Drip irrigation is easy to set up. Just put the small tubing around your garden and place the emitters (small nozzles) in the tubing right near your plants. Drip irrigation is like putting mini-sprinklers all over your yard. Drip irrigation works for all types of plants including trees, shrubs, plants, vegetables, potted plants, and lawn. It also works well on slopes or uneven surfaces. The first step is planning out your system.

Zone your garden. If you are starting a new garden or adding plants, place plants with the same water and light needs in the same area or “zones”.  Plants with similar needs often benefit from each other, providing small ecosystems where they can shade each other and better hold onto moisture. This will save you time and water in the long run and avoid unnecessary runoff.

Design your system. Drip systems are pretty simple—the main connection attaches to a hose or faucet, generally with a timer, then this supply line splits out into smaller tubing to reach out across your garden to wherever you need to water.  Then you place small, short emitters from the supply line directly to your plants. It is very easy to do, almost like putting together a lego set.

Plan out where the main supply lines will go, where you will hook into a hose or faucet, and what types of emitters (nozzles) you need for which areas. Measure how long you need the tubing to go to reach your plants. Different emitters have different flow rates providing more or less water depending on your plants needs. Look up the water needs of your plants so you know which emitters to use. For lawns, there is special subsurface tubing that can provide efficient watering for small to medium sized lawn areas. For more information on options and designing your system, check out this How to Install Drip Irrigation guide.