Soaker hoses

MaryBeth 5/6/2014, 10:24 am

HI.

We are putting in 5- 3' x3' boxes. I am considering putting in soaker hoses.
Has anyone used these? How well do they work? Are they worth the money?
The main water source is far from the gardens. I thought this might help.

boffer 5/6/2014, 10:31 am

Welcome to the forum.

I use them in 4 boxes that are dedicated to corn, and they work great for a deep soaking.

My soakers are a little stiff, and get pin holes in them such that they squirt here and there, rather than ooze. So I don't use them for direct seeding because they move seeds around, and they can be brutal on small, tender transplants.

Here's another option that's currently being discussed.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t17824-irrigation-question-for-dfw-peeps#195062

And you can use the search feature for other irrigation ideas.

**AtlantaMarie** 5/7/2014, 1:01 pm

Hi Marybeth. Welcome! Glad you joined us! Lots of good advice here. You might try a search on soakers in the topic area.

slimbolen99 5/7/2014, 2:46 pm

On my 4' x 16' beds, a 50 foot soaker hose will go three ways back and forth down the line.

What I have found is that while they do a great job of watering deep, they don't do a good job watering horizontally, maybe four to six inches at the most to each side of the hose. So, I typically have some dry spots -- but I'm okay with that, for now. A good idea might be to mulch over your soaker hose, and that will also help keep the moisture in. That's something I will be working on soon -- adding a 1" layer of wood chips.

Here's a photo of one half of my boxes -- you can see the hose in there.
Soaker hoses Dsc01810

H_TX_2 5/8/2014, 11:57 am

My first year I used soaker hoses. They developed small holes where the water would spray out in small jets creating small caverns where the water would wash away the MM. It wasn't a problem unless there happened to be a plant planted in that specific spot. It took less than one Houston summer to render the soaker hoses useless. I tried to bury the hoses a little bit but the heat and sun still got to them. Hopefully further north where you are you will have better luck.

I used them because they were easy and cheaper than some other options. I would say go for it since they are easy to install and easy to remove and you don't have to invest too much in them. You can always make next years better than the current year.

mazzy 5/30/2014, 9:09 am

Hi Mary Beth,

I just set up 1/4 drip lines purchased from Drip Works http://www.dripworks.com/. The ones I used had emitters every 6 inches. They work great, service was very professional and the prices very fair.

Mazzy

CharlesJk8 3/26/2015, 9:03 am

What I have found is that while they make an awesome showing of watering profound, they don't benefit work watering on a level plane, possibly four to six inches at the most to every side of the hose. Thus, I ordinarily have some dry spots - yet I'm affirm with that, for the present. A smart thought may be to mulch over your soaker hose, and that will likewise help keep the dampness in. That is something I will be taking a shot at soon - including a 1" layer of wood chips.

**AtlantaMarie** 3/26/2015, 11:07 am

Hi CharlesJk8. Welcome from Atlanta, GA! Glad you've joined us.

I agree - I'll be covering my soaker hose w/ a good helping of cypress chips.

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