> Next: Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs
How to Install
Automatic Drip Irrigation Systems
Drip irrigation is the most efficient and practical way to irrigate your shrubs and trees on a regular schedule and with precise amounts of water.
Supplies and Skills
Most garden centers and hardware retailers have all of the components needed for a home drip system. Because containers have limited space, they are ideal applications for drip irrigation.
Drip systems either may be added to existing in-ground irrigation fixtures or set up as individual circuits that serve different groups of plants, shrubs, and trees around your landscape.
Attach very simple container watering systems to your existing faucets and hose bibs.
More complex systems require simple electrical and plumbing skills easy for any homeowner to master, along with a bit of work digging trenches and installing components.
If you have an in-ground irrigation system, replace an existing spray head to meet your plant’s needs. All you need to do is install a drip irrigation fitting, then follow our simple directions for outfitting the container with an emitter.
Adding Battery Drip Controllers
For a new drip system, attach a Y fitting at the faucet of your hose bib and a battery-powered irrigation-control valve to one of the connectors on the Y fitting. We demonstrate the rest of the installation process in simple directions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Adding additional plants to an existing automatic watering system is quick and easy. Gather needed tools and materials, and follow the directions for steps 2 and 3.
An entirely new system requires all the steps demonstrated, but is equally simple. Gather the 1/2-in. (12-mm) drip supply line hose, a drip hole punch, straight connectors, 1/4-in. (6-mm) drip tubing, drip emitters, and tube stakes. Follow steps 1 through 4.
Adding Drip Irrigation to Container Plantings
Attach 1/2-in. (12-mm) drip irrigation supply line to the control valve with a hose clamp or threaded fitting. Run the supply line to within 18 in. (45 cm) of each plant container to be watered by the system.
Use a drip hole-punch tool to pierce the supply line at at each spot nearest a container. Fit a straight-connector into the line, attach 1/4-in. (6-mm) drip tubing, and add a drip emitter to the end of the lateral line. Choose emitters with flow rates appropriate to your plant’s needs.
Place the emitter low in the pot, avoiding sites where it will spray foliage. Use an emitter stake to hold it firmly in place.
Turn on the water and test run the system. Make any necessary adjustments to the emitter locations. Turn off the system, set its timer for the watering interval and length of time your container plants need. Most container plants grow best with a 3–4 day interval.