Clay, Loam, or Sandy Soil: What Drip Should I Use?

T-Tape works great in heavy clay soil.

Varying soil types need specific drip emitters or sprayers to put out water at precise rates for proper watering patterns. In order to help our fellow drip irrigation enthusiasts, and those interested to learn more about drip irrigation techniques, we've gone ahead and listed our recommendations for the best drip emitters, sprayers, and tubing to use for your irrigation needs based on soil types.

Heavy Clay Soil

Clay soil absorbs water slowly and spreads the water laterally, therefore we recommend low flow emitters to give the water time to spread out. For individual plants use emitters with a low ½ gallon per hour rating such as the the Woodpecker PC (DNPC12) emitter, the Woodpecker JR (DNJR12) emitter, or the Pinch Drip Emitter (DPCH12). For row crops, low flow T-Tape, Aqua-Traxx, or Emitter Tubing (DET125) works well.