Soaker hoses

[puglogic]

For someone who likes to think she's pretty water-wise (in our arid climate in Colorado) I need to make a confession: I've never used soaker hoses. I have them. They hang in my shed. I've just never used them.

I guess I'm curious whether anyone uses these regularly? I don't know whether they have to be right at the base of all the plants to be effective? The problem there is that in my garden we don't plant in tidy rows...things are intensively planted in different patterns. Do they distribute water for...say....10" on either side of the hose? If I lay them out in a sort of grid pattern, would that work? Just trying to figure out how to change my watering style this year....and all the Googled sites just say "Hey! Put down your soaker hoses and you're good to go! " :)

[SRP]

I use them a lot, both in flower beds and in my garden. I've used them in straight lines, and just weaving them in and among my plants. They work both ways and I've always been really satisfied with them. I've even buried one under a layer of mulch for a row of blueberry plants, and it lasted several years before it rotted and I had to replace it. I think they work best if they are near the plants that you want to water, but I believe that the water does spread out somewhat as it soaks down into the soil, especially if it's good, loose soil. But I couldn't tell you exactly how large the area is. I've had to switch over to a sprinkler in one area, which is very rocky - the soaker hose just doesn't quite get it over there, especially if the summer is especially dry.

[KayLR]

I have used a soaker hose in my flower beds for the past 4-5 years. I just snake it around in an irregular path among my flowers, testing for water spread and adjusting as needed. I just leave it in place all summer. I like it because it accommodates my lazy gardening nature. I can turn it on and forget it for an hour or so and not waste water. There is no waste due to evaporation you get with overhead sprinkling.

[redfox]

Ditto what Kay said. I love my soaker hoses. Pay attention to how long you use them - they deliver directly to the base of the plants, so you can underestimate how wet the soil is. Of course, we have clay soil, so it holds water. And because it's Seattle, we leave them out year - round. I just covered all of them with a thick layer of fir and maple chip mulch, so we will cut back even further on our water bill.

[Gina]

I LOVE soaker hoses and have been using them for years and years. How much the water spread is influenced by the type of soil you have. Sandy-loam-clay. The water perculates downward faster in sand, so the less horizontal spread. I use mine mainly in the veg garden and lay them out in parallel lines in the beds. Criss crossing them would create areas with more water than others. I like to space mine about 8 inches apart for total root growth, and when plants are young, one of the 'lines' right next to the plant.

I live in a water-challenged area so I prefer to keep mine covered with a thick layer of mulch - that keeps the sun directly off the hoses, and it also conserves the moisture in the soil, as well as keeping weeds in control. And the earthworms just love it all. Of course the problem with burying them under mulch is you dont see where they are and you can damage them with tools. But they are easy to fix.

Sometimes the hoses can be unruly when laying out, so I'll just put rocks or bricks (or enough mulch) on top of the parts that don't want to stay down, and the next day it will be 'relaxed'.

[Float On]

I really should invest in some. I think I hear more groans when I tell the kids to grab a hose and go water the raised veggie beds. Hmmm....maybe I'll wait till they go to college.

[Rosemary]

I used them for years in Arizona. They don't last long if they're in a sunny place - although I'm not certain that it was due to the sun... the holes that developed could have been due to thirsty critters. I've used them here in Minnesota as well, and have not had any problems with holes in them here.

[puglogic]

Thanks, you all. I notice there are lots of different kinds.....some are spongy-looking and seem to 'weep' along their full length, some are harder plastic and have holes drilled; Some are 1/2", 1/4", 5/8", 3/4".........the ones I have I think are 3/4". Gardeners Supply is also trying to sell a "pressure regulator" for soaker hoses. Any caveats or experience around this stuff?

[Rosemary]

We used to water our citrus trees in AZ with a soaker hose. I would turn the water on to the very smallest trickle and leave it on for a couple of days. If you use them this way - water at a trickle - I don't think you need a pressure regulator. The ones that we used were the spongy kind.

I've installed drip irrigation on my garden here in MN and used a harder plastic tubing with regular holes for that. What's better? Depends how you want to use it. What are you watering, and how do you intend to put the hoses around it, and hook them to a water source.

[Gina]

The ones I use are generic size spongy ones from home depot and/or costco. I think 5/8". I have had ones of smaller diameter, and liked them since they were easier to put around, but the smaller size was much more difficult to repair, and using all of the same diameter is just easier all around. The smaller ones did not deliver as much h20, and were not as sturdy.

Some of my hoses are many years old and I have treated them poorly, let them sit in the sun, etc, and they are still functional except for the occasional leak. And, yes, in dry environments an animal will chew through them once in awhile, but generally not during the season when they are in use. I also have a small pond where water is available for critters.

When repairing mine, I cut a short length of cheapo hard-plastic drip hose (about 1/2 inch in diameter - The commercial, heavier duty ones are a bit too wide) about 2 inches long, taper the ends roughly on a piece of cement pathway or rock so the edge is a bit more rounded. Then I force this into the section of damaged, cleanly cut soaker hose, about equal for both pieces. I'll then wrap this with some sort of stretchy tape or plastic and then apply one of those compression thingies from a hose repair coupling. I dont like the regular hose repairs because I prefer to not force those barbed ends into the soaker hoses - and I can get 2 repairs instead of 1 from each.

I also don't use a pressure regulator. Just don't turn on the water all that high... I have read one of the ways to clean a soaker hose - if you have lots of minerals in your water, is to turn it on high and let the water pressure clean out the pores. I"ve never tried that however.

I don't water trees with them, and find I only need to let them run a short time- maybe 30 minutes. But that depends on how dry the soil is when I start to water, how high the tap is turned on, how close the hoses are to each other, and how old the hoses are. Newer hoses drip much faster than older ones.

I just tested 3 hoses this afternoon, and have only 1 serious repair to make, and maybe another small one. I have to fix the end of the main hose too. Much to my dismay as I was testing one hose, a really fat rattle snake scrambled from the area where I was working. Egads. We scared each other. Shudder.

[mattj]

I was just mentioning to my Dad that I was planning to put in soaker hoses in the garden and he had a great idea. He said if our current hoses were old... just poke holes in them and replace those with newer ones. Sold me.

[Zzz]

I got two at a yard sale recently, brand new in the package, for $3. Another two at a thrift store for $2 or $3. Those are used, but in good shape. I'm going to be setting them up before long!

[treehugger]

I use 2 snaked through my vegetable bed. I think of them like really frugal (and easy to install) drip irrigation. :) We have a house rule that we have to set the kitchen timer when we turn on the soaker hose, because otherwise it's too easy [for us] to forget to turn it off.

Kara