Who Wants to Do Less Work and Have Healthier Plants?

When was the last time you read something that said if you do less you will get more and it was true? We are constantly bombarded by advertising and offers that seem too good to be true, and the truth is that nearly every time, they are too good to be true. However, drip irrigation systems really do give you healthier plants with a lot less work. 

Less Work?

Let’s look at the “less work” claim. A drip irrigation system will require an upfront time investment in the form of planning your system, ordering the parts, and installing the system. This will be more than compensated for with time saved in hand watering this summer. The amount of time varies based on the size and complexity of your project. Someone with two 4x8 raised beds can easily order our basic raised bed kit and install it in an hour or so. If the area you wish to water is larger and doesn’t fit a kit exactly, then there will be more time spent on design and choosing the right parts. However, the larger the area, the more time you will save after the system is installed. 

Once the system is installed, that’s when the time saving begins. The biggest savings will come from not having to hand water or move a sprinkler around your yard to water your plants daily. Once a drip system is in place with a timer, you will have to spend zero time watering. This can save you anywhere from minutes to hours every day during the summer. 

Put Water Where It Belongs

Another awesome fact about drip irrigation is that it delivers water directly to the roots of the plants you want to water. The benefit of this is that there is no standing water around the plants you wish to water, thus limiting excess water that encourages weed growth. Now drip irrigation won’t eliminate weeds, but it will without a doubt reduce the number of weeds in your garden. I am sure that most gardeners would agree that pulling fewer weeds is a great thing. A drip irrigation system will reduce the amount of work you need to do because it will eliminate the amount of time spent hand watering or dragging hoses around as well as greatly reduce the number of weeds that need to be pulled in your garden.

What About Healthier Plants?

So what about healthier plants? Drip irrigation systems do create healthier plants. Above, I touched on the fact that drip systems deliver water directly to the root system of the plant. Well this has two big benefits. The first is that water is not sprayed on the leaves of the plants. Water on leaves during the summer encourages mold or bacteria to grow, which can damage or kill plants. Drip irrigation delivers the water to the roots only, keeping leaves dry and not encouraging mold or bacteria growth. The second healthy benefit is that when water is supplied to the roots consistently day after day, plants become less stressed. A plant that is less stressed grows faster and larger. If the plant is a crop, this can result in increased crop yields. This has been found to be true in university studies. 

It may seem too good to be true, but a drip irrigation system can give you healthier plants by doing less work. If you want help planning your system, contact us via email or check out our installation guide. It will get you up to speed and make sure you get everything needed for your system—the first time.