Dotty, virtually ALL soaker hoses are made from recycled tires, although there are still a few places where you can get the old canvas ones - they just don't last very long. The flat plastic ones with holes along their length are not really soakers and I'd avoid them. If the hose is laid just under the surface of the mulch and not buried in the ground, you shouldn't have problems with it clogging with silt or mud.

Water delivery is kind of critical. Too long a length will not provide water along the full length - 100' is listed as a maximum length but I prefer to keep mine to 50'. Also, most homes have too high a water pressure - you need some sort of regulator at the hose bib to reduce that. The hose should just "sweat" or gently ooze water - higher pressure will cause the water to spray and you want to avoid that. Also because the water is emitted at such a low volume, you need to keep the hose running for an extended period of time - 4-6 hours depending on soil conditions. I actually leave mine on overnight.

One of the features of a soaker hose laid under mulch is that you don't really see any visible signs of moisture on the surface. The water percolates very slow into the soil and spreads out horizontally under the soil surface. The mulch prevents evaporation and if the soaker is operating properly and for the correct amount of time, the plant roots will receive the moisture they require.

Here is a link that might be useful: soaker hoses

I wonder about what they may be emitting in addition to water.

"There is no question that toxic substances leach from rubber as it degrades,
contaminating the soil, landscape plants, and associated aquatic systems. While recycling waste tires is
an important issue to address, it is not a solution to simply move the problem to our landscapes and
surface waters"

Here is a link that might be useful: Rubber mulch.pdf

Gardengal, thanks so much for your insight. I don't think I have left it on long enough to properly water the berries -- I'll try your overnight watering this year. I think mine are only 50 ft long. We are going to hook up our irrigation to the lake supply so we won't have to adhere to the municipal water regulations.
bboy, at my age, I don't think I have to worry about toxic substances from hoses. There's lots more going to get me first!

The link applies to rubber mulch. It stands to reason that a material spread over a wide area and exposed to sunlight and weather conditions may degrade and leach whatever toxins that might be associated with it. I doubt the effect of a skinny soaker hose made from recycled rubber tires and protected from the worst of the elements under a layer of mulch would have nearly as much of an impact, if any.

btw, the leaching of zinc is the largest concern with rubber mulch......I've yet to hear of or encounter an issue of zinc toxicity associated with the use of a soaker hose.

A flow regulator usually comes with the soaker hose. Also, burying the hose is better because of the degrading effects of ultraviolet light if it's not buried.
The soaker hoses can replace automatic sprinkler heads to conserve water. The conversion is simple.

You would be wise to test how long to run the soakers on your soil. For instance, in my beds, 2 hours is plenty for a once a week watering for my veggies, including my tomatoes.

So, consider running a test.

1. Turn on the water so that the hoses sweat rather than spray.
2. Turn off the system an hour later.
3. Allow time for the water to go to its own level, at least an hour.
4. Lift the hose out of the way, and dig a small trench that crosses the hose line (in other words, at right angles to the hose, and extending outward on both sides.
5. Observe how wide and how deep the water moistened the soil.

Is the moist area sufficient for the plants you will put there? If not, you will have to run the system longer. So, repeat the trial in a new spot.

Here are a few generalizations.
1. Annual flowers and veggies -- 12 to 15 inches deep
2. Herbaceous perennials -- 12 to 15 inches deep
3. Woody plants (trees and shrubs -- 8-12 inches deep for the root hairs, with an occasional irrigation to one or several feet (if the soil allows) for the deep supporting roots, especially of trees.

Next, you need to determine how often you need to water. As I said above, I water for 2 hours once a week for my veggies. I previously watered for one hour but had to repeat that every 2 to 3 days -- not quite long enough.

But if I would water overnight, or only 4-6 hours, I would waste a tremendous amount of water.

Next, you'll need to modify the frequency guidelines according to the plant at hand, also the prevailing weather.

Does the plant do best when the soil is wet? moist? or quite dry?

Length of time you need to leave the hose running will of course depend on your specific soil conditions. Very loose, sandy or freely draining soil will require less time than heavier clay soils.

If operating under the correct water pressure, a 50' length of soaker hose emits approximately 30 gallons an hour. To put that into a better perspective, that's only a little more than 2 quarts per foot of length or just over one gallon along the same length over a two hour period. That's not a lot of water. Were I to water so sparingly in my garden, I'd have a lot of stressed plants.

It's been my experience that most often homeowners tend to water too shallowly too frequently. The recommendations I follow is to test for even soil moisture to a depth of 12" for lawns, groundcovers, veggies and perennials, 18-24" for shrubs and 24"+ for trees. And I tend to only water once every 10 days or so, sometimes longer, weather dependent. But the only way you will know for sure how long to run your soakers for your situation is to test to see how long it takes for the water to percolate to the proper depth.

It was said: " a 50' length of soaker hose emits approximately 30 gallons an hour. To put that into a better perspective, that's only a little more than 2 quarts per foot of length or just over one gallon along the same length over a two hour period. That's not a lot of water."

But it works for me, in part because I have a restrictive layer about 10 inches down. Also because I have 3 runs in a 4-foot wide bed.

Bottom line: As has been said, everyone should do a runtime test for their soil and plants.

I appreciate the information. It is very difficult to test a soaker hose that has to be put into the raspberry row now, and covered with mulch because my soil is quite clay. It is sticky and very heavy now but once it warms up and stops raining it dries out and I think I could run a hose full tilt for 8 hours and there would barely be a damp spot -- it all runs away! So, I have to hit a happy medium where I can use the mulch to keep the ground dampish when it warms up. And, I'd like to arrange it now because I have the time. Once the grass starts to grow, I use grass clippings as a mulch and the past 2 years we have had a marvellous crop -- our friends love it! Jean001, I will do a test with another hose later in the year and I truly appreciate your comments. Gardengal, your technical information about the amount of water used is invaluable -- I'm sure the water police can't complain about this usage.

You said: "I could run a hose full tilt for 8 hours and there would barely be a damp spot -- it all runs away!"

If that's what occurs, it's putting out too much water for your soil to absorb.

That said, with your mulch in place, the mulch will maintain enough moisture that the surface doesn't dry excessively. With a slightly "softened" surface as that, the water will go into the ground.