How to Convert to a Self-Watering Raised Bed Garden
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2023
- Find all the parts in this video at dripdepot.com
Now You Never Have To Hand Water Again! 💧 Drip irrigation is a simple and stress-free way to take your time back from watering your garden. Your plants will thank you! #gardeningtips
To quickly get started with drip irrigation, explore our kits at dripdepot.com
Shop Drip Irrigation at www.dripdepot.com - Навчання та стиль
Just finished a very similar system last week. Only difference is the first 40 feet uses a regular hose since my garden is so far from the faucet. End of the season I pull the hose and made a air hose adapter to blow out the system after taking the end cap off. We will both see how it turns out.
I think it will turn out well! Your method of using a garden hose is common and we see it done successfully frequently, including the winterization method. Quick tip: use your hand as a "coupling" between the air compressor and the tubing so that excess air pressure bleeds out between your fingers :)
Note: The battery operated timers die quickly in high heat/direct sun. Approximately a 3-6 month life span in places were temps reach over 100F consistently as well as batteries depleting quickly.
I recommend to use a back up if lives depend on this timer. Probably have a human check up on them if you can't. ❤
This is absolutely true -- we didn't mention it in this video, but 100%, any timer with an LCD screen should be placed in a shady spot if it all possible -- if not possible, some kind of cover, shade or enclosure should be used to protect it.
Great comment, thank you!
Adding drip gave me back so much time! I try to invest in things to save time and make it easier. This year I got a hoselink and makes pulling out my hose so easy!
Thank you for the comment Nicole! I can confirm the Hoselink is a handy piece of hardware! :)
I did something similar, but I used 1/2 inch PVC pipe for my pumpkin mound. Of course mine is way smaller than your setup but hey it works, hands free watering 👍
A working hand-free system is the most important thing, no matter how you got there! :)
Happy Watering Mike, I hope those pumpkins thrive!
I thought I did to much for my lawn but after this clip 😂😂 it's nothing, but its nice I'm glad i installed drip irrigation all rain bird brand
Glad you're enjoying your drip system, that's definitely the goal (that and healthy plants!) :)
Love it!
This looks really great! Thank you for sharing!
You're very welcome! If you decide to start planning for a drip system, let us know, happy to answer any questions :)
Could you please reveal the brands you used and where you found them?
You can find everything at dripdepot.com 😊. We have kits in the drip irrigation section of our website that have all the parts in the video. You can click on the individual items and at the very bottom of the page will have the brand listed, as there's quite a few (Irritec, Senninger, Hendrickson Bros, etc).
Will u install it in our house 😊
Nice setup! How often and for how long do you water? Are the drip lines 0.5 GPH?
You've got it exactly right, the emitters in the drip line are 0.5 GPH :)
For watering duration, a lot goes into that and it will change throughout the growing season -- factors include soil type, time of year, plant type, sun exposure and even more. Throughout a growing season, a cycle might be as low as 10 minutes or as high as 60 minutes, twice a day. The best approach that we've found, at lest for all us non-botanists, is to "water and watch." Pick a watering cycle and monitor the health of the plants you can adjust accordingly, always keeping in mind it's much easier to add more water than to remove.
When I first began using drip, I looked up the plants I was growing to get a rough idea of how much water they need at various stages of growth and compared that to the 0.5 GPH emitters in my drip line and got great results.
@@dripdepotI'm just curious, do you intend to automate this further? I've been curious to see someone achieve a fully automated watering system at home, using a moisture meter to determine the schedule and automatically turning water on and off
That's a very good question Alfonse and also a great idea for a video. I'm cautiously optimistic that I may even have all the parts needed, likely a Hunter Hydrawise controller, soil moisture sensor and some AC solenoid valves. Smart irrigation has come a very long way in the last couple years, I too think a video like this would have value, particularly for those who travel a lot and those who really want to optimize the efficiency of their irrigation system (I think over-watering is more common than under-watering, but the soil moisture sensor would solve that).
Thank you for the great idea! I'm adding it to our list of videos to do, we'll be back to filming as the irrigation season slows down, likely in July or August.
Nice!! Do you have a step by step tutorial of how you connected them? I don’t know where or what to order. Or is there a tutorial on YT that tells you what each part is and what it’s used for?
Yes! Click the "play" button above the caption to watch the entire step-by-step tutorial. All the parts and what you'll need are explained there in detail!
If I have rainwater collection how and what pump can I use to get water pressure out to my garden???
We have a video on Gravity-Fed Drip Systems here: ua-cam.com/video/MHEb9CG8Rlg/v-deo.html
If you need a pump, email us about your situation at support@dripdepot.com. We will help you get set up 😊
@@dripdepot Thank you! I love the social media presence ya'll are creating. Other businesses should take note!
