I switched from spray irriagation to drip line a few years ago and I love it! I can finally install, run, and manage my own irrigation without being at the mercy of dodgy irrigation contractors who charge an arm and a leg and do shoddy work (in my area, which is rural, so hard to find qualified people).
I use a product called Netafim, and I order it online. It is a very easy system to use. It may be meant for "professionals", but I'm able to order it and use it very easily. There is one very important key to drip irrigation I have learned....
It is better to fully saturate an entire planting bed than to run drip to each individual plant.
I began by thinking I was saving water by only have drip around each rose (they are planted approx 4 feet apart). It was very hard to install, snaking all around the beds, with tiny emitters at each rose which constantly blew off, got stepped on, and needed to be moved as the plant grew. Then I read the Netafim installation book, and they recommend using a grid pattern and covering the entire bed. When I switched to that method, the coverage was so much better and the plants really thrived since they could form large root systems spread out all around the bed.
Also, it makes moving roses easier and adding companion plants easier because you don't have to run new drips each time you make a change.
The thing I love most about the Netafim system is how reliable it is. Once it's installed, it is zero maintenance and repairs! Unless you nick a tube while working in the bed...in which case it is easily repaired. I've been using it for five years and have NEVER had a fitting come apart...they are barbed in a way that makes them stay connected.
There is LOTS more to say on this topic, but for now I will post a few pics of how we do it...
This is a flowerbed with a mix of roses, dahlias (everywhere you see a post), herbs, perennials, annuals, and bulbs. It is absolutely PACKED with plants. This picture was taken in autumn, after the flowers had been cut back and we were getting ready to plant bulbs. You can see that the drip lines are run in a very regular grid pattern. We actually ran the drip before we planted this bed...but we can install the drip after the fact as well, the lines just won't be as straight.
Everything in this bed likes the same amount of water...this is key in having a successful flowerbed that is irrigated. It does take some planning, and some restraint :) .There is actually a rosemary in the center of the bed that is not happy with this amount of water, so I will take it out and try it on the edge of the bed instead.
We install a ring of dripline around the perimeter of the bed first, then run the lines across, attaching to the outer ring. This works FLAWLESSLY! The pressure is perfect, because each drip hole in the line is pressure regulated (the brilliance of Netafim!), so you never get one area that's not getting enough water. Also, the ring around the perimeter helps to distribute the water very evenly.
Q
.
Q