SOAKER HOSE dept in my vegetable garden ?

I am in the process to install a new soaker hose for my vegetable garden.
Do I just lay the hose on top of the soil? or do I need to berry it?

It will last longer if buried--5 years buried--2 years on top of ground

Buy the flat soaker hose the cheap Chinese round hose will explode at normal US water presssure

Ouch ... I already bought the round one ...
How deep do I need to bury it ?

The round one might last if you buy a pressure reducer (about $8.00) and reduce the pressure to 30-40 lbs per square inch.
I bury mine 1-2 inches. My neighbor is on his 5th year with this method.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006IX85U/ref=asc_df_B0006IX85U1257695?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=shopzilla_rev_285-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0006IX85U

"It will last longer if buried--5 years buried--2 years on top of ground"

Not sure I agree with that. Those hoses are (supposedly) made from recycled tires and I've had them last quite a few year on the ground, never buried. (I think I lose more to mowing over them or "tilling them in" when I lose track of them than I do to age!)

You can buy pressure reducers at Lowe's and Walmart for a couple dollars in the gardening section much cheaper than on line. You can also cut up an inner tube the size of a hose washer, punch a small hole in the center and this will reduce the pressure also. As for me, I recommend you turn your hose bibb on ONLY 1/8th of a turn, never fully on...as Vortrekker said it is too much pressure/volume. A good guideline to go by, drthor, is that if the soaker hose is spraying water you need to turn down the pressure/hose bibb...they are designed to only weep water, not spray it.

Hope this helps!
Shoe

I have had the round type on top of my raised bed gardens for 4 seasons now and they are just now beginning to give me trouble. I tried them burried, but they weren't as effective. Perhaps the amke-up of the soil makes a diff???

I cannot disagree with Horseshoe

Vortrekker, please feel free to disagree, I wasn't meaning to start a debate, just chit chattin'.

By the way I tried the newer flat soakers you mentioned this year. They sure put out the water, don't they! I didn't run a pressure reducer on it but it seemed fine just turning down the volume. I like them! Good recommendation.

Sequee, good point. Soil type has a lot to do with soakers. I've found if your soil is sandy you'll need to place them closer together vs clay soil. The sandy soil doesn't seem to let the water flow sideways but rather downward, the clay-ish soil will absorb the water and it'll spread further outward (then eventually downward).

Shoe

Horse--no offense taken-I talked to my neighbor and he has had his above ground for 5 years--
I was mistaken.
I am on my second year here and you are right---My John Deere ate one--LOL

Tractors like hoses - and dog leads, and ...

I plan to purchase the flat soaker hoses for next year's garden. From what I have read, they are fairly easy to roll up and store for the winter. This way I'll be able to dig in lots of compost at the end of the season without the soaker getting in the way of the spade.

"i am on my second year here and you are right---My John Deere ate one--LOL"

Hah! You're on your way to having multiple pieces of varying lenghts, Vortrekker. I keep saving pieces thinking "Hmmm, maybe I'll fit that over in the corner" or "Hmm...that would be good to form a circle around..." etc. (Fortunately I've even learned to finally just trash some of those pieces and quit kidding myself!)

Honeybee, the flat one I have is very easy to work with, not clumsy at all like the harder ones. I it is the same cost also. I'll let ya'll know if/when I hit it with mower blades or tiller and we'll see how it handles it! *grin

Shoe

I have both types off soaker hoses and they only concern I have with the flat ones is that they spray water. If you have trouble with foliage diseases and want to keep the plants dry, this may not be the way you want to go. Just a thought.

1lisac----they make a flat "soaker" --it "oozes" water droplets and does not spray.

OK My flat ones have always sprayed, must be a different type. Right now I don't have any water at my garden anyway because one of the animals stepped on the pipe and broke it. When the mud dries up I'll have to fix it.

http://www.gardeners.com/flat-soaker-hose/Watering_New,37-904,default,cp.html
I got my hoses at Wally World for about $14. Be sure and use a pressure regulator

Christmas Tree Shoppe $5.95, but they don't look like the ones posted above.

This message was edited Sep 25, 2010 7:32 PM

I just got back from WMart and the 75 ft hoses are $5.95 in the garden center.

That is a good deal. Mine all need to be replaced, thats a deal that I don't think I pass up. Then I need to fix the pipe. We didn't get any rain so I can no longer use mud as an excuse. THANKS

My 75 foot soaker hose seems to water the area more in the first half of the hose than the far end. wish I could get even pressure all the way down.

Crickets---I had the same problem--not sure of the solution.

I have yet to find a soaker hose that works right- maybe the one listed that is made of nylon mesh will do- I will try next spring. I have had 2 new ones burst that were made of recycled tires- and I used low pressure.

Got so tired of cracks, splits, etc. finally dug 'em up and trashed the suckers (and had no intention of saving pieces for other things!) :) Sometimes use a flat "spray" hose but turn it upside down, with really low water pressure; that works well.

I have had all the same problems everyone else has stated above so I am in the process of switching to a modifie drip system. It's fairly inexpensive: 100' of tubing is $25, the punching gun was $10 (but you can get one for $2) a packet of 25 adjustable drip heads was $3 (or you could use spaghetti tubing or even spaghetti soaker tubing). Then there are various attachments, T-connectors, end-caps and the hose connector piece.

This way I can hook a hose to the tubing instead of permanently placing an entire drip system. The modified one is movable, you can disconnect the hose and put it away when entertaining, and everything will be on timers. I'm just now laying this system so it's not up and running yet but a friend has a similar set up. We just don't want to commit to the permanent placement of an entire drip system.

