Drip irrigation with .5 gph drippers

12 years ago

Hi all,

I am designing a drip system for shrubs and perennials in my landscape. Our soil is heavy clay. I am planning to use .5 gph drippers as suggested for clay soil on one "zone" connected to the hose bib with filter and pressure regulator. There are 18 shrubs and 41 perennials in this bed which were planted a year ago. The shrubs are about 12"-18" in diameter. I am planning on (2) drippers for each shrub and 1 dripper for each perennial. Where I have perennials planted close together I am planning to use 1/4" dripline which has .5 gph emitters spaced 12" apart. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Thank You

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Comments (6)

lehua49
12 years ago
Doug,

How have your shrubs & perens done over the year. I imagine you were hand water before or still. Try to measure how much total water you apply when water the shrubs and perennials. You stated you will need 77 each of 0.5 gph emitters that is in one hour you will apply 38.5 gallons for one zone's worth if you are at design pressure. Check your water source pressure and flow rate. Does it give you emitter design pressure and 1.2x needed flow rate if your using one zone? If not you will need to create more zones. This the first step. JMHO Aloha
doug143
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for your prompt response. I really don't know how much water we put on the plants when hand watering. We did lose a few of them though. It was a very hot summer here in North Carolina last year. The landscaper who did the planting said they should get 1" of water each week. I was mainly wondering if 2 emitters on each shrub would wet the entire root zone. I measured the flow rate and it took 1'18" to get 5 gallons into a bucket so that makes my flow rate 4.16 GPM. The pressure at the hose bib checked 44 PSI. Our water pressure here is on the low side.
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I've used .5 gph and 1 gph drippers on a timer. I've never had one clog up - maybe if your water is super hard? I ran the system all the way from the back of the house to the front - starting with my neighbors potted plants, my plants planted in a narrow strip along the back fence, everything I had planted on the south side of the house, across the front of the house (flowers) and the hanging planters I had on the front stoop. Worked great. Saved my neighbors plants as well as my own. I think I had it on a 30 minute timer - might have been 20 mins. I think I had a flow limiter as well. There was probably a screen at the input end as well. I got the parts at WalMart in Sidney OH - no other WalMart I've been to carries them. I'm sure other WalMarts do have them, just not where I was living at the time (WV, my dad lived in Sidney, so I bought the parts when I was visiting up there). I plan to set something similar up after we move in a couple of weeks, though I'm not sure where I'll get the parts yet. BTW I'm pretty sure it was Orbit - I could get tubing and parts separately so I could get just what I needed instead of having to buy a pre-packaged kit with too much of this and not enough of that, LOL!
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Jimi, Do a physical water audit. The film delivers water based on line pressure. This happens, if the drip line is level along its length, because pressure loss occurs at each orifice. A non-clogging drip line is made with no restrictions at the openings. It is essentially a pipe with holes drilled into it. Which reminds me, look up PVC drip lines in past threads. Back to subject. If the drip line slope downward at 1.5% slope it tends to increase the pressure along the line while it is being lost at the orifices. Thus making flow more equal at all orifices. Now for the audit, take cups and bury them under the drip line at intervals along its length. Time a specific long irrigation cycle and measure the depths in each cup. You should see the variation of water application along the lines length. You would have to water more to get the dryer side watered adequately and the nearer side will be over watered. The obvious comparison is to raise your system on stakes at 1.5 degree slope and do another audit. A slightly raised system is easier to see clogging. With a well supplied system you not only have to deal with particles in the water but algae that will form at the orifices if sitting on the wet ground. Check out the PVC system, it take care of these problems and easy to remove and replace for continued long-term use. JMHO aloha
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Hi jpe, At least you know how much water you are putting on each plant and how long it takes. That is a big step forward. You probably should post to the tomatoe or vegetable forum to get more precise water amounts. I know about tomatoes, a rule of thumb is 1.5 gal every three days. But this depends on soil drainage, size of root system, heat, mulch etc. Trial and error is your best bet. Keep soil moist but not wet. Water infrequently but deeply. The sticking your finger in the soil and watching the plants will let you know when it is time to water. It won't take long to get a routine set up. Thick mulch stabilizes soil temp., saves water, control weeds and conditions the soil. Good luck. Aloha
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Drip irrigation effectiveness is entirely dependent upon your soil type. Sandy soils allow the water to go straight down, while soils with a heavier clay/organic matter tend to hold the water at a more shallow depth. Additionally, point-drip irrigation tends to restrict the root development to a small area, while a more wide-spread pattern will provide better moisture and food delivery to the roots. I use 1-10 gal adjustable DIG drippers, and adjust the spray pattern to the age and size of the plant as it grows. Containerized plants need 1-gal.hour, while large (6') mature tomato and pepper plants need 3 gph in my soil. I run seven discreet drip systems all with timers. Take the pressure regulator off and toss it. Use the faucet handle to adjust pressure. You can run more drips at a higher PSI. Don't forget the vacuum breaker. Use the brass ones, as the plastic ones are crap. I like DIG systems better. Their stuff is cheaper and, IMHO, better quality. You can by adapters at DIG to accept the narrower Raindrip 1/2" tubing. The DIG is .700 OD. The Melnor timers are crap too. Use the white ones available at Lowe's. Cost more but last MUCH longer. I've got some that are three years old. Been doing this for 12 years or more, so I've made ALL the mistakes...
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lehua49
12 years ago
Doug,

1" of water over a 2 foot diameter plant is 3.14 sf times 1/12 ft equals 0.26 cubic feet times 7.481 gallon/cf therefore is 1.9 gallons over three watering times is 0.6 gallons three time a week. It would take your 0.5 gph emitter watering the plants 2 hours per cycle. Your limiting factor is the pressure loss for each emitter. See if you can find the pressure loss per emitter on-line or let us know the brand and we can look it up for you. If the design pressure is around 25 psi the loss should be a certain psi. So you have 20 psi loss for the total loss of the zone. JMHO aloha
doug143
Original Author
12 years ago
lehua 13,

The emitter I am looking at is item# 1492 (pressure compensating) from Drip Depot (online). They say that this emitter can be used up to 50psi. I was planning to put in a pressure reducer to 25psi. Don't see where they mention anything about pressure loss per emitter. Hope this helps and thank you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drip Depot
lehua49
12 years ago
Doug,

Here is a link to determine how many emitters on your line:

http://www.irrigationdirect.com/expert-advice/faq/drip-irrigation/designing-your-drip-irrigation-system

This should help figure what to do.

Let us know what your outcome is or if you need help digesting the info. Aloha
doug143
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for your help. Looks like I have the capacity to do what's needed. I just need to order parts and start installing and testing as I go.

Drip irrigation with .5 gph drippers

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Drip irrigation with .5 gph drippers

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