Low Maintenance Waterwise Gardening with Irrigation

Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.

Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.

Reduce your workload, increase productivity and be water wise.

Container gardeners may want to make a one-time investment in a drip irrigation system, like the Snip-n-Drip Pot and Planter Soaker System especially designed for container gardens.

Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are also a great way to water in-ground and raised bed gardens. These irrigation systems apply the water directly to the soil, reducing water lost to overspray, evaporation and runoff. They also reduce the risk and spread of disease by preventing water from settling on the leaves of the plants.

Opt for a micro irrigation system if your water has a high mineral content that tends to clog soaker hoses.

Correctly installed, irrigation systems can help conserve water by ensuring that you water properly and only when needed.

A bit more information: Raised bed gardens will also benefit from irrigation systems. Elevated gardens often dry out more quickly than their in-ground counterparts and need more frequent watering. Some, like the Raised Bed Snip-n-Drip soaker system (gardeners.com), are easy to assemble and allow you to water when needed. Further save time by using preformed corners with built-in spigots when constructing raised beds. Simply slide the boards into the metal corner pieces to create the raised bed. Some corner systems, like Aquacorner, have built-in spigots to make irrigation even simpler.

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