What Is the Difference Between a Soaker Hose & a Sprinkler Hose?
Gardeners can choose from a wide range of hoses and sprinklers to keep their yards and gardens green and growing. When gardeners use soaker and sprinkler hoses in the right locations, they can avoid dragging hoses and sprinklers all over their yards. Because the hoses conserve water, they can pay for themselves by lowering water bills. Soaker and sprinkler hoses do differ, and by understanding the features of each, gardeners can use them to their best advantage. Does this Spark an idea?
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Soaker Hose
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Soaker hoses have hundreds of very small holes along their length and a cap at one end. When the hose is turned on, water slowly seeps out of these holes. Soaker hoses are very efficient because water is not projected into the air and so does not have a chance to evaporate before it can reach a plant's roots.
Sprinkler Hose
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Sprinkler hoses are similar to soaker hoses but instead of seeping water, they spray it into the air in a fine mist. They are flat hoses designed to be laid on the ground with the holes facing up, and many have a stripe painted on them to indicate this side. Some models also consist of three or four hoses connected at one end. They can be spread out to cover an area of about 10 square feet.
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Materials and Accessories
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Gardeners can find both soaker and sprinkler hoses in either vinyl or vinyl/rubber mixtures; the latter are more durable. The two types of hoses can come with pressure regulators or timers, and both are especially useful on sprinkler hoses. Pressure regulators adjust the height of the spray on sprinkler hoses. Timers can be used to turn the hoses on and off, so gardeners can lay out the hoses in the afternoon then set the timer to come on at night or early in the morning when cooler temperatures will prevent evaporation.
Hoses on Lawns
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Sprinkler hoses are a great way to water larger areas of lawn because they can cover several square feet at once. Because they spray water into the air, some evaporation will occur, but using hoses in the evening or early morning can minimize this. Sprinkler hoses are also great for gardens because the multi-hose versions can be spread out to water several rows at once. The fine mist can also be good for plants such as tomatoes whose leaves or blossoms could be damaged by sprinklers that emit a stronger stream of water.
Hoses Around Trees and Shrubs
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Soaker hoses are a great way to water trees and shrubs, which can be water hogs that soak up the available soil moisture. Soaker hoses can be wrapped around trunks or the base of shrubs to provide moisture directly to the roots. They can also be buried in shallow trenches around trees or shrubs to provide water to deeper root systems.
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References
- Photo Credit garden serpent image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
