March Issue Extra: Deciding on Drip

Review these important details when considering the installation of a drip irrigation system.

Kristin Mohn

Published March 05, 2002

When confronted with watering challenges such as plants spaced far apart, or when interested in conserving water output, drip irrigation may be the answer. As an alternative to traditional spray irrigation, drip targets specific plants or areas, delivering a steady supply of water directly to the plant, instead of spraying the entire area. Although drip systems overlap with spray irrigation in terms of maintenance, the following points present some specific issues to consider before implementing drip irrigation:

  • Before choosing a drip system, contractors must evaluate what they want to accomplish with the installation, suggested Rick Heenan, commercial sales manager, DIG Corp., Vista, Calif. “Just as consideration is given for head spacing with spray irrigation, you must consider what kind of drip system you want,” he said. “Will you have high-volume traffic? Are you worried about vandalism? Do you want to keep the system out of sight?”

  • John Reffel, president, JLS Landscape & Sprinkler, Littleton, Colo., mentioned that contractors should gauge the expected lifetime of the system, since plant growth may lower the efficiency of drip systems in certain applications. A newly installed tree may receive appropriate watering to its root ball when young, but as the tree grows and the root system expands, the drip system can no longer reach the roots. “However, 99 percent of the plant material will acclimate itself – it’s just that the growth slows down because it doesn’t have the moisture it had when it was younger,” he said.

  • Bill Schumacher, president, Springtime Irrigation, Bend, Ore., insisted that even in the western area of the country, where drip irrigation tends to be more prevalent, contractors need to winterize drip systems. Also, about once a year, it’s important to flush a drip system to remove any debris not blocked by the filtration device, noted Dean Dal Ponte, marketing manager, Rain Bird Landscape Drip Division, Azusa, Calif.

  • Other considerations for drip systems include the soil’s fertilization and moisture requirements. Based on the amount of water the soil type can absorb at one time, contractors need to adjust the emitter spacing and row spacing of the tubing to accommodate the needs of the application, Dal Ponte said.

  • Finally, since many drip systems are not as noticeable as spray systems, contractors need to educate customers on the alternate watering method. “If we’re installing a drip system, we reaffirm with the client that we’re going to swing by every other week and do the irrigation monitoring,” Schumacher discussed. And, if clients seem bothered because they can’t visually ensure a drip system’s operation, contractors can install one low-volume sprayer so the customers can look outside and feel confident that the system is functioning correctly, Dal Ponte alleged. – Kristin Mohn

    • Read the rest of the March issue of Lawn & Landscape online by clicking here.

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