And then there's the advantages of fewer weeds and even reducing disease problems. Because individual emitters only water small areas around each emitter, only a fraction of the soil's surface is moistened. This translates to fewer weeds because water doesn't go where you don't want it. Without the spray produced by regular sprinklers, drip-irrigated plants are less likely to develop water-stimulated diseases, such as powdery mildew, leaf spot, fireblight and scab.
The components for a drip system are inexpensive and, possibly best of all, simple to install. I converted a traditional underground sprinkler system to drip, utilizing the existing pipes. All I did was replace the regular sprinkler heads with rubber tubing and individual emitters. Most "spaghetti" tubing is one-quarter or one-eighth inches in diameter, and is sold in inexpensive rolls. Emitters vary as to how much water is released. A half-gallon per hour (gph) emitter is usually adequate to wet an area 16 inches in diameter. You can purchase emitters that range in size from half-gph to 9-gph.
About the biggest problem with the system is maintenance. Due to hard water and debris clogging the narrow tubing and tiny emitters, clogging often occurs. It requires constant checking and flushing. I always have extra emitters and tubing on hand. Also, it's difficult to actually see drip systems working. They're not like regular sprinklers where you can easily see what's being watered. Because the wetted area is much smaller with drip, control is more critical in replacing water used by the plant to avoid stress.
Besides drip irrigation systems, the so-called drip hybrids are also popular today. These hybrids don't save as much water as straight drip systems, but they still waste considerably less water than traditional sprinklers. Examples of hybrids include:
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