Making a soaker hose.

[richardg]

I need a short length of soaker hose. Can I take a regular hose and drill holes into it to make one? If so, how far apart and what diameter hole do I need. Richard

[brooklyn1]

What's a "short length"???

Soaker hoses are not very expensive... seems stupid to ruin a perfectly good hose instead... and drilling a bunch of holes won't make it a soaker hose.

[richardg]

[brooklyn1]

How do you water the rest of the raised bed... makes more sense to water it all the same way. Anyway, soaker hoses can be clamped closed at any point.

Please do not top post.

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

[Freckles]

----------------------------------------------------- They sell hoses and eyelets that you punch into the hose for making soakers for irrigating gardens.

I've seen them at Lowe's, but I really don't know what they are called or much about them.

You might find an employee at Lowe's that is knowledgeable about such things and can tell you more.

Freckles

------------------------------------------------------

[Jeff Thies]

Look in the drip irrigation section. 1/2" and 1/4" drip line is common. I don't think drilling holes is going to work well, particularly when the real deal is cheap. The holes would have to be very small, be prone to clogging, and would yield uneven flow depending on water pressure.

Home Despot also carries it. My experience is that none of these big box stores have a handle on it. Merchandise available varies widely from store to store even in the same merchandiser. I often have to go to 3 different HD's or Lowes to get what I need. Many outlets available online, if you can wait a few days.

HD got a lot better during the recession, at least they show some eagerness to help. With that said, a happy HD employee is one now working for Lowes.

Jeff

[brooklyn1]

Soaker hoses are cheap. The OP should buy the least expensive soaker hose (soaker hoses are avaialble in different caliber/price range) and try it out to see if it's suitible for the intended use. Drilling holes in perfectly good garden hoses is madness (it'll just become a sprinkler), perforating pvc will not a soaker hose make, that too will become a sprinkler... soaker hoses have microspic pores so water can ooze out, not spray... buying drip systems can get expensive. I really don't see the point in a soaker hose for only a small part of a small raised bed but if one wants to give it a shot any soaker hose can be pinched off at whatever length one desires.... or double up a

25" length and only crack the water on part way. Watering a garden ain't rocket science, sheesh!

[AndyS]

Andy comments:

I use this PVC pipe technique to water my raised beds. Also to water small trees I am encouraging to grow along a fence line. When I want to plug up a hole, I just hand twist a drywall screw into it. Very inexpensive and a 5 gal per minute flow rate will easily drive forty feet of PVC with holes every 6 inches.

I have also laid PVC around the perimeter of my house to water shrubs and flower beds. Saves a LOT of time, dirt cheap, and practically foolproof. I use about 1/16" holes and drill them where the shrubs or flowers are located. They can be plugged up as above and other holes drilled as the landscaping changes..... Seems to last forever and no chance of catastrophic leaks as when a soaker hose blows out...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

[Bill who putters]

Andy "Naked in Eureka" mean anything to you ?

Some aging hippie music many stars.

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago