We had a sprinkler system put in four years ago. Love it. The only thing that is annoying is that as we've changed the flowerbeds around, the sprinkler heads (immovable) aren't optimally placed anymore. But that's my fault.

Drip emitters and drip tube. I've retrofitted all my beds and eliminated all overhead spray. Much healthier for the plants, especially roses and cut water costs more3 than 50%. I no longer am watering the first 15 minutes to get the mulch wet to be able to water the beds. Special plants that like water such as bananas, hibiscus, EEs, Crinums and Cannas get extra emitters to make sure they look their best.

It is a PAIN to retrofit an existing bed but well worth it.

Fairview, did you do it yourself or have it done? If diy, where did you get the system? That is the way I'm thinking of going also, and want to use the in-line emitters.

Marti, I did drip irrigation for all my beds and it was easy easy easy. If I did it any body can. However, I don't have an interlocking systen hooked up to a timer, which would be nice, but I just connect the hose at the different beds. I used the Submatic system purchased locally. Someone else will probably suggest an online site from which to order parts. While you're at order some extra connections. I am forever severing the hose when digging holes, but it's easy to repair the cuts and nice to have the parts on hand with which to do it.

I'm on my "second" drip irrigation system. My front yard is entire xeriscape.

I bought my first kit from Home Depot, using DIG tubing. I highly recommend DIG because their distribution tubing seems to be the 1/2 inch "standard".

I now order my parts in bulk.

I tried regular drippers, for a few years, but they didn't get enough water to my plants, (I've got about 15 circuits) so I've switched to sprayers, (but that's an entirely different story!)

Home Depot is the best local retail to buy a starter kit, or Drip Works USA is great to order kits and supplies. (The Drip Works site also has tutorials etc.)

www.dripworksusa.com

Most of my yard is xeriscape I guess, but I want to have water around the foundations and sidewalks. The soaker hose works well in the shade but on the south side where my a/c is, everything I planted this year died. I think it's because of the a/c more than anything.

I don't have much luck with soaker hoses, I couldn't figure out why they would always spring leaks on me. Then, I found out that they aren't supposed to be exposed to the sun...

On the other hand, I bought one of those cloth soaker hoses. It is lightweight, and can be moved around etc.

Rosalee is right about having extra parts for drip systems. They're easy to install and if something happens, just fix it...Or if you want to water less or more just add or subtract from it.

I did it. Cap off all sprinkler heads and abandon in place except for one which is centrally located in the bed. Installed a pressure reducer on this leg. Using a Tee fitting tie in your drip tube at that location and lay it about 12" but no more than 18" apart. There are holes every 12" on the tube that emit 1gal/hour. This next step is key to a better installation than you can get from a typical installer. When laying the drip tub out, the other end needs to come around and tie back into the that unused fitting on the original Tee. Even though the emitters are pressure compensating, this method of installation gives you better flow. Now this is where a lot of people get cheap, You'll need plenty of 'staples' to hold the tube down. They come in either bags of 25 or a box of 1000. Get the box. The more you use the closer contact the tube will be with the soil. Now just go back in with a hand cultivator and pull back the mulch under the tube, push the staples in and recover. This is the pain. Also there should be a run of tube right up against the foundation of your house. Works better than soaker hose.

Now for those special plants, purchase a tubing punch, punch a hole in the tube, insert emitter, run 1/4" hose from emitter to plant. Use the same staples to hold the frip tube down. It's over kill put those cute plastic stake holders are pitiful. Most insert a barb fitting then the hose and then the emitter at teh plant. I have found this to be a problem when cleaning up the beds and using a hand cultivator. If you slice a hose with the emitter at the plant, you have a mini geyser. If you slice a hose that is running from an emitter, that is not a problem.

I'm a big fan of Netafim products. HD used to carry them until they found a cheaper and poorer quality knock-off version. I think Netafim is worth the extra pennies. IMO, RainBird emitters aren't worth the recycled plastic they are made from. They are good, no excellent plant killers though.

I don't know about posting local sources so email me if you live in the north Dallas area.

Remember with drip irrigation, it may take up to an hour of run time to get enough water down. I use 2.5gal/hour emitters.

Drip tube all the way. I did it myself in all my gardens... 2 acres worth. I consider it a winter time job though cause it's so hot out.

Wish I had known about Netafirm when I started. Now that I'm trying to water my gardens with my dirty pond water, it turns out that Netafirm is the only drip company that won't clog the emitters. But with clean water DIG brand works great.
The good thing about drip irrigation is that if you instal it for an area that just needs to get established and then that area no longer needs water, you can pull it out and use it for other areas of the garden.

I used "Dig" from Home Depot, it was a blast! I felt like a kid at Christmas creating and putting together a model of my own design! And it is very easy, just read the free pamphlet and draw out your yard/plan first. I put in 3 lines and used a timer made by Vigoro. I also put in the pressure reducer and filter - so far no clogs but I am just using tap water.

One line waters all of my pots and hanging baskets on my patio every other day. The pot and basket misters are perfect for this - they disperse water slowly and evenly over the whole pot, when I discovered the bougainvillea prefer less water than everybody else, I just added inline shutoff valves so I can manually shut the misters to just those plants.

One line waters my roses and thujas with pressure compensated drip emitters, this has really cut down on weeds as the emitters are right at the base of the plants where the sun doesn't shine.

One line runs around the front flower bed, I got the raised sprinkler attachments for this one and they were great for germinating seeds but not so great once the flowers got tall. I may put in a "T" with a parallel line with drip emitters and and in line valves so next year I can switch from the overhead spray to the drip when the plants get big enough.

