I also plumbed 2 MG feeders into the 1/2" lines for my drip systems. They worked well for 3 seasons, but the 4th when I turned the water on for the first time the bottom of the mix jars blew out. I assumed I could find bottles that would work and I will when I use them in a couple of new systems. Mine fed my raised veggie beds and I wanted something that held more mix anyway. So last year I bought a couple of Grow More Siphon Mixers. http://www.amazon.com/Grow-More-Siphon-Mixer-Injector/dp/B004HPPR9S I plumbed these in and the pick up hoses are fed from 5 gallon covered buckets. I have used some MG, but only because when a tenant moved out of our rental house they left a large box behind. So it was free. I mix one of the MG feeder packets to 5 gallons of water and it sucks the 5 gallons out in about 2 1/2 days of watering. When I use G&B liquid fertilizer I mix 2 cups to 1 gallon of water. and that feeds for the day. Then the siphon mixer ration is 15 parts water to 1 part mix. I'm not sure on the ratio of fertilizer to water yet and I did play with it some last year.

Thanks everyone for the advice. We've decided to start adding drip irrigation first (hooking it up to the hose bibs) and then adding the hard-piped sprinkler system later this year/next spring. We will set the drip irrigation in the large mulched beds of trees, shrubs and perennials and set them up so that they can be added to the hard-piped sprinkler system when it is installed. How should we setup such a system? Should we run a regular garden hose from the bib to the mulch bed (area where we plan on running the drip line into the sprinkler system in the future)? What kind of tubing/piping should we use as the laterals? Below is a rough draft of the system as I envision it: 1. Close to the hose bib run a small piece of hose attached to manifold/shut-off valve that branches off into a number of different connections. One of the branched lines will be for general use and the other(s) will be for the drip irrigation. 2. After the manifold valve, a pressure reduced and filter will be installed. I don't plan on a backflow valve as the hose bib has an anti-siphon feature. 3. A section of garden hose from filter and pressure reduced to start of mulch bed (drip irrigation). 4. Laterals running along edge of mulch beds (or down the middle). Not sure if laterals should be PVC,poly tubing, vinyl tubing, or PVC flex tubing . Laterals will be 1/2" I think. 5. 1/4" tubing running from lateral to plant. Not sure if I can run 1/4" to more than one plant or not. Also not sure what tubing to use ( poly tubing, vinyl tubing, or PVC flex tubing, drip tubing). I plan to use maually placed emitters at each plant. Please let me know if this plan makes sense. I don't mind spending extra money to make the system the most efficient and durable that it can be. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Since you're using anti-siphon valves, I assume you don't have a backflow prevention device between your valve manifold and your main supply line. The anti-siphon feature of your valves is intended to prevent possibly contaminated water from being sucked back into the main line. This method of backflow control is now generally viewed with disfavor, and may not comply with applicable codes. If the valve is not positioned at the mandated height above the sprinkler or drip line, the anti-siphon feature is defeated. On the bright side, a simple $10 backflow preventer is usually all that is required for a soaker hose or drip line, and when you open the valve, the water will flow. You will also need an inexpensive pressure regulator. Putting this together may be a bit tricky, and you will need to bear in mind the incompatibility of hose threads and pipe threads as you select the requisite components.

Hi, Sorry! I've been laying out my tubing, and figuring out 1/2" tubes also come in 1/2" ID sizes. Back & forth to the store for different sized adaptors ... I have a 25 psi regulator on the water source set-up. I'll also get a pressure gauge, you're right, it would be good to know the pressure to the house anyway. I never thought about the flow rate ... I'll measure it all in a bucket before I start actually watering - jeez! Sort of important - thank you. :) I have 4 - 1/2" hoses, with no more than 40' or so of each. They will each have varying lengths of 1/4" hose running off them, no more than 10-12'. I have several 1 GPH heads along each hose, most at least 18" or so. Only one 1/2" hose station, the one for the shaded bed where the valves are located, will have heads running directly off of it, but only 8 or so; it's not a long line. So, just to be clear - I add the # of GPH's, and they need to be under 80% of hose bib total ... I've got some calculating to do! I'll be running each station for a different length of time, for a different # of days (vines vs. succulents vs. shade, etc). I have 153 plants so far, so I've already exceeded that, right? I'll have to water on different days. I'm not setting up the anti-syphon valve system, including attaching my hose to a separate valve, until I have the irrigation hoses all laid out and working, and the watering timed right, just to be safe. The current manual set-up is cheap enough, although not very sturdy, and my kitchen timer goes up to 9 hours. I don't even have my shaded bed planted yet; I'll wait for the permanent valve set-up (so I know what I have to hide). When I do get it set up, then I'll add the multi-station timer to work with the solenoid/anti-syphon valves, and the kitchen timer won't be used any more. It'll work for this manual system for now, so when 1 station is done being watered, I can turn off that valve, and then the next valve can be shut off when that's done and so on - that is if they're all being watered at the same time, which I don't think I can do with the pressure issue. OK, I'm off to finish the hoses and do some math - I always liked a good word problem! Thank you!