Hello everyone- I have five drip emitters focused on three plants, and I am noticing problems with very weak flow that I don't understand.

The 1/4" tubing length is probably no more than 15 or 20 feet. The emitters are all 1/2 gph. They are all dripping (slowly), and there is not any water leaking anywhere in the system. The spigot is about 18 inches off the ground, roughly the same height as the tallest pot. I have not tested my pressure at the spigot, but it seems as though the pressure is normal based on it's flow (very, very fast).

Two things are puzzling me. First, when I take one of the emitters off the system and create a low resistance pathway, water shoots out of the tubing AND all of the other emitters start dripping at a faster, normal rate. Unless I am misunderstanding, I expected flow rate to increase in the low resistance path AND decrease where the emitters are. Second, I had the same five emitters on a shorter setup (~5 feet long) from the same spigot a few days ago and the rate was too FAST. I have a reasonable understanding of flow, resistance, and pressure, but this is stumping me. It seems like adding 10' of tubing shouldn't make such a big difference, and I don't understand why removing one emitter and leaving the tubing open results in the others performing better.

Does anyone have any tips for troubleshooting?