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How to Irrigate a Low Maintenance Garden

The low maintenance garden can be a simple and effective way to elevate your lawn or garden. A well-shaped hedge or flax plant can look amazing and can also have a simple and effective irrigation system to keep them alive and well.

In this Irrigation guide, we will go through the products and installation to get a beautiful low maintenance garden.

Have a look at the categories below at the recommended products for the different systems.

For this example, we will create an irrigation system using dripline for a row of hedges.

Dripline is easily the most efficient and effective way to water your low maintenance gardens. Easily hidden in the garden and giving water directly to the roots. You don't waste the water and dripline if treated correctly will last you years.

Pros:

  • No overspray onto paths and fences.
  • No issues with leaves, flowers or branches getting in the way and stopping the water getting to where it’s needed
low maintenance garden hedge

Dripline

The installation of dripline is straightforward and do-able for any newcomer to irrigation. Dripline consists of many inbuilt drippers in the line. Each dripper will give you a pressure compensated amount of litres per hour. Netafim's Techline is available in either 1.6 L/hr or 3.0 L/hr. The lengths of dripline available are either 50m or 100m coils.

The reason this is ideal for low maintenance gardens is the simplicity in installation and effectiveness in watering. Either sub-surface or above ground the dripline provides water directly to the roots of the plant.

  • Do not use dripline above any weed mat. The mat will cause the water to sit and run off the mat and not get to the roots.

 

Brand: Metzerplas.

Pipe Diameter: 16mm

Technical Data

  • Flow Rate: 1.6 L/hr
  • Spacing: 30cm
  • Coil Size: 100m
  • Outside Diameters: 14.9mm
  • Inside Diameter: 13.8mm
  • Dripline Wall Thickness: 1.15 mm
  • Recommended filtration: 120 mesh/130 micron
  • Minimum Working Pressure: 0.8 bar
  • Maximum Working Pressure: 4.0 Bar

Features

  • Efficient and cost-effective dripper
  • Wide range of working pressures for various topographies
  • Uniform flow rate
  • Expanded inlet filter
  • Highly accurate pressure-compensating labyrinth mechanism
  • Wide water passages along the labyrinth
  • Suitable for different water sources and quality
  • Long-lasting silicone diaphragm
  • Durable under harsh field conditions and chemical applications

Installation

Whether it is for sub-surface application or above ground, the installation remains the same. The only things to consider is how much water's applied to the area. (in this case the roots of the hedge)

We use the snake pattern to run the dripline between the necessary plants. The layout may look like overkill with watering in the middle where no trunks are, but your goal is to encourage root growth. Having drippers spread out between the plants, help the roots to spread and search for more water. Promoting healthy and robust plants and keeping your garden beautiful.

Snake Pattern

Pros

  • Simple and effective.
  • Encourages root growth.
  • Direct delivery of water.
  • Perfect for plants that don't need a lot of water.
  • One line = less fittings & less installation time.

Cons

  • Not as accurate water distribution resulting in poor root growth.
  • Harder installation to get the dripline between the plants. (if plants are already grown).
  • Least consistent and efficient watering pattern
dripline installation snake pattern
dripline installation snake pattern2

Parallel Pattern

Pros

  • Twice as much water than other patterns.
  • Encourages root growth.
  • Direct delivery of water.
  • A good pattern for water-hungry plants
  • Consistent and most efficient watering for an area

Cons

  • Twice as much dripline used.
  • More fittings and hose staples required.
  • Increase in installation time.
dripline installation parallel pattern
dripline installation parallel pattern2

Loop Pattern

Pros

  • Can accurately see how much water each tree is receiving.
  • Encourages root growth.
  • Direct delivery of water.
  • Easily expandable in need be.
  • Perfect for trees or larger spaced plants.
  • Less dripline used.
  • Larger trees can have multiple loops around the tree

Cons

  • More fittings required.
  • Increase in installation time.
  • Requires a mainline of lateral pipe
dripline installation loop pattern4
dripline installation loop pattern5

The loop patterns recommended for larger trees with greater distances between them. The loop allows you to accurately judge how much water is going to each plant base by counting the number of drippers per loop. No wastage in dripline as the mainline is in a lateral pipe.

This pattern also allows for natural dripline extension. If the trees are expected to grow, you can simply join more dripline, via a joiner.

