Rule of Thumb: prayers are for foliage, emitters are for roots. Take steps to reduce the huge pressure drop (and huge delivery drop) with any significant length of in-line emitters.

water on leaves past 6 pm can lead to black spot and mildews...

especially if you water in evening or at night ... usually during the heat of summer.. when nights remain balmy ...

never water rose leaves .. and you can avoid many problems...

ken

Thanks!
My driplines are 100ft long. What is the max length I should use? I plan to make a loop around the base of each rose but I am not sure about the diameter of the loops. Any ideas?Thanks again

Drip won't work where we are, because the mineral content of the water plugs every hole.

Jeri

What is your supply, edenh? Are you coming off an irrigation valve or hooking up to the hose? The length of the line you can use depends on water pressure and on the size of the line. You may need a pressure regulator on your valve.

As to loops around your roses, I go about 12" out from the base of the rose.

If your water is high-mineral, you are going to get clogging with soaker tubing, and eventually micro sprays can clog also, although it takes quite a few years. I've had a few sprayers clog up after about 10 years. It helps to turn on the valve and look things over every once in a while and adjust as necessary.

I use 1/4 inch dripline with emitters embedded at 12 inch intervals. I beileve the manufacturer of this product stated that maximum length of a run using this dripline is 30 feet-i would imagine that if the run were longer, that you might get less water flowing from the more distal emitters.. If your dripline diameter is larger than 1/4 inch, longer driplines will work, but I don't know how long that might be. The manufacturer of your product should be able to tell you.

John

And from inland of the other coast, with different water problems, clogging is also a problem here from both lime accumulation in lines to interesting sand that comes up from the well that's in limestone. (Yep, limestone doesn't normally contain sand, but this percolated down through sinkholes since the Pleistocene.)

I use the 1/2" dripline with emitters every 12". I have high mineral content and enough sand to be a pain in the butt which I filter for before my valves (sand also plays havoc with the valve diaphragms) I also run a pressure reducer to 30 PSI before the dripline valves. I have run 200 linear feet with no reduction of delivery, unscientific testing :). My mineral content, mainly iron and calcium, is so bad our bathtub turns orange in less than a week and it builds up and takes out the bottom element on the hot water tank yearly. I check my emitters twice a year and have to replace one or two a year, obviously YMMV. This will probably get worse as my lines are only in the fourth year but for the labour they save it will be an easy and worthwhile replacement. (here 100' of line is about $50)

Regarding placement I run them past the bases of my plants. I run them for 90 minutes and in my soil this leaves a 12" circle damp on top and about 20" at 12" deep. For plants requiring more water or for those outside the dripline I splice in a 1/4" line and add 0.5 g/hr emitters or 1/4" drip line depending on circumstances.

I absolutely love drip. :)

Good luck with what you decide.

SCG

Hi
Thanks all...I have 1/2" main line running from the bib. I fitted the timer with 25PSI pressure reducer and a few other things per instruction I got from Home Depot How-to flyer. The 1/2" line runs around the perimeter of the yard and across the circle garden in the center of the yard. From this main line, I will attach the 1/4" emitter tubings.I have an option of getting 1/4" emittter tubings with 0.5G at 6" interval,9" interval and 12" interval from Home Depot at $12.50 for 100'. Not sure which is better. I am in Florida where the soil is sandy(though I amended the planting hole with compost, manure and peat).I dont use soaker hose due to the wild critters living in conservation area next to my house. I also have that thingy that I can attach to the sprinkler system and run 1/4" lines from it(looks like n octopus). HD was having an end of season sale right when I started experimenting with drip irrigation and everything was dirt cheap. I also have inline emitters (just emitters,no tubing) at 0.5G and 1G, misters and button emitters.

Right now I have a lot of young roses from cuttings, some new bands and a few established bushes. I guess for the young roses, the loop will have to be smaller? Also, how do you apply fertilizer with drip irrigation?Despite my attempt to compost everything in sight and regular visit to coffee shops for used ground,my roses must be fertilized every week with water soluble fertilizer.

Thank you

I've had a drip system now for over 15 years and it's still going. I used the 1/2" hose and attached 1/4" hose near each rose bush. I made each 1/4" line about 6 feet long so I could move the dripper, that is attached at the end, to the exact spot I wanted it. Over 300 ft of 1/2 hose is connected to one timer and each emitter drips as it should. Over 80 drippers attached to the one feed line.

Ya might want to check out these folks:

http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/

If a dripper clogs up I just snip off the end of the hose and attach a new dripper.

You can water more than one plant off the same 1/4" line by using Tee's where needed. Or you could have two dripper at one plant if extra water was needed. I just adjust the in line timer to run longer so each plant gets enough water.

One 1/2" feeder line can handle up to 600 drippers.
I also ran a line to a bird bath so each time the system comes on the bath gets water.

Most of the 1/2" hose runs along the top of the chain length fence that surrounds the property. Most people don't even notice that it's there. The 1/4" lines come off it where needed.

If you wanted to lay the feeder hose down onto the ground the 1/4" hose would still allow you to direct the water to the plant, just limit the length of each 1/4" hose. Cover the 1/2" line with mulch.

They sell a unit made directly for applying fertilizer with drip irrigation. Search for 'EZ-FLO Fertilizer System ' You just fill the container with fertilizer,( be it solid or liquid) connect it into the 1/2" feeder line, and adjust the amount you want to be dispersed. The top of the container has a lid that is adjustable.

This post was edited by Toolbelt68 on Wed, Nov 12, 14 at 21:03

I could never get a hundred foot run to work here, and we have excellent water pressure. I notice a flow drop off over a dozen feet of line.

If you wonder about your volume, just lay out a piece of the drip line and put a little bowl or pie plate under several emitters along the length. You will see, with your water pressure, how the flow drops off and what you can expect, but the half inch feeder tubing is usually the reliable way to go. With a screw on cap at the end, it flushes out well too.

Thank you for all the replies. Very helpful and informative! I cant wait for tomorrow to get started. I noticed during my trial run that the emitters in the tubing do not drip at the same rate.Some are clogged by small pieces of plastic and some emitters are shooting out water. Thank you for taking time to reply...really appreciate it!

I am also thinking of having a sprinkler system with drip in the beds for my front yard. how does that work, zone wise. Are the drips different zones than the sprinklers for the lawns? If I have the sprinkler system installed by professionals, could I do the drip on my own (to save money) or is that not advised? I do have a rather large (wide) front yard with beds all over the place so I would probably need a few different zones. And obviously I don't want the sprinklers to spray on my roses.

buford,

One 1/4 inch hose can handle about 10 drippers without a loss in volume. So, you could run a 1/4" hose out to a bed and using Tee's water 10 roses. At the water source you would attach a timer, back-flow preventor, a pressure reducer, and a piece of 1/2 inch hose. The end of that hose is either capped or bent backwards to close it off. They sell units just for that, looks like a figure-8.
Along that 1/2" hose you insert plugs that the 1/4 inch hoses are attached to. They can be just inches apart.
Don't bury the 1/4 inch hose, just pin it down on top of the grass. In a few weeks you won't see it so run straight lines to the beds. At the end of each 1/4" hose attach a dripper of the correct volume (ie. 1/2 gal, 1 gal, etc)

hope that helps.....