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Drip IrrigationWater your landscape without getting soaked. |
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Transcript: Drip Irrigation
Texas Summers can be long and hot. During that time, we have to water our plants a lot. The more we use a sprinkler, the more often we wet the foliage and that does two things we don’t like to happen.Number one, it increases disease problems by continuing to wet the foliage. Second, it loses a lot of water to evaporation. As the water flies through the air, it evaporates. It lands on the leaves and sits there in the sun evaporating. When the sprinklers turn off, all of that wet plant tissue then just evaporates the water away, so it’s a very inefficient way to water.
A much more efficient way is through drip irrigation. Drip irrigation lines come in many forms, some larger lines you leave in place and they drip the water out right where the plants need it. Then there are these smaller lines that you can move around. You can wrap them around a new plant or set them in different areas. You can get them out of the way when you want to transplant things or when you want to weed or mulch or do something else. They’re nice because they do apply the water right to the soil surface, right where the roots are going to be. It soaks into the ground, very little is lost to evaporation, and it’s very efficient in terms of the amount of water you applying being used by the plant.
You can purchase a simple drip irrigation kit at most garden centers and home centers. They’re great for the do-it-yourselfer and small projects. However, if you want to do a larger landscape area, it’s usually best to hire a professional to come in and install a good system for you.
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Last Updated:
July 6, 2006