Home and Garden Experiences

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soaker hose could be just the solution you need for your garden irrigation. Soaker hoses are similar to regular hoses but with thousands of tiny holes all along the length of the hose. These types of hoses drips out water directly where the hose is lying.  These hoses are much more efficient at watering since there is less evaporation and less water run off, the area to be watered is targeted as the only area to get water, and plants only get water at their roots and not on the leaves reducing the chance of the leaves rotting.  You must weigh whether soaker hoses are right for your application or not.  Here are some points to consider when looking into soaker hoses for your application.

Soaker Hose Benefits:

• Soaker hoses target the water right where it is needed as opposed to spraying an entire area with water and therefore use less water.
• Soaker hoses put the water into the soil at the base of the plants and do not spray water all over the plants.  Plants best use water at the roots and with soaker hoses, that’s where they deliver the water.
• Soaker hoses can be connected together to extend the covered area.  With sprinklers, the more you add, the less distance the available pressure can spray the water.  With soaker hoses, there is more pressure available since only a small amout of water is pushed through the tiny holes in the hose and more hoses can be daisy chained together.

Soaker Hose Drawbacks:

• Soaker hoses put water right where it is needed as opposed to spraying an entire area with water including the intended area.  If additional plants are added to the area that need to be watered, then additional soaker hose needs to be added, or existing hose needs to be re-routed to water the new plants.
• They can be cumbersome to work with when not being used in a straight line.  Bending them in a tight curve does not tend to hold them without some sort of clamps or without kinking the hose.  If water pressure is put through them they tend to straighten out.
• Covering a large area with soaker hoses is much more cumbersome and not recommended.  A large yard might be better off with a sprinkler since a single sprinkler can cover a larger area with out being as intrusive in the yard.  If a yard were to be watered with soaker hose, the hose would have to be picked up from the yard in order to mow the grass.

If your considering using soaker hoses, they can provide tremendous irrigation benefits to your garden and your wallet, saving you money and time in watering your garden.