30', you could just install a Tee and run some new 1/2" mainline to the potted plants and future raised beds and install the 1/4" tubing there. Here are some of those links -- I don't think I can hyperlink in the comments section (I'll try though!) so you may have to copy/paste these :) www.dripdepot.com/category/drip-irrigation-punches-cutters -- This goes to our listings of punches, you'd want a 1/4" punch (most of them at this link are 1/4"). www.dripdepot.com/search?q=1070 -- This goes to the 1/4" coupling, the part you insert into the punched hole to connect your 1/4" tubing. www.dripdepot.com/search?q=1159 -- This one goes to a 1/4" coupling valve and will give you that on/off functionality on any 1/4" tubing run :) Here's to hoping for more rain in both of our areas!

[@Sparcle5]

if some of my plants are more than 30 ' away from water source, but not all my plants on the way, do I still switch to the 1/2" mainline tubing. And then do I still use 1/2" tubing for the rest of the line including up to the drippers, or do I use t connectors to connect 1/4" line to the main line for the drippers?

[@dripdepot]

If some of the containers are more than 30' away, I likely would go with a 1/2" mainline -- there may be some specific scenarios that could get away with 1/4", but they're fairly rare and just to help ensure success I'd opt for 1/2". With that said, I think you're on the right track with the second question there -- you could indeed go from 1/2" to 1/4" for a good portion of things, particularly if it's more convenient for the area in regards to fitting 1/2" or 1/4" in to the surrounding area (patio, porch, landscaping, etc).

[@dippitydoinit]

My faucet is on the patio below my deck. Is there anything else to consider when running irrigation 12 feet up from the water source?

[@dripdepot]

You'll want to consider the pressure lost from the elevation -- at 12' you'll lose about 5.2 PSI from gravity. This might not cause any problems (uniformity of your emitters is generally more important than their volume), but I'd account for it if pressure were already particularly low at the hose bib. You may want to consider a tee fitting near the hose bib and running some additional tubing from your mainline to create a drain. This is because at system shut-down, you'll have a column of water in the pipe that will flow back to the hose bib. The backflow preventers don't like back-pressure, and this would be quite a bit at 5.2 PSI (and possibly for extended periods between waterings). A little routed tubing to a drain would completely solve that :) Air is possibly something to consider as well, but with drip systems I usually see if there are any air related issues first, as they're often low enough flow/pressure/velocity that they don't experience air issues like an elevated sprinkler system would, particularly when they're on the smaller side.

[@Ashton123082]

The ultimate kit has a T filter but no canister. Is this something that is purchased separately?

[@dripdepot]

You could purchase it separately if you prefer the canister filter, but you might not need to -- the tee filter and canister filter, as far as the actual filtration goes, are nearly identical at 150 and 155 mesh. Basically, both have very fine filtration with those mesh sizes being smaller than the average size human hair :)

[@susanmundle3579]

I grow fruit trees in half wine barrels. Would you recommend a drip line ring or individual drippers (and how many)

[@dripdepot]

Either one cold work effectively, but for simplicity's sake, I'd likely use a drip line ring -- a drip line ring ends up being functionally the same as placing multiple drippers around the tree in the barrel, but saves you the time of having to run each dripper in -- you can just make a ring around the tree and done. :)

[@susanmundle3579]

@@dripdepot thank you! Any recommendation on how far the ring should be from the outside edge of the barrel?

[@dripdepot]

@@susanmundle3579 This will depend on the size of the barrel, and the size of the root ball of the tree, but a good general recommendation is half-way from the trunk to the edge. Water will spread out beneath the soil's surface through its capillary action, so at the halfway point you'll get pretty thorough coverage in most sized barrels. In the soil is particularly fast draining or loose, you can even make a second ring or form the ring into a spiral (a second ring is rarely needed, but the spiral works pretty well when needed). :)

[@jordyn2967]

I live in an apartment with no hose line. Is it possible to modify this somehow to be used with, say, a five-gallon bucket filled with water instead?

[@dripdepot]

Very possibly so! At least if you were able to get a little elevation out of it to create some pressure. You'd want to swap the emitters used in the video out with something like these: www.dripdepot.com/product/toro-cleanable-dripper The drippers at that link can work at near 0 PSI, basically so long as there is water flow they can drip. They work great in very low pressure gravity systems where the source cannot be elevated very much. A low elevation water source may not create enough flow to operate a ton of them, but definitely can operate a few. Alternatively, something like the Claber Oasis may work for you -- the Oasis is typically used for indoor plants where there is no spigot, but can work on outdoor systems so long as it's protected from the harsher elements. Failing that, Claber also makes the AquaMagic which is an outdoor version of the Oasis -- the biggest difference being the AquaMagic requires something to hold the water, while the Oasis has the water tank built in to it. Happy to link both below just in case: www.dripdepot.com/product/claber-oasis-evolution-drip-watering-system www.dripdepot.com/product/claber-aqua-magic

[@paulstoddard9807]

Hello, I've installed a drip irrigation system. I ran 1/2 pipe and i'm going to use 1/4 pipe to go to the plants. Each time I install a barb and test the system I have a leak at the barb and 1/2 pipe. Under pressure I've moved the barb around and that hasn't helps, any recommendation would be most appreciate. thank you

[@dripdepot]

Happy to help, I can confirm barbed fittings shouldn't leak where they join the larger tubing (maybe a drip or so the first time you run things, but it should cease). The most important factors in preventing any leaks is to make sure you're using a pressure regulator keeping things under 30 PSI and using a 1/4" punch to punch the holes. If those are already accounted for, try punching the hole and inserting the barbed fitting early in the morning or late in the evening when the tubing is cold -- then let it sit until the hottest part of the day -- the thermal expansion at that point will help seal up a stubborn barbed fitting. Typically one expansion cycle like that will be enough. :)

[@pegjuanita]

If I put a 25 psi regulator at my faucet, and then down the main line I want to put a couple drip tapes in a raised bed. Do I need to put a 10 psi pressure regulator in the line to the drip tapes?

