Drip Line Installation

Pots with drip lines running up the back side.

I installed a drip irrigation system this weekend for the patio pots and hanging baskets. I bought a kit that included everything I needed as well as a timer so that I can set it up to auto-water everything whenever we go out of town.

The kit I got is available through Amazon for about $38 with free shipping. You can buy all of the items you'll need separately at Lowe's, but the timers are generally a bit more expensive than when buying the kit. I bought some extra parts because I thought I might want to hook up more drippers than the 20 that came in the kit, but ended up returning all of the extra parts I bought from Lowe's (except for the extra tubing - I did need a little more than the 75' that came in the kit). One thing I did learn - wear gloves - your fingers will hurt after pressing all of the tube ends and connectors together. The Mr. Landscape brand hose from Lowe's was a little softer than the one in the kit and didn't hurt as much though.

Everything in my Rain Bird kit, plus wire cutters and hammer.

Tools needed: Hammer and Wire cutters. That's it! This was a very easy project and I did everything myself (except jam the 1/4" tubing into the hose adapter - Matt did that). It took about 2 hours, but would be quicker if I ever did it again since now I know what to do.

What you'll need if you buy everything separately:
- rubber hose 1/4" diameter at the length desired for your setup
- 1/4" to faucet outlet adapter
- timer (if you want one)
- T-connectors for the 1/4" hose
- mounting clamps (if you're running the hose up a trellis or along a deck)
- drippers: combination of 1/2, 1, or more gal-per-hour drippers. Also note: some drippers are designed to go on the end of the line. Others are in-line (you have to put tubing on both ends of the dripper). Get what you'll need according to how you'd like to set yours up.
- end-of-line clamps (if you don't put an end-of-the-line dripper there).
- support stakes (to hold the lines in the flower bed and the drippers in the pots).
- flow control (goes into the adapter that screws onto the faucet; limits the water pressure in the hose and protects your system).

Here's a good article that explains all of the pieces above and why you need them.

1/4 inch tubing in faucet connector. The timer will go between the faucet outlet and the blue connector when I need to use it. There's also a pressure regulator in the faucet hook-up to protect the tubing from high water pressures.

First, we hooked the 1/4" rubber hose into the faucet adapter and screwed it onto the hose outlet. I ran the tubing under some shrubs through the flower bed to the edge of the patio.

At each spot that I wanted to install a dripper, I cut the tube and inserted a T-connector, adding a short piece of hose onto the T with a dripper at the end that would sit in a pot. Then I hooked up the hose and ran it along the edge of the flower bed until I got to the next pot that needed a dripper. For the bigger pots, I added extra drippers in series (loops) or parallel, in combinations of 1 and/or 1/2 gallon-per-hour drippers to meet the need based on the size of the pot.

Three in-line drippers in series for a very large pot.

When I got to the trellis, I went up the post by securing the drip line using the fasteners (this is where you'll use the hammer). Once my jasmine fills in the trellis, you won't be able to see the drip line running up the post.

Securing the t-connector with a mounting clamp above a hanging basket.

(On a ladder) Running the hose down to the hanging basket and securing a couple of drippers on the end.

I ran the line across the top of the pergola, in between the boards to stay more inconspicuous and cut the line at the top of the hooks that hold the hanging baskets. T-connectors were inserted and a drip line that ran down to each hanging basket. At the end of the line, I added three drippers so that the basket would be evenly watered.

Running the hose back down the trellis.

At the end of the pergola, I ran the line back down the North trellis, stopping off to add some side lines for the pots that sit on that side of the patio. At the end, I also added a couple of drippers to water the plants in the small bed that doesn't already have any drip hoses yet.

I turned on the faucet at 1/2 a turn for 20 minutes to test it all out. It looks like I can water everything in about 10-15 minutes with no problems. I easily spent at least that long doing it by hand at full water pressure. This is going to save a lot of time (and water)!

Dripping dripper.

Why didn't I do this sooner?!!