Umpqua Valley Native Plant Society

Drip Irrigation
By Lee Schlunder

At the Home Depot drip irrigation demonstration I was overwhelmed by all the stuff they wanted us to buy. I figured if you do it, it must not be so expensive?

Right you are! The demo is just the stores dream. We can do better.

I tried water filters. It works fine unless you have junk in your water then it quickly clogs up and needs cleaning. Instead I would buy simple cheap drippers that you can clean easily. Buy big 16 quart/ hour models. A big hole is less likely to clog. Put an easy to remove end on your supply hose. Open that up every once in a while to blow out the line.

In a very heavy salt situation a dripper can still lime up. I put 5 dripper per tree and curve the hose up so I can see the drips coming out. In this way I can stroll through the orchard and spot clogged units. The chances of 5 units all clogging For most folks on city water, your water comes prefiltered and none of these precautions may be necessary.

I use a water tank on a well to let the sand settle. This makes a huge, effective filter that won't clog or need service.

If you have very high pressure you might need the pressure regulator but for most water systems the pressure is low enough. If drippers and fitting come apart then the pressure is too high.

The cheapest and most trouble free system is PVC pipe with a riser for each plant. The riser has a pipe cap. Below the cap drill the smallest drill bit hole you have. Use full pressure. I have used this kind in very poor water conditions for years without trouble. Obviously this system is for fixed plants like foundation plantings around your house and trees.

For a farm field drip hose is too small. Use PVC pipe to feed the smaller drip hoses. To convert from PVC to drip I buy blue inserts that glue into the PVC. the hose is pushed into the blue sleeve. I like the push in fittings in general. In quantity the blue sleeves are quite cheap so that you can use them with PVC fittings to make all other fittings like tees, elbows and unions.

I try to keep down the use of fittings. The hose is pretty cheap once you move up above the retail 100' size so just coil it around and keep the system long, continuous, cheap and simple.

My drippers have an insert that pulls out for cleaning. I buy them at a farm supply store in bags of 1000. I think they are about 12 cents that way. I also like to buy the hose in 1000' rolls. It is cheapest that way and fitting cost is minimized.

A drip just doesn't do it for a flat of seedlings. I have used drip hose adapted sprinklers in the greenhouse. They work as well as any sprinkler. One must weigh the cost against larger lawn sprinklers.

Electric valves and timers are a must for me as I don't garden every day and might not even for weeks. One 1" valve will feed a huge number of drippers so this need not be a big expense.

The newer electronic timers can be as complicated as a VCR to program. When the battery goes dead any power outage will make you reprogram. Lightening surges have killed more than one of my electronic timers. The solution is the older timers that are programmed mechanically. When the power goes out the clock motor stops but starts right back up when the power returns. These older models are often at patio sales for next to nothing.