[@dripdepot]

Depending on your overall setup, I'd like just to swap out that regulator at the hose bib and install a 10 or 15 PSI regulator there (you can use 15 PSI with the 15 mil thick drip tapes). The drippers shown will operate well at 10 to 15 PSI. Your plan is also viable however, as most regulators require 5 more inlet PSI than what they regulate to, and in your scenario it would be a difference of 15. It's likely you'll need fewer adapters overall if you just go with one single 10 to 15 PSI at the faucet :)

[@jenniferwalters579]

Adam, can I add a dripper directly into a hole I punched into a 1/2” tubing?

[@dripdepot]

You sure can Jennifer -- I'd say it's a fairly common approach too, so don't hesitate if you have a good spot to punch them straight into the mainline :)

[@jenniferwalters579]

@@dripdepot yay!!

[@jenniferwalters579]

Adam, if I ordered more drip line, how quickly can it get here? I’m leaving Saturday morning. I’ll go to the site now!

[@dripdepot]

@@jenniferwalters579 Travel time could be kinda long with us being in Oregon -- east coast is quite a distance! With that said, it looks like they made sure it got on the way ASAP, as it's already packed up (and will be picked up soon with the early load out) :)

[@robertperkins4909]

How long to run the water? I'm going to be using it in 11-18" pots and 2' and 3' planters outdoors.

[@dripdepot]

There's too many factors that go into watering duration to have an overall cycle time -- everything from plant type and maturity to soil type to sun exposure can influence run times. Someone growing a potted fern is going to need to water more than someone growing potted ficus. If you have a rough idea of how much water the plants you're growing need, you can get a good idea on a run cycle time by going off the flow rate of the emitter. The ones we used in the video were all half a gallon per hour, so we knew if we ran the system for an hour, a full half a gallon of water would be delivered. You can also use soil moisture to guide your watering cycles -- most plants like the soil to be moist, but not wet. The soil should still be crumbly, essentially, but not passing through your fingers like sand. One tip I always follow: err on the side of short cycles at first, it's always easier to add moisture to the soil than it is to remove it and overwatering likely occurs more often than underwatering.

[@skitterybiscuits8290]

How many pots can 100 ft of 1/2” mainline cover?

[@dripdepot]

This will largely be determine by the diameter of the pots (at least, if you mean in regards the length of the line compared to the length of the line of pots). If you mean how many in regards to GPH an PSI, the general rule for 1/2" tubing will work pretty well: Try to keep the total flow rate of 1/2" tubing at 200 GPH or less -- this could mean 100 pots each receiving 2.0 GPH, or 200 pots each receiving 1.0 GPH, etc. After that 200 GPH threshold, the pressure lost from friction (and the velocity of water) can get pretty steep.

[@flowersngardens]

how many pots can you put on one system? we do large roof decks in philadelphia.

[@dripdepot]

It's tough to pin this down to specific number, as the total quantity can vary depending on factors like flow rate available at the water source and diameter of the mainline tubing. For the system in the video, using 1/4" mainline, I probably wouldn't go much over 20 pots depending on size. A 1/4" mainline can handle about 30 GPH in flow -- calculating flow is just adding up all the emitters. For example, if I use 40 0.5 GPH drippers, by system flow rate would be 20 GPH. A larger mainline can support more pots -- container systems with a 1/2" mainline are probably the most common and 1/2" tubing can handle up to about 200 GPH in flow, so significantly more pots could be supported by a 1/2" mainline. So how many mostly comes down to the flow provided by the water source and the mainline's ability to handle the flow. :)

[@sv4673]

Mine leaks at the timer faucet connection Any suggestions?

[@dripdepot]

You bet! First thing to check is for the gasket on the inlet of the timer -- female hose threaded connections seal via a gasket that should always be present on the female side. Check to make sure it's there, and isn't warped or damaged, or twisted around. If it just got twisted around, you can straighten it and give it a shot.

[@jenniferwalters579]

Is the main line 1/2” or 1/4”?

[@dripdepot]

Jennifer, in this video our mainline was just 1/4" -- that's because we only had a few pots and over a short distance. Much more (or some further away) and we'd have had to use 1/2". 1/2" or larger will be the main on most systems, only really small ones can get away with all 1/4".

[@vivianemattos6142]

Jesus Christ! If I have to buy all these stuff to water the plants when I am gone, I would rather let them die and buy new plants die when I get back!!!!😮😂

[@dripdepot]

haha! It's not actually that bad, the majority of it is those little 1/4" parts -- the basic kit actually only has 11 different items in it. 12 total items if you grab a timer to automate things :)

[@wolfgangwunschel-b4p]

i''ll get fixed (=glued) water capturing tubes on my containers (will have to be tilt 10% at least by hydraulic car lifters) since they'll make people pay for their supposed ''ecol. footprimt'' for their energy/water & so on consumption. there are no yt videos about such work, so i proposed to make one afterwards. the raincatching tube needs a drop catcher above. w/ 44m2 roofs i'll get 31m3 rainwater stored = saved each year if i'll spend it fast enough due to limited storage capacity.