Drip…Drip…drip!

With the increase in number of plants that require watering, it’s become a time-consuming task to get to all of them as much as they need it. Also, too much water doesn’t make it to the plant, no matter how careful I am. In this unusually dry season, conservation of water is a priority.

My daughter, Inga, came to see me this past week, making her winter visit to get out of the cold Idaho weather. She asked if she could do a project of creating a dripper system like one she had recently installed at her own home. I jumped at the opportunity!

We stopped by Home Depot to talk with the helpful clerk there and purchased all the items she needed. We learned several things along the way that will make the next system easier.

Our first lesson: 500 feet of larger diameter tubing is too much to work with at one time. From now on, I will need to cut it into manageable pieces and use connectors. As she was unwinding it, it all became too entangled.

Our second lesson: Let both the larger diameter tubing and smaller ¼” tubing set out in the sun to make them more pliable. In fact, she found that soaking the smaller tubing in very hot water for a while made it so much easier to work with. You can see the pan here beside her as she works (plus my shadow as I took the picture).

Our third lesson: Wear sturdy gloves! Cutting the holes and pushing the emitters and connectors into the tubing can be hard on your hands after a while. The blue object in her hand is the hole punch. First, she punches a hole in the larger tubing, then into that she inserts the ¼” tubing with a connector. At the end of the smaller tubing, she inserts the emitter and sets it close to the plant.

Here is a close-up of the connection between larger and smaller tubing.

Here you can see the emitter, where the water drips out onto the plant (in case you wondered)!

She ran the line all around my bananas, coffee, plumeria, blueberries and more.

Our fourth lesson: When you have an acre with plants spread out all over the place (even on a small portion of that acre), 500 feet doesn’t go far. This time she put in two systems, one off the hose bib by the back door and one by the front door.

Between the two, it covers part of the plants behind the house, all of the front garden area, and up one side of the driveway. The next 500 feet I put in will take care of the other side of the driveway, my vegetable beds, and the patio. I’m sure there will be plenty more lessons learned along the way!

Is that a backache, Inga?? Thank you so much for making my gardening easier!

A hui hou!