They do a lot better when warm. I had the same problem. When I made all the connections, I carried a mug of really hot water out with me. Stuck the hose end in the hot water for a minute or two, then made the connections.

Hey, Coop, that is EXACTLY what I did---and it did not help at all.

then it didnt warm long enough ..

the vaseline.. gets on your fingers.. and youre worse off ...

daddys magic spit.. worked for me.... once i learned i couldnt break the things ... so i bet the burly neighbor will be able to do it ...

i am surprised you found a clear irrigation hose.. i am thinking it might be to thick walled for the barbs ... did you get it from the irrigation specialist??? .. if so.. ask them what they recommend ...

on one inch black poly supply lines.. i used a propane touch until the plastic nearly melted.. to give you a flavor of the heat you need ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=basic+propane+touch&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=1&ia=images

you shouldnt need that ... but you definitely need hotter ...

ken

If you have a cigarette lighter or grill lighter run it back and forth across the end of the tubing.

Hey, Ken. Yes, I found EVERYTHING a person would need to set up a micro soaker system to get those pesky container plants on USPlastic.com. They have every size and sort of tee fittings, elbows, valves, etc. in your pick of materials--nylon, HDPE, etc. I chose fittings which were UV and temp resistant. They also sell a wide variety of tubing. I chose a clear 1/4" I.D. UV and temp resistant tubing. I think the clear is less visible than the typical black tubing. The clear tubing EASILY went over the barbs of the connectors, very little coaxing and no heat involved.

The problem tubing is the very rigid 1/4" micro soaker tubing, NOT the clear tubing. I had to get it from Home Depot (via special order over the internet) because they don't sell it on USPlastic.com. It was about $7 for 50 feet.The product description of the micro soaker tubing is:

'...Constructed of UV-resistant materials, the porous soaker hose is made of extruded recycled rubber material."

Unfortunately, it was starting to rain at the time my burly neighbor said to knock on his window to get his help, and even though I knocked anyway, he did not answer. So I guess it wasn't meant for me to get this chore done today. It's supposed to pour tomorrow as well, so tomorrow is not a good day to stand out there to force the tubing over the fittings either. Besides, if it's pouring, the containers won't NEED watering, now will they? Perhaps I can get my neighbor's attention Tuesday when he comes home from work. Then I can heat up another pot of water to soften the ends of the micro soaker tubing and try again.

Drip DepotGet vinyl tubing. It's much easier to work with than polyethylene. I use Drip Depot.

Kathy, I have the vinyl tubing. The clear tubing IS vinyl. I'd never use polyethylene, it's way too stiff. It's the rubber micro soaker hose that's the problem here.