Drip Irrigation

Drip Irrigation

Water where it counts. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to water gardens, saving up to 50% more water than sprays.

Drip works by delivering water slowly and directly to the root zone through low-flow emitters, so almost nothing is lost to wind, evaporation, or runoff. A well-built system is more than tubing on the ground. It starts at the valve with a filter to keep grit out of the emitters and a pressure regulator to drop household pressure down to the low range drip needs, usually around 25 to 30 psi, which is where most homeowner installs quietly fail when they skip it. From there we group plants with similar water needs onto shared zones, run half-inch supply line with quarter-inch feeders to individual plants, and match emitter output to each plant: a couple of low-flow emitters at a perennial, more around a shrub or a young tree.

Because emitters wet a narrow band, spacing and layout matter more than with spray. Dense beds do better with inline drip line on a grid so coverage overlaps, while widely spaced specimens suit point-source emitters. Everything gets pinned flat and buried under mulch, both to hide it and to hold moisture in.

The Vancouver context is a real fit. Summer watering restrictions limit overhead sprinklers, while drip and soaker systems are generally permitted more freely, so beds stay watered within the rules. Keeping foliage dry also discourages the powdery mildew our damp climate encourages. Fit a backflow preventer to protect the drinking supply, add a controller for consistent short cycles, and flush the lines each spring.