Paul James, host of HGTV's Gardening by the Yard, discusses the advantages of drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to deliver water where plants need it most: the root zone. You can make a simple drip-irrigation system by filling a plastic soda bottle with water, punching a few pinholes in the bottom and placing it near the base of a plant. The water will seep from the bottle slowly, delivering the water at ground level. A better way is to install a permanent drip-irrigation system, which you can use to water trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables and even hanging plants. You can purchase a simple kit and install the system yourself. You may find that you recoup the expense in as little as one year through savings on water. Because drip-irrigation systems deliver water slowly and directly, almost no water is lost to evaporation. Studies show that a properly installed drip system uses 30 percent to 50 percent less water than more conventional watering methods. Once your system is in place, you'll no longer need to drag hoses around and set up sprinklers. A basic drip-irrigation kit includes a length of plastic tubing, into which the emitters have already been installed, and the necessary male and female couplers to connect it to a water supply. You can also design your own system, piecing together various emitters, fittings and parts. For instance, straight fittings allow you to connect additional lengths of tubing, T-fittings permit you to split one line of tubing into two (figure A), and elbows allow you to turn corners and to make right-angle bends. Emitters come in several forms, including simple emitters, which produce a steady drip of water; elaborate mist emitters, which can be installed on a stake and provide humidity for moisture-loving plants; and miniature versions of full-size sprinklers, which can cover a lot of ground. Important miscellaneous parts are the back-flow preventer, which prevents contamination of the main water supply, a pressure regulator and a filter to trap particles from your water supply and prevent clogging of the drip-irrigation system. To begin setting up a drip system, install a back-flow preventer at the water supply, then attach a filter to the back-flow preventer (figure B). Now fit the tubing to the filter. Now all you have to do is to lay out the tubing where you want it in your garden. If you're installing a drip system in a vegetable garden, run the tubing along the base of each row (figure C). Pin the tubing in place with U-shaped fasteners. After laying out the tubing, remove the end cap, turn on the water, and flush the line to remove any dirt that may have collected in the system while you were laying it out. Replace the end cap and turn on the water again to inspect the system. Water should drip freely from the emitters. Don't be alarmed if the flow is barely a trickle. Cover the system with a thick layer of mulch. Don't place the tubing on top of the mulch, which would absorb too much of the water. When operating the system, allow it to run long enough to soak the soil. You may have to fuss with it for a week or so until you determine the correct timing for your garden and soil conditions. This may mean running the system for an hour or so each week. If you live in an area where the water supply contains a lot of minerals, you'll have to flush the system regularly. To do so, remove the end cap and let the water run for a few minutes. Don't forget to clean the filter at the same time as you flush the system. Another efficient way to deliver water directly to the soil is with soaker hoses. These hoses, made from recycled tires, ooze water from their entire surface (figure D). Soakers should be buried under a layer of mulch and are useful for watering trees, shrubs or rows of vegetables.
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