Well, in my 30 odd years of growing roses, I have used just about every watering method known to man. Believe it or not, soaker hoses do deliver a lot of water, depending on the type you may be using. The term soaker hose is sort of generic, I mean it covers everything from the green hose with the holes in the top turned upside down to leaky pipe. Some nursery supply houses even sell a canvass one that really puts out the water. It is very hard to tell exactly how much you are putting out, but when I used them, I would normally turn the water on for an hour, and see how the roses looked after a couple of days of that. If they looked OK, I would use the one hour interval, if they were too wet, I would cut back to 30 minutes or go up 30 minutes to another hour, if they were too dry. After a time, I put one of those battery operated electronic water timers on the system, so that I wouldn't have to control it myself. The timer would come on when I wanted and be on for the requisite amount of time and then cut off, every day or every other or whatever. By using the water timer, I wouldn't have to be there to control anything, and the roses would still get watered. What you choose to do is really up to you. I don't use soaker hoses anymore, because I have found something I like better, and am sure that my time interval is just right. We are under water restrictions here, so I have to be more careful now.

Ok tease me.... LOL

What did you find that you liked better?

I wouldn't recomend the soaker hoses. Although it is true they pump out a considerable amount of water, I'd have to say they don't continue doing so forever. I used soaker hoses throughout all of my rose beds at one point, only to have to dig them up and replace them with drip irregation systems instead. My problem with the soaker hoses (I used the black porous type that look like a garden hose) is that eventually all those pores clog up and render your hoses useless as a consistent watering system.

Adrian.

I prefer and use the drip irrigation systems using parts from DripWorks here on the internet. They are relatively cheap compared to a good soaker hose and I think are more manageable to the amount of water you want to use.
John

Whoa! I'm at Dripworks right now and don't have a clue. I watched their video which proved to be less than informative. I clicked on their starter kit but it says I still need to buy "emitters." I don't see how this is relatively cheap next to a good soaker hose as I just bought one with a 7 year guarantee for about half of what the starter (Heart) kit - which, by the way is twice as long as I need.

I see you also need to punch your own holes. Since my bed is just starting out I have a hunch that this might be best left to an established bed.

I like the idea of watering the best way for my roses and clematis. I'm just a bit bemused by this and it's a lot more money that I have to spend at the moment. I will, however, keep it in mind for future use.

I tried soaker hoses, and didn't find them efficient for my needs.

Dripworks has a "Glorious Gardens" kit that includes everything that is needed to start out. It is kinda like laying out a highway in your garden for the water to travel through, and the smaller tubing and "shrubblers" (emitters) as the exits. I put in my first system when I had 30 roses, and expanded it to cover most of the main bed.

I think it saves because the water is directed to the plant. It is also easy to figure out how long to run the system by putting one of the emitters over a bucket and measuring how long it takes to fill to a gallon. It is also a time saver, I can be spraying or potting up or doing something else while watering.

But, I know a many folks still use soaker hoses, so they have found a way that works for them, I couldn't get it right.

jan, I use soaker hoses in most of my beds. Usually I just run them until I see the water flowing onto the walkway, usually an hour or so. They are inexpensive and although not completely efficient, I like watering the whole bed, not just my roses.

Since I'm also on watering restrictions, I haven't use them this year..but I might sneak in some watering if I have to.....

I bought the Rose starter kit from DripWorks last year. It's a good place to start. Once it got it put together and saw how nice it was, then I knew what more I needed to order. I ended up hooking up almost every plant in my backyard. I need to place another order soon once I figure out what more I need for my new garden. It's very easy to put together and because you punch the holes yourself it is easy to expand and add emitters where ever you need them.