Drip irrigation is an ideal way to water your plants in containers because it gives them consistent water — and you don't have to be there to deliver it. With timers you attach the systems to, you can even go away on vacation and your plants won't suffer. However, with all the tubing involved, it can get messy. Below, Lauren Bonar Swezey of Sunset Magazine offers some tips for keeping your drip-irrigated containers nice and tidy.
Line the 1/2-inch tubing along a deck, wall or fence behind the containers. You can hide this with mulch or gravel later. LI> Poke a hole in the main line and insert an "elbow" (figure A). This is an L-shaped part that water can flow through.
LI> Attach the thinner irrigation tubing to the elbow and bring it up the back of the pot. This tubing is often referred to as "spaghetti."
LI> Cut the thin tubing so it ends at the top of the back of the pot. Attach another elbow here so it rests on the lip, pointing toward the plant.
LI> Cut a short piece of the thin tubing. Attach this to the elbow at the lip of the pot. The tubing will now sit closer to the root ball. On the end of this, attach a "T." This is similar to the elbow part, but it's shaped like a "T" and it splits the water in two directions.
LI> Cut two more short pieces of the thin tubing, attaching one to each side of the "T." On the end of each of these, add an emitter (figure B). Depending on the size of the pot, you may need to add even more emitters.
LI> Hold the tubing in place with a stake and add mulch over all of the irrigation parts in the pot.
The first technique keeps the irrigation almost all the way undercover, but if you have pots that are viewed from all sides, there's another technique that hides the irrigation even more. It works for pots you haven't planted in yet.
Technique #2 – Hide the tubing inside the pot
This technique brings the tubing up the drainage hole so it is completely blocked from view. This is more of a permanent situation than the other technique, so use it for a container that you're not planning to move any time soon.
Lift your container off the ground. The tubing will come out of the drainage hole and you don't want it to get smashed. You can purchase "pot feet," which are little pieces designed to lift pots up, at a nursery or garden center. Bring a long, thin piece of tubing up the drainage hole. You want this piece to be long so that you have plenty of slack to work with. You can always cut the excess off later. Hang the tubing off to the side and fill the pot up with soil. Be careful not to get any soil down the hole in the tubing. Plant your plant(s) in the pot, leaving the tubing hanging off the side of the container out of the way. Cut your tubing to the appropriate length and add an emitter of your choice on the end. Spider bubblers are a good choice for containers if you only want one emitter. You could also do a system of emitters like the one in Technique No. 1. It's your choice. 6. Stake the tubing down and mulch over it.
Setting up your drip system will involve trial and error at first until you find the right amount of water and the right timing for your plants, so keep an eye on them for the first couple of weeks. Then set your timer and kick back. You won't be hand-watering anymore.
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