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How to Lay a Soaker Hose
How to Lay a Soaker Hose. Soaker hoses are one of the least expensive and easiest to install irrigation systems in the garden or greenhouse. Also called drip irrigation, soaker hoses are long stretches of thin, plastic tubing with emitter holes punched along the tubing. The emitters release water slowly, directly onto the soil. This minimizes the...
Soaker hoses are one of the least expensive and easiest to install irrigation systems in the garden or greenhouse. Also called drip irrigation, soaker hoses are long stretches of thin, plastic tubing with emitter holes punched along the tubing. The emitters release water slowly, directly onto the soil. This minimizes the amount of water lost to drift or evaporation as is common with overhead sprinklers. Soaker hoses also water plants deeply, which allows you to water less often. Installation requires only simple tools and basic measurement skills.
Things You'll Need
Connectors
Wire anchors
Measuring tape
Measure the garden area where the soaker hose is to be installed. Typically, soaker hoses cannot sustain enough pressure to run water through the tubing if they are longer than 200 feet. Multiple lines of soaker hose can be run from a main line of tubing connected to a faucet.
Screw a Y connector into the faucet to allow you to both install a soaker hose and use a regular garden hose or otherwise get water from the faucet.
Screw the main line of the soaker hose to the faucet. This main line does not have emitters. It serves as a bridge between the faucet and the soaker hose tubes in the garden area.
Place the soaker around plants and trees. When using a soaker hose on plants, shrubs or trees not in linear rows, snake the hose around plants to ensure water is delivered as close to their roots as possible.
Attach strips of soaker hose to the main line using connectors provided with your soaker hose package. These connectors tighten on both ends to clasp both the main line and the hoses in place. Tighten the connectors as much as possible to prevent small leaks at the connecting points.
Push wire anchors over the soaker hose and into the ground to hold the hose in place. Place the anchors approximately every 3 feet. Sandier soils may require you to place anchors closer together as the soil is more likely to shift when watered.
Tips & Warnings
When using a soaker hose around trees, remember that tree roots can spread to three times the height of the tree. Hoses should be placed in a circle away from tree trunks so water can reach the most roots.
Cover soaker hoses under a thin layer of mulch to protect the plastic from sun exposure, which will shorten the life of the hose.
Do not allow soaker hoses to kink. Remove all kinks immediately to prevent breaking in the tubing.