Mary-putting the thing together sounds like a lot of work.
I haven't had many problems with mine except that they degrade after 2-3 years but mine are out year round and they can only take so much freezing weather then blazing hot temps.
Lisa

My biggest problem with the soaker hose, well 2 problems really.....first, they are not very flexible. I have several small gardens and the round soaker hoses just don't bend very well. (Have not yet tried the flat ones mentioned above.) I found some at Harbor Freight that I liked because they are some kind of fabric and can wiggle around the beds nicely but they blow out in no time. I didn't know about the pressure regulator thingy but have thought I needed plenty of pressure to get water to the ends of the hoses.

Which brings up problem #2: we have 150' of Lady Banks roses covering an ugly chain link fence and the roses at the end of the 150' were getting no water. If I had thought of that before laying the soakers under the roses as I planted them, I would have T'd off every 50' or so. But there's no way I'm digging up those hoses to do it again. Hence the new plan. We'll see.

Here's the two raised beds getting started. I have not added the 'emitters' yet, the hose ends sticking out will attach to a garden hose. The bed on the left, I placed the piping a week ago and it's staying in place without additional rocks. The one on the right, I just laid out yesterday and I forgot to buy more hose stakes so the rocks will hold them until I go back to HD.

Thanks for the comments. I'll let you know how it goes. BTW Lisa, I just this morning planted the Black Cherry seeds you sent me in my Down Under clay pot.

This message was edited Sep 26, 2010 9:08 AM

Nice lookin' beds, MaryMcP. You're gonna love working with those.

As for length(s) of soaker hoses, the standard rule is that a single hose bibb will support 500 ft of soaker hoses BUT each hose can be no longer than 100ft. So, with a manifold/feeder hose supplying the water, you could have five 100 ft soakers and your water volume should be adequate.

Shoe (happily slightly wet, we're finally getting a rainstorm moving in after MONTHS of drought!)

Thanks Shoe - that's good info on hose bibb and water supply. I do enjoy my gardening tasks, especially harvest time. If our temps ever break these beds will get beets, carrots, bush beans, peas, butternut squash, etc etc etc.

Good on you for the rain.

I was looking for a picture of lightening in Arizona and scrolled past this funny one. I call it The Poor Man's Drip System. Thought you folks would get a laugh.

LOL. Mol - I have a similar "system". When all else fails...IMPROVISE!

Yeah - - one of my friend's said: "You know you're a redneck if....." :~)

If you have the recycled rubber kind it's important to never kink or pinch the hose because that's where the cracks start. I had soakers in my veggie beds for three years and finally got tired of fixing cracks and not getting the right amount of water in the right place. Like Mary, I replaced it with a drip system that is much easier to use once it's set up and all the plants are getting the right amount of water. If I had long, straight rows the soakers might have worked a little better, but not in small raised beds.

I have done some research and it seems that soaker hoses work well if the "rules" are followed:

SOAKER HOSES

Success with soaker hoses relies on using them
Correctly.

The maximum length for an effective soaker
hose is 100 feet.

Always connect a backflow preventer to your
faucet first, unless you have a newer faucet
with a built-in prevention device.

Add a pressure regulator (10 or 12 psi) before
attaching your garden hose.

Add a water filter at the faucet.

Soaker hoses deliver water most uniformly on
level ground.

Keep your soaker hose kink-free. Use gentle curves.

Flush the soaker hose when you first install it and a few
times during the season. Open the end cap, turn on the
water and flush out any debris.

Cover your soaker hose with 2-3 inches of mulch to retain
moisture and protect it from sun damage.
But don’t bury your soaker in the soil.

When disconnecting your soaker hose, plug the open end
so that soil and insects can’t clog it.

Slow the Flow
Turn the faucet on just enough so the entire
hose is seeping but not spraying. The amount
may vary for every faucet, so try turning it on
a quarter turn first and adjust up or down
as necessary.

I have tried this setup and got an even water distribution.

sorry i got here late on this discussion about soaker hoses. i bought mine at walmart and i have had it over 5 years. it might help that i container garden and run the those through the top of the containers and the hoses never hit the dirt.

Cheap Garden Stakes = cut up sections of a wire hanger, bent in a "U" shape to the necessary specifications... ^^_^^ (doin' the el cheapo dance!)

OR bailing wire

Yep.

I tried burying mine, and couldn't tell how much I was watering. Now I just barely cover them with soil or mulch them. I am protecting them from sunlight at this altitude, and temperature changes to a lesser extent.
By using splitters, I can water the back yard all at once if necessary. I'm not using a pressure reducer yet - but I will have to if I put them on an automated timer. I have pretty good water pressure and I use 1/4 turn of the faucet for one hose, 1/2 for two hoses, 3/4 for three, a full turn for four, and all the way open for more than four hoses.

I have had the problem with soaker hoses getting a kink that turns into a crack. I fix them with duct tape. Since the pressure is not much, it works fine (I turn the faucet only a quarter turn). I've had some fixed with duct tape for four years now. I've also had the same problem of running them over with the mower and creating smaller hoses that way.:) The hose connectors at big box stores work fine to fix that.

I tried covering them with straw mulch, but what happened was that the mulch was nice and moist and not the soil. I need to see what is happening with the soaker hose and the water, so I leave mine above ground (I don't normally mulch).

I really like soaker hoses and use them for the whole garden. I change things around most every year, so emitters would not work for me, I don't think.