How can you cover so much area with just one line? I have lots of problems with the emitters clogging over time.
A 1/2" mainline can be up to 200' long and handle over 200 GPH -- those aren't hard-coded maximums, just generally recommended maximums. We were pretty well within both on this install, but you're right, too much more and we'd have gone with a 3/4" main.
On the clogging -- we do use a 155 Mesh filter at the water source to help reduce clogging. Depending on water quality, that could mean fairly frequent cleaning, but we're able to get away with once per season on the municipal water around here.
In addition to filtration, a big tip to reduce clogging that I think is missed a lot is flushing the lines -- occasionally open up the end caps and turn on the water and let it go through the tubing. The turbulent flow can dislodge debris and flush it right out the end of the line. :)
@@dripdepot thanks for the tip. Looking at the size of your yards and the number of plants, I thought you would be over 200gph.
I don't have a filter given I connected my drip system to my sprinkler system. I used to have grass, but replaced it with planters. I kept the pipe in place and connected pressure reducers to 3 sprinkler risers. I should have plenty of psi given each circuit is 15ft long at max, but the water doesn't always come out strong from the bubblers. Couldn't find a way to connect a filter and I constantly have to readjust my bubblers. Very annoying.
We were close to 200 GPH, that's for sure! If I remember right, close enough that I actually ran the friction loss numbers (ended up not being too bad, but mostly because we didn't have to use too much tubing, well below 100').
I've been phasing my lawn out too -- with so much drought up here in the PNW it only made sense. Still have a little bit, but slowly converting it to a "food forest."
If you think one would help, it is possible to get a filter on to a converted sprinkler riser -- there's some Tee filters that are great for the job (or otherwise tight spaces). I also agree that with 15' runs you should have plenty of pressure given other equal factors (not a ton of bubblers, sufficient pressure to begin with, etc).
what is the point of gardening then if you are not out there watering and checking on your plants
There's so much more to do when gardening! Trimming, pruning, shaping, weeding, checking foliage for pests, applying mulch -- or, my favorites: walking the garden and taste testing when everything is fruiting, sitting in the gravity chair enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the garden. Having it automated frees up a lot of time to enjoy those last parts. Less time hauling hoses or sprinklers around, and with drip going directly in the soil, I can be in the garden at any time and not get watered by the sprinkler.
Even with an automated system, the work in the garden is pretty much never done. Later in the summer when the plants are fruiting, perhaps, but that's the best time to do a garden tour and taste a little of everything :)
Do u really need the backflow preventer? Id say the water pressure coming out of the tap and also the distance to the beds would stop any dirt going back into your water lines.
In most places, if you're running from municipal water, it will be required -- but even when not, if it's from a potable water source (city water, well water), you'll want one. Water in an irrigation system can become tainted with animal waste, soil bacteria, fungus, fertilizers if used, etc. Even though the chances of a backflow event are small, they're not zero, so it's best not to risk it at all.
How do those lines hold up in the sunlight?
Very good question! They hold up pretty well under sunlight -- all of the poly is UV treated, so the deterioration is much slower than something like PVC. I still bury the portions I can (particularly mainline) as sunlight does lower life expectancy, but life expectancy should still be measured in years. Maybe some exceptions for states like Arizona that feel like they're right next to the sun during summer.
@@dripdepot thank you
My garden is about 50 yards from my hydrant, can I run a hose to my garden and attach all the gadgets there or do they need to be connected directly to the hydrant?
We generally recommend attaching everything to the hydrant and then running tubing to the garden, but, when this is not possible it is acceptable to use a garden hose.
When you do this, you'll still want the backflow preventer (and timer if you're using one) at minimum at the hydrant since that's where it has to be in order to be effective. The filter and pressure regulator can come at the end of the hose if that works better for you, and then the adapter to start your tubing run. Other than the timer and backflow preventer, the installation is reasonably flexible :)
Ya, I just grab my garden hose and spray away
Hey, that's definitely one way to do it! Not too bad in states without drought too, I've got family in Florida who use a garden hose and spray away too haha :)
Where is the contamination going to come from?
Water in an irrigation system can become contaminated by soil bacteria, fertilizers, animal wastes, and even heavy metals (though that last is unlikely to be present in raised beds, but can exist in ground soil and/or ground water).
This is I think what I’m going to need to get from my water source to the garden. It’s several feet uphill and I was hoping I could connect my drip hose to a regular garden hose. Can I? If not what tubing would I run to get me all the way up to the plants? Thank you. Oh! And I’m experimenting with a bed that is on the way (trying to terrace but it’s Nothin full sun so I may move that.)
Hello Jennifer!
You bet, tubing can be connected directly to a garden hose -- all you'll usually need is a Female Hose Thread x Poly Tubing adapter. They're a very common adapter as well, there's always at least one included in most of our kits. Instead of using it to connect the tubing to the spigot, you could use it to connect it to the end of a garden hose.
Basically, you can use a garden hose without really needing to change anything significant from a standard setup :)
@@dripdepot theoretically I do not need the timer then right with that then. I could just walk out, turn on the hose and let the tubing and spigots do their thing then turn it back off in an hour? But if I wanted to use a timer where do I attach that? To the water source, then hose? Then adapter then tubing? I’m looking at the links now. Thank you! Oh!! I have a flat soaker hose too. How might I incorporate that? I have two beds. One would do well with a soaker hose weaving around those plants honestly.
@@dripdepot I’m sorry. What is a poly tubing adapter? I need to see it to know if I already have one.
@@dripdepot ohhh! My timer has one. Totally new to this! I’m going to rewatch videos except simply plug in the hose to the timer, which should be attached to the water source .
@@jenniferwalters579 You bet Jennifer, you could indeed go without the timer and all that would really change is going out to manually start and stop the system (which isn't too bad unless your hose bib is really far away!).
Adding a hose end timer is pretty easy -- your head assembly would essentially look like this, starting with the spigot and ending at your garden hose if you'll be using one:
Spigot --> Timer --> Backflow Preventer --> Filter --> Pressure Regulator --> Garden Hose
The Female Hose Thread x Poly Tubing Adapter for 1/2" tubing is item 1193 and 1188 (elbow shaped one) on our site if you wanted to check them out and see if you already had one. :)
What type of soaker hose do you have, the type that is porous across its entire length, or the type with a single hole at evenly spaced intervals? If it's the second type (single hole at 6", 9" or 12") your idea to weave it around the plants is a good one. Maybe with the porous type too, but those don't always work well in pressurized systems (and we have a recurring joke here in the office that those types of soaker hoses are villainous lol).
Find all the parts in this video at dripdepot.com
If I don’t have sediment in my water (I do t think anyways), can I get away without the filter?
List the parts in the description with links 👍
@@stumcgrawesome I'll see if we can get the links added to this video as well, good feedback!
If you need them in the meantime, the links for everything are in the description of the long form version of the video here: ua-cam.com/video/1w_e-DFXUsw/v-deo.html
You might come into a Osha problem sir...😂
The tubing across the sidewalk? We ended up using a hose hole bore attachment to send it under the path (it wasn't our house, so best to clean up the trip hazard lol). We filmed that part of it too, but are saving it for a video on using the hole bore tool :)
How much does it cost?
Heya Terrence!
It can vary quite a bit depending on the size of the system, but to give you an idea, at the time of this writing, our standard kit is $156.62 and our deluxe kit is $192.04. Our largest raised bed kit, for a very large raised bed garden is $386.59. Our smallest raised bed kit is currently $94.84.
@@dripdepot Thanks for the info. The system is awesome.
Well damn I just dropped like $400 on hoses and soaker hoses and Sprinklers and stuff at home depot in the last two days. They didn't have hardly any drip irrigation stuff so I had to make due. Shoulda just bought your big kit. Still might.
The big box stores in our area don't carry too much drip irrigation yet either -- though drip has been around for awhile, it's really still in its infancy in the grand scheme of things. With water conservation becoming a real concern I suspect we'll see it become more available as word spreads.
If you do end up going to drip, some of what you got (particularly the hoses) may also be usable in a drip system :)
@@dripdepot Thanks.
What a headache!
It's actually not that difficult! Plus, you only have to install one once to enjoy automatic watering after :)
"this is easy" then explains how complex it is
It's really not though! Since the parts are all hose threaded, they just go right on your outdoor faucet -- no trenching, no gluing PVC together, these systems are pretty much plug and play and use surprisingly few different parts. Once you've done one, you're basically adept at almost any of them. I think a larger system with multiple zones can be a little complex, but a few raised beds is pretty straight forward :)
enjoy the microplastics in your ground mate
I agree, getting all metal pipe and emitters would be nice for sure, unfortunately not viable (for most of us anyway!) cost wise :(
We do use poly instead of PVC to reduce that -- the poly we use is UV treated to slow down deterioration as well, and if you bury it, it slows it down even more, well below standard PVC (but still not like metals which break down into beneficial minerals in many cases, alas not as available or affordable in most cases).