Soaker hose placement

10 years ago

Hi all! I've been doing some googling and can't get this sorted out in my head.

If you run soaker hoses in your beds do you:

* Bury them in mulch or in the soil?
* Run them on TWO sides of your hosta or just one? (e.g. say you have a row of blues at the back of your bed ... do you run the hose in front of the row AND in back of the row?)
* Put them right next to the crown or a few inches away?

I live in Halifax NS and we get about 55-57 inches of rain/snow per year, so watering isn't a huge concern except when I'm getting beds established. Lately I've been using sprinklers in my big new beds but of course that's not very water-friendly.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 1:27

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Comments (12)

hostahillbilly
10 years ago
I only bury them to keep the sun from destroying them.
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don_in_colorado
10 years ago
55-57 inches rainfall a year? Hey, that's pretty good! We get about 20 inches total rain/snow per year. Keeps the slugs at bay : ) Come to think of it, I'm thirsty...

Don B.
Westminster, CO.
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I made a header out of pvc pipe (it is so easy, even a cave man could do it) ":^) to go across the upper end of my garden with hose bibs (faucets) every 36 inches apart. The header connects to the main supply line along the garden fence with a quick connection and can be quickly and easily removed. I can hook seven, 75 foot hoses onto the header and water one or more rows at a time. Some things will depend upon your soil, temperatures, how much rainfall you get and whether or not you have some good mulch. But I usually deep soak the rows that need it about once per week or every ten days. More often in the hotter, dryer part of the summer. I also mulch heavily with shredded oak leaves if I have them, some coastal bermuda is my second choice. I have a better picture somewhere but without looking for some time for it, will give you an idea of what I am talking about. With my soil and mulch, normally I can open a faucet just over a quarter of a turn open and let it run for an hour to an hour and a half and it will soak deeply along the row. I made a probe out of a piece of 1/2" steel rod about 4 foot long with a cross piece welded on top like a T and the bottom end sharpened some. It does not take much experimenting to learn from the resistance encountered, when the soil down deep is getting too dry and hard and needing water. It is really a lot easier than it sounds, as you can see here in this first about how long the steel probe is. Then, you can see in this how deeply I was able to shove it down into the conditioned clay beneath the row without too much resistance. That tells me that there is ample and adequate moisture down to that depth so that those deep roots can take up moisture and nutrients. I could have dug holes to check the moisture but that would be more of a surface thing and might destroy some roots, or I could buy a moisture meter, but then again, It would only reflect the moisture near the surface. I like what I came up with here for several reasons, cheap, easy, efficient and tells me more than the other methods which I mentioned. I let the plants get up a little way then string the soak hose right next to the plants, hill a little dirt up over them (perhaps an inch or two) put my cages in place then add about three to four inches of mulch. You may notice in the pictures of the probe above, the soak hoses are not visible, but they are there, doing their fine job.":^) I hope this helps some. Bill P.
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You'll have quite a selection to pick this year. First thing you'll need to do is separate the determinates from indt. varieties. that way you can plan a taller trelis for the INDT varieties and shorter for the DETs. I'd avoid interplanting them as much as possible. Most Det. varieties will send out a network of branches faster than you will be able to weave them into the panel openings. You may end up just weaving string around the plants at different heights to hold them partially against the panels. The soaker hose will need to go under the plastic. If left above at any spot the water will just run to the lowest point- which is often the edge of the plastic. I would first lay out your soaker hose lines over your prepared bed in straight rows. Then lay the plastic over the hoses, exposing only the source ends (for waterline hookup). To minimize exposed area use a utility knife to cut a 6-8" slit parallel with the soaker hose where each plant will be planted. Then with a scissors cut a 3-4" perpendicular to each slit in both directions being careful to miss your soaker hose when cutting toward it. Now you can fold the flaps out, plant your tomatoes (again careful against the soaker hose) and then fold the flaps closed again against each plant. I don't think you need to be so careful with soaker hose but I use driptape and on occasion I'll need to splice a section that I nick with the utility knife or digging trowell. This method doesn't work if you need to trench plant. For that I usually plan to have the plastic mulch seam overlap slightly at the row and then laying rocks between each plant is necessary to hold the plastic down. I lay old boards between the rows to hold the plastic in place, provide a solid fotting and to keep from packing soil excessively throughout the season. Quackgrass is hardy and it will seek light at the slightest crack so be prepared. Some might suggest a newspaper "collar around each plant tucked under the plastic. Using a vegetative mulch around each plant might help but you'll need a thicker layer to prevent grass from growing through it. That brings up another point. Be sure the black plastic mulch is thick enough (2 mil.+) to keep quackgrass from sending tillers right through it.
