How to Install Dripline for Your Garden Boxes

Watering your garden by hand takes a lot of time, especially as we get into the hot summer months. I will show you how to install a dripline for your garden boxes that will be a simple and effective way to water your garden. With a little work, you will no longer have to spend time watering your garden by hand.

garden boxes dripline container gardening

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We have used dripline in our garden boxes since be bought our first house over 15 years ago. We love them for a multitude of reasons, which I will go into in more detail below. I hope this How to Install Dripline in Your Garden Boxes tutorial will encourage you to get started on yours today!

What is a dripline?

A dripline, also known as a drip irrigation system, consists of tiny holes inserted along a hose which allow small amounts of water to drip slowly into the soil.

What Are the Perks of Watering with Dripline vs. Overhead Sprinklers?

Dripline can be focused solely at the roots of the plant which is important for plants with large leaves that may block water from an overhead sprinkler
Plants watered with dripline are less susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew that occur with wet leaves
Dripline saves water. Overhead watering is wasteful because as much as 30% of the water evaporates before it reaches the plant’s roots
Water anytime of day without worrying about disease problems since the leaves won’t get wet
You can add sprayers to your dripline for plants whose roots spread throughout the garden box, such as strawberries
Improves growth because smaller amounts of water delivered over a longer period of time provide optimal growing conditions
Minimizes weeds because you are only watering where it’s needed

How Do You Install Dripline for Your Garden Boxes?

Supplies Needed

5/8″ flex pipe
1/4″ poly tubing
5/8″ compression elbows
5/8″ compression tees
1/2″ to 5/8″ drip irrigation PVC adapter
5/8″ hose end caps
1/4 inch tubing stakes
1/2″ pex clamps
Drip line tubing hole punch
1/4″ barbed connectors
Pressure compensating drippers
Clamp-n’-Pierce 1/4-circle adjustable sprayer
Pipe cutter

Prep

To begin with, you should already have done the work of connecting PVC pipe to your main sprinkler valve and continuing it out to your garden boxes. This part may be buried underground like regular sprinkler systems. We used 1/2″ PVC pipe.
Estimate how much tubing you’ll need by measuring your garden boxes.

Connect 5/8″ flex pipe to the PVC pipe

If you have a 1/2″ PVC pipe for your water source, then you will use a 1/2″ to 5/8″ drip irrigation PVC adapter to attach the 5/8″ flex pipe.

Drill hole in garden box (optional)

With a 1-inch drill bit, drill a hole just above the soil level.
If you would prefer not to drill a hole, you can run the 5/8″ flex pipe over the edge of the garden box. I like the hole because it keeps the tubing in place & looks more streamlined.

installed dripline garden box dripper sprayer

Prepare flex pipe for dripline

Connect flex pipe to a compression elbow and push the elbow joint so it comes partially through the drilled hole.
Cut a 4-inch piece of flex pipe and connect it to the other side of the compression elbow.
Next, add a compression tee to the other side of the 4-inch piece of flex pipe
Connect pieces of 5/8″ flex pipe to both sides of the compression tee. You will cut the tubing to fit to the corners of the box.
Add compression elbows to both corners
Then, connect another length of 5/8″ pipe on each side long enough to reach the far corners of the box.
Use 5/8″ hose end caps to seal off the 5/8″ flex pipe.
Finally, you will want to secure the 5/8″ flex pipe to the sides of the box so they do not move. You will do this by installing 1/2″ pex clamps along the sides. We installed three on each side.
From this point, the directions are different depending on if you are installing an individual dripline or a sprayer for your garden bed.

pipe cutter dripline poly tubing barbed connector pressure compensating drippers

Connecting an individual dripline

Individual driplines work best for larger plants that are spaced out from other plants.
First, puncture the 5/8″ flex pipe where you want to attach 1/4″ poly tubing.
Next, insert one side of a barbed connector into the hole.
Then, measure the distance from the 5/8″ flex pipe to the plant you want the dripline to run to & cut the correct length of 1/4″ poly tubing.
Connect the length of the 1/4″ poly tubing that will be going to the plant to the other side of the barbed connector.
Finally, insert the pressure compensating dripper to the end of the 1/4″ poly tubing. You can choose drippers with different flow rates depending on your needs.

Clamp-n'-Pierce 1/4-circle adjustable sprayer garden dripline boxes

Connecting a sprayer

Sprayers are best for plants whose roots spread out in a large area, such as in a strawberry patch, raspberries or green beans.
First, determine where you want to install your sprayers. We put one in each corner of our strawberry beds because they give 1/4-circle coverage.
Then, push the connected stake into the soil, then push the clamp onto the 5/8″ flex pipe until it pierces a hole in the pipe. The included 1/4″ poly tubing is already connected between the clamp and the nozzle.
Adjust the spray by using the knob near the nozzle.

Wrapping things up

After installing your dripline system, you will want to run the sprinkler line to check that each dripper/sprayer is working correctly.
If you find that certain plants are not getting enough water, you may need to change the dripper to a higher flow dripper
We run our dripline on an automatic sprinkler system and have it set to go on three times a day

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Please comment below to let me know how it goes or if you have any questions!

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