Watering Systems

Drip irrigation is the way to go for the garden, trees, and other landscape plants. Aside from an occasional plugged emitter, it is essentially maintenance free and the automatic timer doesn't forget or go on vacation. We did have a problem recently with plants along our back fence, which faces south. It is always hotter there due to reflected heat. First we doubled the drip lines, and it was still dry. Then we added a soaker hose and that seemed to really help. A couple years later several grape vines died and after searching for a cause I finally dug a hole found the soil barely moist. The soaker hose wasn't soaking any longer, and so we added more drip emitters. We have two rows of grapes in the back, one next to the wall, and another about eight feet away next to the garden. The grapes next to the garden always do better because they get more water and don't have to fight the heat... big surprise. So the point here is that you should check the watering system at least every six months, and if plants are in an area that gets lots of sun or reflected heat, they will need more emitters or should be on a separate timer so they get water longer or more often.