Drip Irrigation– Most plants, other than lawn and certain ground covers, are best suited for drip irrigation, not spray. More efficient than spray sprinklers; it is targeted and uniform watering. Water “drips” or “trickles” directly to the plant’s root zone at a controlled flow rate. You are not watering the leaves, the space between the plants, or worse, watering the sidewalk or letting the water gush into the gutter. Drip irrigation is better for plant health because it waters plants slow and deep where the roots are. You will likely minimize weed growth, and by not watering the leaves of your plants or allowing them to collect standing water, you can reduce the occurrence of diseases.
Drip irrigation falls into two categories, which are measured in gallons per hour (GPH):
- Point Source
- In-Line (also referred to as line source). Valley Water offers spray to in-line drip conversion rebates.
Refer to pages 35-37 of the Sustainable Landscape Design Guide for details on setting up a conversion to from overhead sprinklers to drip irrigation. Some initial tips include:
- When you design and install in-line drip irrigation in a new planting area, you might consider spare planting to start with as plants fill in all the blank space as they grow.
- If you are converting from spray to drip in an established garden, it is best to do this when you have pruned the perennials back so that you can lay down the lines at the root zone.
For more information on drip irrigation, please refer to Valley Water’s Drip Irrigation Basics webinar.