How to Use a Soaker Hose | The Best Guide You Need to Follow
Watering your lawn or garden can be a strenuous job, and long hours can lead to a big strain on your back. Fortunately, installing and using a soaker hose can help relieve the difficulty immensely.
A soaker hose can be used to soak plants as they let water ooze out and spread into the ground. However, some people can be hesitant to use them as they don’t know how to. Fear not, for this guide will help you understand how to set up and install a soaker hose for your yard.
Essentials of Using a Soaker Hose
As it has been said before, a soaker hose oozes water and thus soaks plants. To maximize the effectiveness of your soaker hose, you need to properly plan and install it so that it can supply the appropriate amount of water to the desired plants or places.
So before you get to even installing it, you need to plan out how to place it in your garden. The soaker hose is a long hose made out of porous material that allows water to pass through it. You need to make up a plan that highlights the locations and placement of the hose.
Once you have properly sketched up a plan, you can proceed to the next important step, which is installation. Planning and proper installation are the key essentials to effectively using a soaker hose. A soaker hose can do its job of properly watering plants with less water consumed.
Planning Guidelines
How you plan to place the soaker hose and water your garden will vary depending on both your garden and your preferences. However, there are some guidelines and tips we can offer to make the process smoother.
Avoid an Overcrowded Garden
Do not overcrowd your garden with the hose and place it everywhere. If you have an organized row of plants, you do not need to place it around every plant. Simply place the hose perpendicular to the row, and the water will seep in. This will also save you on soaker hoses.
Loop Only if Needed
If a particular plant or tree needs more water, than you can make a loop or two to increase the amount of water available to that plant or tree. Unless necessary, you should avoid making loops as this will not only cost you more hoses, but not all of the water will be absorbed.
Keep the Appropriate Distance
You shouldn’t place your hoses so close to the plants that they touch. A distance of 1 foot at the minimum is recommended, as this allows the water to amply spread and get soaked in.
Essential Tools
Aside from a working soaker hose itself, you will need a few tools and other necessities to help with the installation process. The tools are:
Water Supply
You’ll need to have a good water supply for your soaking hose and a means of supplying that water. If you have a faucet or tap located in your garden, it will serve as an easy solution and means of supplying water. And if the tap is further away, you can make use of a garden hose and then connect it to the soaker hose.
Tube Adaptor
In case your soaker hose doesn’t fit your faucet properly, you will need to make use of a tube adaptor. A tube adaptor of the right size can help fit the soaker hose as well as regulate the water flow in the soaker hose.
Hose Connector
If you have a big garden and you need to stretch the soaker hose across it, hose connectors will help connect the hoses and create a proper watering system.
Installing a Soaker Hose
Once you have properly constructed your plan and prepared the necessary tools, you can begin to install a soaker hose. The steps to installing it are:
Loosen the Soaker Hose
If you just bought your new soaker hose, you will find that it will probably come in coiled tightly. Trying to uncoil and move it around will prove difficult. Hence it is recommended to wash it a bit and let it dry for some time. Apply a bit of heat on the coil, which will help to loosen it up.
Uncap the Ends
Locate the ends of the soaker hose and begin to uncap it. If needed, make use of the tube adaptor and a water hose to connect the soaker hose to your faucet. Do note that if you’re using a water hose to connect to a faraway faucet, you’ll find that there is a loss of efficiency as water will take more time to travel through.
It is also recommended to test your soaker hose by connecting it to a faucet and adjusting the water to see how much the water drips. And it is recommended to check for any faults before the next step.
Stretch and Place
Begin to stretch out the hose and start placing it around your garden according to your plans. Follow the guidelines as stated above and lay them out perfectly. Use connectors if needed. After placing the soaker hoses dip and rub them with some mulch. This helps to keep them cool when the sun is out.
Turn the Water Supply on
Once you’ve placed and secured your soaker hose, you can then turn on the water supply. Adjust the water pressure until you have a steady amount of water dripping out of the hoses. Your soaker hose has been installed, and you only need to turn on and off the water supply to use it.
Conclusion
As you can see, proper installation is an essential part of using a soaker hose. Remember to check up on it for any leaks or damage from time to time, and you’ll be very happy with the results.
