Dahlias in the Botanical Gardens

Recently I visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens with my wife and friends. We left our inland homes and drove through the redwood forests to spend the afternoon surrounded by 47 acres of spectacular beauty. The riotous colors displayed from over 450 dahlias during late summer are a very special sight to see.

Growing and Harvesting Garlic in Dripworks' Garden

At Dripworks we grow a variety of flowers and veggies in order to show customers what can be grown with Drip Irrigation. One of our favorite veggies is the garlic we grow every year; Garlic is the perfect crop to display inside our garden, as it is planted in October and harvested each June (see picture above). Now in our third season, we find growing garlic with Drip Irrigation a snap, if given the right soil conditions and preparation.

Preparation

To prepare our garlic bed we utilize two of our wonderful products: Agribon and Emitter Tubing (or Soaker Dripline). In the Fall and Winter months we cover the garlic bed with Agribon (a fabric that raises the temperature by 4-6 degrees) in order to protect the plants from frost. The Agribon material is supported by bent wire fencing inside the wooden beds, which makes a "tunnel" shape to provide warmth and growth space for the garlic during colder months. Loop Hoops are another way to support Agribon. In addition to using Agribon, each year we irrigate the garlic with our Emitter Tubing, which delivers water directly to the roots of each plant. Soaker Dripline also works very well. Together, these products are key to a successful harvest.

Getting Started with Drip Irrigation

Summer is just around the corner and ensuring your plants are properly irrigated is more important than ever. Annually summer weather demands us to pay more attention to the health of our gardens or landscapes, and this year proves to be even more challenging with nearly half the country experiencing drought. According to the latest report by NOAA nearly 45% of the United States is experiencing drought-like conditions and there's speculation for the Pacific and Mid-West regions to see little improvement over the next three months. In order to combat these conditions and ensure your garden or landscape is properly irrigated, we would like to present you with some of our NEW Complete Drip Irrigation Kits to help you beat the drought!

First time drip irrigation users can get started quickly and easily with one of DripWorks' NEW Complete Irrigation Kits. Out NEW kits come with easy to follow instructions that will make the assembly and installation of your drip irrigation quick and painless. By adding a battery timer (take 10% off a timer using promo code TIMER10 when purchasing any of our available kits) your plants will thrive from direct irrigation on a precise watering schedule. At last, you'll have time to relax and enjoy your garden!

Easy Loc Fittings are Truly Easy

Remember when setting up a drip irrigation system was a struggle? Not any more. Setting up your new drip system is a snap with Easy Loc Fittings. No more sore hands or wrists, and Easy Locs hold very well at higher pressures--up to 50 PSI. Plus, Easy Loc Fittings are faster and easier to use than compression or barbed fittings too!

Making changes or adding to your drip system is a breeze when using Easy Loc Fittings. Start each drip line with an Easy Loc Female Hose Beginning connected to your faucet assembly. Then use an Easy Loc coupler or Easy Loc Tee to increase the size of your irrigation system. Always get a few extras for expanding your drip system in the future--you can even reuse them!

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.