How to Use Drip Tape Irrigation
Apr 20th 2023
Drip tape irrigation is a highly inexpensive way to water rows of crops on your farm or raised beds in a residential garden. Drip tape offers superb watering efficiency and uniformity over long distances. Drip Tape is used in homes and commercial applications.
It is ideal for above-ground, mulched, or buried applications and is great for low-pressure systems as it works down to 4 PSI. This product lasts up to 7 years if covered and 2-5 years on the surface. Drip tape systems are one of the most used drip irrigation systems today. They differ from soaker hoses; the Drip Tape has pre-installed emitters that emit water at precise flow rates. It is used in one of our best-selling irrigation kits, available at DripWorks. It will often require a pressure regulator to reduce the incoming water pressure to one ideal for drip tape.
Drip tape can be purchased in 100' rolls that are perfect for home gardeners. Larger rolls are available for more extensive applications on small to large commercial farms. Toro's latest generation of tape technology features an innovative emitter design. This unique emitter design protects the labyrinth from debris, thus maximizing clog resistance.
If you have well-composted soil that drains well, the rows of drip tape need to be spaced 1' apart. You should also choose drip tape with the emitter spacing of 8" apart. If you grow in a more compacted soil that contains clay, the rows, and the emitter spacing can be stretched to 12" apart. It would be best if you used low-flow Tape for clay soils and high-flow Tape for sandy soils. Use 5/8" Tape Loc fittings for Drip tape are available at dripworks.com. If you want to control the water flow on a single tape row, use the Tape x ¼' Barb with Valve LSBSO. This part gets attached to the mainline by easily punching a hole in the mainline with a Miracle Punch tool PUM, inserting the barbed end of the LSBSO into the mainline tubing, and connecting the Drip Tape to the other end. Use this fitting when you need to control the water a row receives for different crop watering needs.
Some tapes work well if you are growing in very light or sandy soil. The eight mils 2000' long roll TAZ804SR or the 7500' long roll TAZ804 are rolls of drip tape with emitters spaced 4" apart. Both rolls emit water at the rate of 60 GPH per 100 feet. There is also a low flow drip tape with emitters spaced 6" apart that emits water at the rate of 27 GPH per 100'. This Tape TAZ606 is available in 10,000' rolls only. Choose the right type of drip irrigation for your garden and soil.
On dripworks.com you will find a Gallery of Plans that will show you how to set up many different sizes and configurations of farms and gardens using drip tape. These plans list all the parts necessary to set up a complete system from the water source to the field. If you also want to fertilize while irrigating with drip tape effortlessly, you can also easily install the MixRite fertilizer injector at the start of the system. This precision-made product goes together with a drip tape system to help your entire crop flourish.