Tip:

  • Dripline can be buried under dirt, mulch, bark or stones, 1” or 25mm is ideal but can be deeper if needed. (but becomes harder to see if it's working)
  • Do not use dripline above any weed mat. The mat will cause the water to sit and run off the mat and not get to the roots.
low maintenance garden hedge with line

Filter

For a dripline system to operate correctly, you will need a good filter. The standard filter for a dripline system is the 130 Micron Disc Filters.
Disc Filters are a much better option than the conventional Screen Filter, due to the larger filtration area. A standard Disc Filter will last years where a Nylon or Stainless Steel screen can wear and puncture over time.

The reason we recommend a filter before your dripline is because it may get blocked by larger particles. Once a dripper is blocked, it becomes hard to notice, and your plant gets no water.

  • Please Note: Direction of water flow is moulded on filter body depending on the filter element type. (Disc or Screen)
  • The filter must be installed anywhere horizontally below the pipeline.
filter-screen-disc

Dripline Fittings

Dripline Fitting - Double barbed
double barbed

The Metzerplas Dripline is a 16mm OD and 14mm ID pipe, requiring the Dripline 16mm Double Barb Fittings.

The industry standard for most driplines is 16mm OD and 14mm ID. These use the dripline double barbed fittings. Even though they say 16mm, they're made for 14mm ID dripline.

Some brands like the Netafim Techline Dripline is a 13mm ID Pipe that can use either the Dripline fittings or the 13mm Lateral Fittings with Ratchet Clips.

Tip: Hot/boiling water will loosen the tube for easier insertion.

 

Pressure Regulating Valve

Pressure regulators are a vital item for any dripline system. If your pressure is too high, the dripline will squeak/squeal or even burst; this is an indication that you need to reduce the pressure.

Putting this at the start of your system can guarantee you get an even distribution of water between drippers.

Recommended operating pressure for dripline is 40kpa - 250kpa

pressure compensator

Valve

An optional item that can be very beneficial is a flush valve for the end of your dripline system. We recommend having a flush valve in if you are using any water source other than the standard garden tap or house mains. Water from tanks, bores or pumps run the risk of sucking particles through the line, risking blockages.

Even during the installation of the dripline, there are little ways to prevent soil from getting into the line. With the flush valve, you can clean the line and system before use, and close the valve to work as an end plug.

Tip:

  • It is recommended to flush the lines a couple of times a year, to get rid of any sediment etc that has dropped out of suspension and may accumulate and block the drippers.
valve

Stakes

Use a hose staple every 1 meter to hold the dripline in place. More may be required if you are doing multiple loops around a plant.

Products Used

  • automat filters 2

    Automat Y Type Manual Disc Filters – 20mm to 50mm

    $40.37$52.79
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  • galvanised hose staple

    Hose Staple

    $0.13$0.26
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  • techline 2

    Netafim 13mm Landscape Dripperline – Techline AS

    $79.12$235.52
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  • prvlg

    Senninger Pressure Regulating Landscape Valves 20mm

    $21.99
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Dripline Fittings

  • 16mm dripline elbow

    16mm Dripline Elbow

    $0.62
    Add to cart
  • double barb end plug

    16mm Dripline End Plug

    $0.45
    Add to cart
  • 16mm dripline joiner

    16mm Dripline Joiner

    $0.46
    Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
  • double barb male director

    16mm Dripline Male Director

    $0.90
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  • Dripline Tees Thumbnail

    16mm Dripline Tees

    $0.66$3.16
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  • reducing joiner

    Dripline to Lateral Reducing Joiner

    $0.41$0.98
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  • lateral valves

    Dripline Valves – 16mm O.D

    $1.84$3.59
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Lateral Fittings

  • ep13

    Antelco Lateral End Plug

    $0.23$1.56
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  • le13

    Antelco Lateral Elbow

    $0.38$2.58
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  • lj19

    Antelco Lateral Joiner

    $0.28$2.01
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  • Antelco Lateral Tee

    Antelco Lateral Tees

    $0.41$2.59
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  • Lateral valve 19mm LV19

    Antelco Lateral Valves (Green Back)

    $1.09$7.67
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  • md1925

    Antelco Male Threaded Director

    $0.53$1.74
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  • nt1920

    Antelco Nut and Tail

    $1.52$2.76
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  • rc ratchet clips

    Antelco Plastic Ratchet Clips

    $0.21$0.64
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  • lrj1913

    Antelco Reducing Joiner

    $0.53$1.96
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