How to Install a Lawn Drip System

Watering your garden down with a garden hose can be cumbersome not to mention environmentally unconscious. An easy and economical fix is installing a drip irrigation system to your shrubs, trees and garden. This project takes a little planning and about a full day of work, but after following these simple steps your lawn will greatly appreciate it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Water source connection kit
• 1/2 inch poly tube
• 1/2 inch couplings
• 1/4 inch micro tube
• 1/4 inch connectors
• Drip emitters
• Tube cutters
• Hole punch
• Figure eight hose end

Planning the Design

1. Draw out your lawn including trees, shrubs and ground cover.
2. Plan for 1 foot of ½-inch plastic tubing per square foot of garden.
3. Arrange the tubing to snake in and out of your plants, shrubbery and trees.

Installing the Drip Irrigation System

4. Attach a water source connection kit to your hose bib. The connection kit should have a vacuum breaker to keep contaminated water from backwashing into your house's clean water supply. Kits are also equipped with a pressure regulator, filter and a connector to attach tubing.
5. Dig a shallow trench and lay the tubing down. Use ½-inch couplings to connect the tubing. For sharp angles use elbow couplings.
6. Punch holes where you want the ¼-inch tubing to reach the plants by using a hole punch.
7. Connect the ¼-inch tubing to the ½-inch tubing with straight connectors for a single extension. Create multiple extensions or loops around trees by using tee connectors to branch off the 1/4-inch tubing.
8. Position the end of the drip tubing where you want to irrigate and attach the drip accessories.
9. Once the tubing is connected to the water source, flush the line out and clamp the end with a figure eight hose end.
10. Cover up the tubing with dirt or mulch.

Tips & Warnings

• Flag drippers have an on and off switch that is removable for flushing the line.
• Use micro sprayers or foggers for dense ground cover.
• Install emitters directly to the ½-inch poly tubing if there's no need for extensions.
• Drip irrigation should not be used for irrigating large plots of sod.

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