Only caution, those .99 cent pieces really add up! I spent close to $400.00, almost croaked at the register! Then I realized you really don't need the anchor stakes and if your plants are close together, you don't need a dripper for each plant so after returning unnecessary bits and keeping lots of extras for later, I probably used closer to $250.00 worth of parts...and worth every penny! I probably saved that several times over in my water bill and lack of dead plants.

Time will tell how well this system holds up in the long run but for now I am one happy camper!

I have installed drip at every home I have owned. I love it. On top of watering just the areas you want, you can also change your mind and move it easily.

The other part I like with drip is you can do so much with it. I have installed mist sprinklers on my pergola so I can have a light mist under my pergola whenever I want it. I also have the drip automatically fill my bird bath and all water features, and potted plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: North Texas Gardening

If the emitters are 18" apart, what happens to the plants between those two points?

Do any of you have yours hooked up to an automatic timer like a sprinkler system, or do you have it hooked up to a garden hose that you have to turn on & off?

You lay the hose out anyway you want to and then put the emitters where you want them. If you have a large plant you can circle it with the hose and put several emitters, or just put an emitter that allows more water to pass though. They come in different ratings of gallons per hour. It's up to you.

If plantings change you can pull out the emitter with plyers and plug the hole with a special plug you buy from the company whose system you are using. They come in a bag of several pieces just like the emitters do.

To install the emitters you punch a little hole with a hole punch that comes with the system and push in the emitter. For joining you just push the ends of the hose into a connector.

My system works off the water hose I move from station to station and is timed by an a oven timer I carry around in my pocket. It works for me ... LOL! Others have invested in a automatic timing system--which sounds really handy. The systems available are really versatile. Good luck!

Mine is set up with a timer. It runs at 5:45 am. I have spray emitters around areas that have few plants and individual emitters for main plants. If you add more plants later just add emitters. Like mentioned before it waters everything I want it to including bird bath, pots, and water features.

You can get a good timer for $30 thats digital.

Marti:

When water is applied slowly, it will radiate out horizontally. This requires that the drip system be run for a much longer time period than sprinklers. Usually about 4 hours per week. To determine if water is reaching a plant, I would often poke a hole in the ground...sure enough the soil was getting wet.

That's what I do with my soaker hoses pricklypearsatx, but I've found that the water doesn't spread out very far on either side, even when I leave it on all night. I think the instructions say turn the water on just a quarter turn so the flow is very low. And I thought if soaker hoses aren't working well for me, would drip hoses be any better?

If you have clay soil, the water should be spreading out by the time it gets to the root zone beneath the surface. The Dig system has many different drippers and sprayers to choose from and the free pamphlet has recommendations for what to use for different soil types. If your soil is fast draining I think you would use sprayers, sprinklers or at least adjustable drippers. I bought a couple of adjustable drippers for some roses that had a 50% chance of living because I figured I could just adjust them to no flow if those plants croaked. What I found was these drippers throw drips in every direction giving an even saturation within the perimeter of the resulting circle (which adjusts to get larger or smaller). I have no affiliation with Dig, I just started using it this year and love it so far.

Prepare to gasp...
I am dragging hoses so this is all 2nd hand information.

Here in Arlington they have new "laws" in recent years to help "save" water or something. If you are going to install a drip system the city requres it be inspected. Doesn't sound too bad does it?

If you have beds, they must have drip....sounds great too doesn't it?

A neighbor bought her home since these green laws went in. She got estimates for her modest 50's home on a city lot. Nothing fancy or exotic. A couple of french drains.

Here's the gasp part. Don't look down in this post... Take a minute to think what you'd consider exhorbitant... I mean extreme! Got it?

$15,000.0 yes that's what she said. Got the estimate from 2 different reputable companies.

She asked if she could just have the above ground sprinklers that could hit the beds, that would be MUCH cheaper. Sorry, if you have beds you must have drip and the city must approve it. She's dragging hoses too.

errrgh...that HD system sounds like a real deal if you are allowed to have one.

still shaking my head and hoping that some how city hall comes to its senses.
c

Yowza! I'm glad we don't live in Arlington anymore! But we had a regular sprinkler system there.

Wait, french drains? that's a whole 'nother ballgame!

Good grief, that's bonkers! I wonder how the City would even know if you put in your own drip system, with a little mulch they are practically invisible. And if they spot a non-permitted system, how would they know it wasn't already there before the green ordinance? (grandfathered)Crazy!

Marti:

With regards to the water reaching the roots etc.

I ended up installing small sprayers instead of regular drippers. I felt it was a "compromise" between drip and sprinklers. If I turn the water low, the sprayers "drip".

(So, for water restrictions and the "water police", it looks like drippers. )

If I turn it up I get small sprinklers.
.

Cynthia:

What a mess in Arlington. It seems like there is no common sense. I wonder how "strict" these laws are?

How would they know whether the drip irrigation was professionally installed? Do they have "water police"?

What about grass and sprinklers? Can you plant grass in Arlington and drag a sprinkler around? Or is it illegal to have a garden hose sprinkler?

There seems to be a lack of common sense with some of these water laws.

lack of common sense indeed. All I know is that it is illegal. I wish I didn't know then I could hire someone illegal to put it in. Everyone knows where they stand to get hourly work. I k now it isn't just Arlington, but good grief!

I do know that the new "cause" is green. Which sounds good until a bureaucrat get hold of it. What can I say, the Superbowl is coming and that's the only thing that makes sense to them.

I'm not a big complainer but this is crazy!

get your drips before your politicians start making them law.....
sigh