Put your pots on drip irrigation

An hour or two · Easy · 7 steps

A drip line to every pot, on a timer: no more daily watering in July.

Drip irrigation for a row of pots
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Fig. Drip irrigation for a row of pots.

  1. Faucet timer
  2. Pressure regulator
  3. Filter keeps grit out of the drippers
  4. Main line (½ inch) along the ground
  5. Thin tube (¼ inch) up into each pot
  6. Dripper stakes: two or three in big pots, one in small ones
  7. End closure, folded over and clamped

What you'll need

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You'll also need

  • Scissors or pruners to cut the tubing

Steps

  1. Group the pots near each other and near a faucet if you can.
  2. At the faucet, attach the timer, then the pressure regulator, then the filter and adapter from the kit.
  3. Run the main tubing past all the pots, pinning it down with staples. Close the far end with an end cap or a folded end clamp.
  4. Punch a hole in the main line beside each pot, push in a connector, and run a thin tube up into the pot. Put a dripper or stake on the end.
  5. Give big pots two or three drippers, and small pots one.
  6. Turn it on for 20 minutes, then check how far down the soil is wet. Adjust the time until water just starts to drip out the bottom of the pots.
  7. Set the timer to run every morning in hot weather, and every other day when it's cooler.

Tips

  • Before the first run, open the end cap and let water flush out any grit.
  • Pots in full sun need more than pots in shade: add a dripper rather than running everything longer.
  • Drain the lines and bring in the timer before it freezes.

Use it in Planting Year