If you are currently watering your plants and flowers with sprinklers or a hose, it’s time to start thinking about installing a drip irrigation system. The main benefit of using drip irrigation is that you’ll conserve water and that in itself is a good enough reason alone.

However, there are more reasons than water conservation alone to make the change from spray to drip. Here’s just a few to get you thinking:

~ Drip irrigation gets water exactly where it’s needed – at the root of the plants. Because plants get a steady stream of water in exactly the right amount, they undergo less stress and tend to be more healthy.
~ If you are considering a sprinkler system, a drip irrigation system is much cheaper to install and run than traditional sprinkler systems.

~ You have the option to choose exactly how much water each plant will get. By adjusting the size of the holes in your netafin, you can water different plants with different amounts of water.

~ You can quickly and easily turn off your system during periods of heavy rain and can increase the amount of water when there’s a drought.

~ A drip irrigation system used in conjuction with mulch will help to keep the base and roots fo your plants moist at all times, which will result in faster plant growth.

The bottom line is that it’s cheap and easy to install.  The best time for you to install your system is as you plant for the year. Simply place your plants and then run the drip lines around them.  You can then top the entire thing with mulch and you’l be ready to give your plants exactly the amount of water that they need.

Okay…it’s not exactly that simple – you’ll have to hook it up to a water source and add some timers, but it’s not hard at all.  In fact, I once installed one by myself and if that’s possible – anyone can do it.

A great book to help get your started on laying your own system is All About Sprinklers & Drip Systems. A quick read through this and you’ll be installing a system in no time.

Remember when I said that installing drip irrigation was cheap? You can pick up a starter system that will take care of up to 700 sq of garden area for about $50.

What are you waiting for? Get dripping…

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