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I don't know anyone who has rain all season. I sure don't and have to make sure the barrels are empty before they freeze and burst. I set the barrels up to collect the early season rainfall. Sometimes I use it all other times I don't. If the barrels get empty I fill a couple from the hose which allows time for the chlorine to dissipate and for the sun to warm the water. I have nothing to measure the pressure in the hose but I do know that soaker hoses require pressure to move the water from the inside of the hose to the outside. I have learned to use gravity where available and having a downhill slope to the garden does help the water to run to the end of the hose. One secret to using rain barrels is to make certain they are on a level surface and they are elevated high enuff (alright two secrets) to get a 5 gal bucket under if you want to use gravity. I use cinder blocks, two high, with 2x lumber (say 2x8) across the cinder blocks to hold two 55 gal barrels. A full barrel is extremely heavy say a 55 gallon barrel might be 50gal x8lbs = 400lbs. So you'll want to make sure the cinders are level BEFORE filling with water. I do have to use a sump pump to get some rainwater up the slope to the barrels closer to the garden which I either use the soaker hoses on or just an open end hose for watering or simply washing/rinsing hands, etc. These are the barrels that I fill with city water if the need arises; been a couple yrs since that was needed. I also use 30 gal garbage pails under the down spouts to facilitate using the sump pump (or buckets dipped in the water). I squirt baby oil on the water to deter insects such as mosquitoes. The barrels have a cover and are not a problem with insects. I do have another 30 gal garbage can with a spigot on the bottom I make compost tea in. Of course you can also just use a bucket to dip into the barrel. I use an aquarium pump in that to help brew but that is another topic entirely.
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The plant's dripline is a good indicator to use for water placement. Nutrients are another issue. But you also want to be able to adjust that water location as the plant grows. That's not always possible if the hose or drip tape is under heavy mulch. So your goal is to find that happy medium for placement - not right up next to the stem but not 6" out either. It needs to be close enough for the small transplant but also far enough out for the well established mid-summer plant. But for nutrients - different types of roots have different functions and unlike the big water roots that roam, the feeder roots are the more fine fibrous roots in closer to the main stem so nutrients work best closer in to the stem. Then you throw in the many other variables of soil type and tilth, how well it diffuses the water, the type of plant and its individual water needs, bed depth, etc. and discover that there is no ideal placement that works for all. So the answer to your question "if i set a drip 4-5 inches to the left of a decent sized plant with good root expansiveness already, can i expect the plant to eventually be able to soak up just as much water as a same sized plant that has the drip set up an inch away from the stem because the new roots will move into the soil where the drip is saturating?" is no. You have to monitor the individual plant and compensate for its needs as required. I complicate the process even further by using fertigation and feeding via the water supply so my drip tape/soaker hose placement is in the 2-3" out from the stem range. Dave
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robo (z6a)
Original Author
10 years ago
Don that makes me even more in awe of your beautiful hosta! Hmm, I should say rain AND snow for us too. I'll edit that part.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 1:26
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don_in_colorado
10 years ago
Thanks, Robo, I appreciate it. But really, I just try to keep them out of TOO much high-altitude sun, make sure they have nutritious soil to live in, and water, water, water. Denver County has water restrictions for this summer, but luckily we're in Jefferson County. No such restrictions since I've lived here (8 years on Tuesday). I'm planning on getting some drip irrigation going for next season, so I won't have to waste so much water with the overhead watering. Best of luck with everything!

Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 2:21
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
soaker hoses are useless ...

find and pay for an ENGINEERED product.. that allows you to KNOW the output of water in a given time frame per emitter ...

there is no engineering in the common soaker hose ... and in my experience.. i could not be sure.. at all points on the given length.. that i was getting consistent coverage ...

i will give you a link later.. when i fire up the desktop ...

ken
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Eleven
10 years ago
ken, you're absolutely correct that you can't know that water coverage or output from a soaker hose. BUT for some of us they aren't useless. I use them for supplemental watering in the late summer when I'm just too tired to really care about working in the garden any more.

Robot, I don't bury my hoses as it inhibits the water spray too much, but that's just my experience. I meander the hoses around the hostas a few inches away from the crowns. I like to think more of the roots will get water that way. Then I monitor the beds after the first couple of waterings and make adjustments based on how the soil looks around the hostas. I've been lucky this year to not even use the soaker hoses yet.
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almosthooked zone5
10 years ago
I agree with Ken about the soaker hoses . Used them years ago and plants were thirsting to death. One month into the season and they were totally plugged with the calcium in our hard water . Back to the sprinklers and spots but living plants . Until I get sick of this I would look into underground sprinklers or drip system. Not sure if they plug with hard water but maybe no spots on the blues
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mosswitch
10 years ago
In places where I have laid soakers I circle the plants, about six inches away from them, and cover with mulch to reduce evaporation and protect the hoses from the sun.

The rest of the beds are getting installed with drip irrigation hoses and spot spitters that will get water underneath the leaves directly on the ground. Overhead sprinklers just don't get the job done, the water runs off the leaves, leaving the ground dry underneath the plants no matter how long I leave them run. With the spot spitters I can water an entire bed in about 30 minutes.

Sandy
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
my point... if you have them.. use them up

but if you are going to invest in replacement ... go higher quality ... the drip irrigation i have.. has lasted a decade...

initial upfront cost would be offset by repeated replacement costs ...

i still cant remember the name of the stuff i have.. but its the same as the stuff at the link ...

the key is that each emitter allows a specific amount of water .. across the entire length ... ina given time... e.g. so if it drip .25 gals per hour.. you can put down one gal in 4 hours .... BUT!!! .... what you soil needs... can only be determined by you...

ah ha.. i use TECHLINE by netafim .. such as at this link:

http://www.sprinklersupplystore.com/Netafim-Techline-CV-Drip-Tubing-s/675.htm

check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSYeCyuM3c

and just so there is no confusion.. the emitters are built into the line ... mine is fully winterproof ...

i can offer much assistance... but i am not willing to simply type a thesis on such..

if you are interested in going in this direction... i will help thru GW posts ...

and if i ever fail to come back and answer ... just use my members page.. to send me a link back to the post i lost ...

finally... ALL mine is above ground.. and above the mulch .... after a short while.. you ignore it ... and any garden visitors are intrigued by it... its something to talk about ... but the reason i do such.. is ambient moisture... i need some humidity for the plant.. on my hot sand ... i can really see a difference .... as to leaf surface damage.. if i bury the lines completely ...

and for those of you who use sprinklers.. ponder this.. you lose maybe 50% of what your sprinkler shoots into the air .. by evaporation.... so you are paying to water the air.... you can deliver more water.. more efficiently.. w/o the waste cost ... and that should be considered in your upfront cost ...

let me see if i can find a picture of it laying on top.. and very frankly.. ask you if you would have fixated on it.. rather than the plant display ... and be honest ...

ken
{{gwi:211254}}

Here is a link that might be useful: link
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
check the link below.. down half way.. i irrigate a hosta bed

brilliant tape job is i say so myself.. lol

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
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robo (z6a)
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the links ken! I am going to have a careful look. My water needs are not as intense between our heavy rainfall and the inevitable clay soil here. Even in August it's rained three times in the past seven days...I love it...one less day I need to get out the hose! At the same time it would be nice not to have to manually water my new beds!!
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Steve Massachusetts
10 years ago
Love the little windmill thingy, Ken. Did Esther send that to you from NY?

Steve
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Soaker hose placement

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Soaker hose placement

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