Soaker hose on a slope?

[Jeff Wisnia]

I just planted a 50 foot row of five foot tall Arborvitae bushes on one side of our lot, and picked up a 50 foot long soaker hose so that I could do the right thing by them water wise.

The line of bushes is on a slope with a grade of about 1:8. I positioned the soaker hose and fed it from the lower end. The water only made it about half way up the hose, the upper half remained dry.

I tried feeding it from the top end with the same results. Looks like the differential pressure is fighting me and winning.

I even tried making a new restrictor washer for the inlet fitting with a hole about twice the diameter as the one which came with the soaker hose. No better...

It's beginning to look like a soaker hose just won't do what I want in that location unless I cut it int two or three sections and feed each of them separately.

Anything else I might try before I decide whether it's even worth doing that or just water them with a sprinkler?

Jeff

Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can smile when things are going wrong, you've thought of someone to blame it on."

[Pop Rivet]

bushes on one

so that I

1:8. I positioned

only made it

Looks like

fitting with a

the soaker

what I want in

and feed each of

even worth doing

thought of someone

How about either

-- Burying it, so the water pressue can equalize, or

-- Wrap it in something (cotton?) to contain/equalize the pressure?

Just thinking outside the box - no idea whether it'd work for you. Can you increase the water pressure, or tape off sections along the way to force the pressure further along? Fewer openings = increased pressure inside.

[Phisherman]

You can use plastic gallon jugs with a pinhole in the bottom. Works great.

[Rudy]

How about buying 50' of 1/2" drip waterline, getting a regular hose adapter and connect to yer hose. Lay/bury it in the soil along your row and add drippers where the trees are..if you dont want to go all the way with a drip timer, valve etc.