Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

42 AMATEUR GARDENING 6 JULY 2019

G

ARDEN watering has become
a contentious environmental
issue in recent years as it’s
considered a waste of a
precious resource. However, long
periods of dry weather are increasingly
common. No one wants to see their
garden ravaged by drought, but wasting
water is expensive so we need to apply
the most efficient watering methods.

Check what you’re allowed to use
Before buying any watering system,
contact your local water supplier and
ask what you are allowed to use, and
any conditions that apply. By law you are
obliged to tell the company before you
instal a garden watering system.

Seep or soaker hoses
Seep or soaker hoses ‘sweat’ beads
of water along their length, and
drip hoses fitted with valves
that drip water slowly are
the most efficient. They
have a hose connector
at one end and a water
stop at the other. Start
by positioning the hose
connecter in a convenient
position at the edge of the
bed. Lay the hose on the soil
surface, snaking around under
plants close to their roots, to cover
as much of the area as possible. Seep
hoses require no setting up other than
clicking hoses together to make them
long enough to cover the area.

Drip hoses
Drip hoses usually need junctions and
valves to be fitted, as they are cut to
length to suit a particular bed. They
deliver water exactly where you want it
and can be fitted with a variety of delivery

Seep, drip and sprinkler hoses

Best techniques to get the job right with Tim Rumball

How to use tools

nozzles, including mini sprinklers and

micro jets, but they take a lot longer to

set up and are not as easy to reuse in

different beds as seep/soaker hoses.

To operate a seep or drip hose, just

run your garden hose out, clip it to the

seep-hose connector in the flowerbed

and then turn on the water. In a small

flowerbed a soaker or drip hose might

be used for 45 minutes once a week.

Experiment with timing by running the

hose on a dry bed for half an hour, then

dig a trowelful of soil out and check that

the water has penetrated about 6in

(15cm). If it hasn’t, run the hose for longer.

Establish the length of time needed to

water 6in (15cm) deep and then stick to it.

Electronic timing devices

You can connect drip and soaker

hoses to electronic timing devices

that will automatically turn

water on and off at

predetermined times.

Timers are useful for

container watering

systems as containers

are more drought

sensitive, but these

systems come on

regardless of the

weather and may

water unnecessarily.

Sprinkler hoses

Sprinkler hoses that shoot out a fine

spray of water every few inches along

their length have become very popular

in households with young children and

watering the lawn can become fun for

the kids. However, sprinkler hoses

encourage water to evaporate so a lot

is wasted. They work best as watering

devices used in the cooler early morning

or late evening, and can also be used

Tim Rumball explains the different systems so you can make the right choice

through flower and veg beds, but they

take longer to soak the soil and use

more water than drip or seep hoses.

Rotating sprinklers for lawns

Traditional oscillating or rotating lawn

sprinklers and sprays are the best way

to water a lawn, giving even coverage.

The water jets are heavier than from

sprinkler hoses, so evaporation is less of

an issue. However, you need to run them

for quite a long time to get water deep

into the soil across the whole lawn, so

they’re expensive. Buy one with a

powerful enough water spray to suit

the size of your lawn – otherwise, you’ll

spend a lot of time moving it around.

Make the most of sprinklers by

spiking your lawn in spring and autumn

to improve water penetration, and only

using a sprinkler when essential, early

in the morning or late evening to

reduce evaporation.

Some drip-watering

kits off er mini-sprinkler

attachments

Drip nozzles deliver water slowly

so it soaks into the soil eff ectively

Sprinkler hoses

create a fi ne mist,

which is wasteful

as it evaporates

All the hoses

work best if

pegged into

position

Seep or soaker hoses ‘sweat’ beads
of water along their length, and
drip hoses fitted with valves

bed. Lay the hose on the soil
surface, snaking around under
plants close to their roots, to cover

hoses to electronic timing devices

that will automatically turn

water on and off at

predetermined times.

Timers are useful for

container watering

systems as containers

are more drought

sensitive, but these

systems come on

regardless of the

weather and may

water unnecessarily.

Soaker/seep hoses

‘sweat’ water along

their length