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Federal Way, WA

Hey guys and gals, had a few questions for those of you who use drip irrigation.

1. Typically how far apart do you space the drip tape lines?

2. Is drip tape with 12" spacing holes/drippers adequate to water an AG's root system? Seems so far apart.

3. As the vine grows, do you put the drip tape above or below it? Any tips or tricks related to drip irrigation and the plant?

Thanks a bunch for any and all replies!

6/4/2013 6:56:40 PM

East Jordan, MI

Spacing depends on soil drainage. We space ours 24 inches apart. Our soil is heavy, therefore the water spreads farther before it sinks in. Sandy soil would need them closer together.

Don't just go by the top and how it looks. The water spreads as it goes down. Dig down from 4 to 6 inches down to test moisture levels, or you may be drowning your plants.

Drip tape is designed to output enough to completely cover the length of the tape, and the emitter will put water out in a 360 degree area. So the further the spacing on the tape also waters a larger area to the sides of the tape than closer spaced emitters, so yes 12 inches is typical for most of the people I know that use drip on AGs.

We place the drip tape over the vines AFTER we bury them. The drip tape expands from flat to round when you use it, so if you put them under the vine, you need to have room for it to expand or the plant might reduce the flow if it keeps it from expanding correctly (think of it like kinking a water hose). Also the sun can make the black tape hot and I don't like thought of something too hot to hold in my hand laying on a live plant, so by putting it over the buried vine is my solution, that is just my opinion, no scientific data to back that up.

We also meter the water so we know how much really goes on rather than simply using a timer and caclulating based off of the maximum flow rating for the tape. If you are feeding the tape with a garden hose, chances are you are not getting the maximum flow rate unless your zones are fairly small.

Hope this helps.
Good Luck

6/4/2013 8:33:39 PM

Muddy Waters

I run my tape under the vines.I dont bury my vines as I think it can cause disease issues & I dont think the plants need 2 roots I think 1 is sufficient.But then again I grow air bubbles!LOL!I do however throw a little dirt over the leaf node so it can root better.My clay based soil works best with tape spaced at 24 inch centers with 12 inch emitters.I lay a lid from a 5 gallon pail under the emitter when I get 1/4 to 3/8s of water I turn it off.typically takes 45 minutes too 1 hr to do that each day that it doesnt rain.I do dig down occasionally to check soil mosture in a outer area,so as to not damage roots.

6/4/2013 9:56:54 PM

Muddy Waters

Oh about mid June move the drip tape at least 16 inchs from stump,if not you may get a foamer.

6/4/2013 9:59:29 PM

Federal Way, WA

Holy cow, awesome replies! Got everything I wanted to know before ordering, answered. You guys rock!

6/4/2013 11:27:03 PM