Soaker Hoses

[SweetMissDaisy]

Soooooo... there's not a soaker hose to be had in this town, or the neighboring town! Time for some online shopping!

Any suggestions as to the hose (brand/type) I should look for?

My plan is to run several soaker hoses off the main line to several beds (one soaker hose per bed), using short solid sections of hose w/ two-way Y connectors to connect to the soaker hose in each bed.

I've never used soaker hoses before .... besides the holes in the soakers hoses, do you see holes in my plan?


Or, perhaps I should consider drip lines?

 

[thistlebloom]

Yeah? A drought of soaker hoses?...
Well here's my opinion fwiw...I don't have a specific brand, but the type I like best are the round black ones made from recycled tires.

I'm not sure I understand your setup, will you be running all the soaker hoses at once? And will they be connected to each other using the short solid pieces?

One weak point I have found with linking several soakers together is that the water flow does not reach well to the farthest piece. If you could link them together so that each bed had it's own hose that was independent of the others, i.e., not a continuous flow of water from the first bed to the last, it will be much more efficient.

Another problem is any elevation more than a few inches reduces the effectiveness unless you have the water turned up high, so the pressure overcomes gravity (or whatever...).

Now then, having pointed out the weak links (ha ), I love soaker hoses and use them in my landscape as well as my veggie beds.

If you cover them with mulch, they can last many seasons.
Hope this helps Daisy!

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Here's an image... maybe it will help illustrate. Or maybe not.... Ha!
It's late (midnight:30) ... I just finished cleaning out the coop and showering up.
I'm tuckered out!

 

[RidgebackRanch]

Hello SweetMissDaisy, I think you have a solid plan! We do something similar using a combination of soaker and drip with a four way valve. The drip emitters draw down the water pressure more than the soaker hose so we open 2 of the 4 valves at a time.

Using just soaker hose you should be able to run all beds at the same time. As for a brand I would suggest Swan. Their soaker hose has a disc with a small hole in the middle that sits in the female end of the hose. This allows the entire hose to fill with water and evens out the pressure throughout the entire length of the hose.

Also you will get maximum performance if you bury the hose about 6 inches deep. This will allow water to be drawn from the entire hose. Meaning the most water comes out where it is in contact with the soil, and it will greatly increase the life span of the hose since it will not be exposed to the damaging effects of sunlight.

I hope this helps! Your property looks like it keeps you busy and looks great!

Happy Gardening

 

[lesa]

That looks like a great plan. Thistle, is right that the further away the hose, the less water. So, just figure that into your plan. Whatever is in those beds, furthest from the hose, should need less water, than the beds closest to the main hose... I can't believe you can't find any. Awful early in the season for them to be out! Must be a lot of gardeners in your neck of the woods! Happy Gardening!

 

[bootstrap]

I like the sprinkler hoses better, the flat green ones with tiny holes in them. they disperse the water more evenly and add alot of oxygen to it.

 

[lesa]

Bootstrap, I have read so many times about how important it is to keep foliage dry- that I avoid any sprinkling type hose... JMO

 

[bootstrap]

I try to do it early in the morning while the dew is still upon them. I put a inline hose injector with neptune fish and seaweed emulsion mixed with water and foliar feed and fertilize at the same time. I have had very good results.

 

[lesa]

That photo looks a little better than "good results!"