More Drip - saving water with drip irrigation.

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More Drip
In the July/August, 1998 issue of The Tucson Gardener I wrote about Adding Drip irrigation to six citrus trees. The project took about a day and results were more than satisfactory. The article ended with me hoping "to install another more sophisticated system in the fall so that the entire front yard is under drip irrigation by the summer of 1999." The fall season came and went without installing the drip irrigation. However, with a new year, one could always make new resolutions and hope they'd come to fruition.

In early February, 1999 I walked around the front yard with an old screwdriver, a 50-foot tape measure, pencil and paper. The screwdriver held one end of the tape in place while I measured distance and counted shrubs, trees, ground covers and guesstimated what I'd need to install a drip system.

Getting Started
To make the project easier to get started I purchased only one type of emitter knowing later I'd have to fine tune my system changing out the emitters for some of the lower water usage plants. I didn't want to get bogged down with details before I got started because that would make it easier to procrastinate which I'd been doing for years.

On a Friday I tackled the first leg of the new system where most of the work involved digging the trench for the 1/2-inch main feeder line. The tool used most often was a pick axe followed by a small shovel and a bowhead garden rake. By the end of the day I had aches and pains and wondered if I should install a hot tub in the back yard before tackling the drip irrigation project but knew that luxury would never get past the budget committee (wife).

The next day went a little better with the digging going a little easier and not quite so many large rocks to remove. By the third day I sailed along except now I'd reached a point where I had to prune the shrubs and ground covers to get the main feeder line close enough to the plants.

By the fourth day I was happy with my progress but began to wonder if the project would ever end. I'd also discovered hidden caches where the builders of my house had buried some of the leftovers from the construction - broken bricks, old wood planks, roofing tar, and rusted nails.

The wet spot in the foreground is from a small leak where the 1/4-inch tubing meets the 1/2-inch. Reseeding the connector or plugging the hole and making a new one was necessary to stop the leak.

When I finally had everything ready to go and I turned on the water, I have to admit I was pleased as any drip irrigator could be. Everything worked except for a few little leaks where I'd used plastic elbows to connect 1/4-inch feeder tubing to the main line. I'd have to do a little hole plugging and reattaching of lines to get rid of the leaks. They were small leaks but my goal was to water wisely and efficiently and any leak, no matter how small, wastes water.

Worth the Cost and the Time
By the time I'd finished my drip irrigation system I buried over 300 feet of 1/2-inch tubing, used 100 feet of 1/4-inch tubing, used a bunch of plastic elbows and T's and worn out the knees of an old pair of jeans. The cost for the materials ran about $140 including some extra parts for maintenance.

I'm happy I finished the project especially with the gloom and doom I'd read and heard about March water usage and what effect the lack of rain could have on water bills and possible summer water restrictions. My water company, Metro Water, also planned to raise rates. Now all I have to do to water the plants is twist a valve and remember to turn it off so the plants get watered adequately without wasting the precious resource.

The all brass, four valve fixture made it easy to attach three drip lines and a hose to one water source.

The plants will be happy come May and June and Tucson's water supply will last a little longer because I've done a small part to practice water conservation. I'll be monitoring my water bill to see what I save financially as well.

If you've been thinking about adding drip irrigation to your garden I can't think of a better time to start. Your plants will appreciate it and so will you. (1999)