Soaking hose installation

This is where a soaker hose comes into the picture, a more efficient hose for watering plants. It is made from rubber and polyethylene plastic some are BPA-free if you are worried to a porous material so the water can seep out from the entire hose. It sends moisture to the soil towards the roots; thus, you can protect the leaves of your plants. Installation of a soaker hose is easy to do by yourself, and after that, you can save your time and energy from doing your chore.

Just like a normal hose, you attach it to a faucet to get your water supply going. Before using a brand-new soaker hose , make sure to flush it first.

Here is an instruction for a more detailed approach of how to make a soaker hose work:. There is no exact formula on how long a soaker hose should run. All you have to keep in mind is that the soil condition, climate, and season will all affect the duration.

As a general tip, you should run the soaker hose for 30 minutes twice a week. Keep adjusting the duration based on your experience in finding the right technique you can use. These basic hoses have tiny perforations that allow water to seep through and into the ground.

To get the most out of your system, try these top 10 tips for the best soaker hose setup. Tip 1: Start With Level Ground Your soaker hose system design functions best when the ground is level. The science behind these hoses is based on a uniform distribution of water within the conduit.

Any slope to the ground forces the water to one part of the hose. This scenario defeats the purpose of the hose's design. That one area receives most of the water while the remaining soil stays largely dry. Reserve the soaker hoses for flat areas instead of rocky or hilly applications.

Takeaway 1: A flat layout gives optimal performance in a soaker watering system. Tip 2: Skip the Sprinkler Connection. The pressure moving through your sprinkler system is too great for soaker hoses. They might break down the rubber and plastic materials. Connect your hose to a standard faucet. They're typically found against the home's wall just outside of your garden. Some homes have more than one so you have some versatility. You're welcome to arrange the hose near the sprinkler system's coverage area if it's not supporting every corner of the planted spaces.

You'll enhance the landscape's growth with this strategy. Takeaway 2: A soaker hose does not work to connect with a traditional inground watering system. It can, however, supplement areas not sufficiently watered by in-ground systems. Tip 3. Keep the End Cap On If you're unfamiliar with a DIY garden watering system, you might be tempted to take off the end cap as you're setting up the hoses. Removing the end cap presumably helps you see the water flowing through the conduit. However, it's a better strategy to leave the end cap on.

The water remains trapped in the hose so it can seep into the ground. This is the action you want to see in your garden. Takeaway 3: Removing the end cap to see if water will flow all the way through the hose is not a good test to see if the soaker hose is leaking properly. Tip 4. Fill the Hose Up Entirely The concept behind soaker hoses is forced liquid through tiny holes. If the hose doesn't have enough water pressure pressing against the walls, the moisture cannot seep out.

Start your soaker hose with its entire length full of water. It should have a standard cylindrical appearance when it's full.

It shouldn't look distended or flat on any section. Watch the moisture seep through the walls so that you know the system is working as intended. If you want to learn more — then take a peek! It looks and works almost like a regular hose. But instead of having a solid body, soaker hoses boast a corrugated material usually rubber or nylon that drips water through small holes.

But this has many benefits, like watering directly at the base of the plants. Below, we explain these benefits further. So why should you get a soaker hose? Here are some reasons to consider:. In contrast with typical hoses and sprinklers , soaker hoses keep watering your plants throughout the day by consuming as little water as possible.

They will prevent your plants from getting overwatered. With proper installation, a soaker hose can deliver water to the right points. The consistency and precision of a soaker hose make it easy to grow plants quick and safely. Forget about foliage diseases and rotting. Then come back to close it and find out that your plants have been adequately watered.