Landscape Drip Irrigation Kit Buying Guide

About Drip Depot Landscape Drip Kits:

Drip Depot Landscape kits are designed to make it easy to install a professional drip irrigation system. Our kits come complete with everything you need to create a working drip irrigation system and hook it up to any standard water faucet or garden hose.


Landscape irrigation offers the challenge of trying to effectively water many different types of plants with different watering requirements. Drip Depot landscape irrigation kits come with a wide assortment of items that will help you tackle even the most challenging situation. Listed below are just some of the items that are found in Drip Depot Landscape Kits. 


The following useful guide was written to help you choose the right kit for you. It will show you how to design your own drip irrigation system, gather the necessary parts and information and it will show you which kit to choose to suit your particular gardening needs.



 


Step 1: Gather Information

To help ensure that you gather all the critical information needed to successfully choose and install a landscape drip irrigation kit we created a list of questions below that will act as an information gathering guide.


Questions to Answer:


1. How far away is the last plant from your water source? 

This question helps you think about the layout of your mainline tubing as well as collecting a measurement for how much mainline tubing you will need. 


2. Will you need to go in two different directions from the water source or at any other place in your layout? 

You will need a Tee fitting for every spot the requires the mainline tubing to go in two different directions. Write down how many times you need to Tee you mainline tubing. 


3. How many places does your mainline tubing come to an end? 

Each end of a run of tubing needs an end cap.  Write down how many end caps you will need in your system.


4. Will you need to make any 90 degree turns? 

Mainline tubing will kink on corners, so every turn must have an elbow fitting. Again write down how many elbow fittings you may need.


5. How much micro tubing will you need?

Once you know how much mainline tubing you will need, you will need to approximate how much micro tubing will be needed. If your mainline tubing comes close to the plant you wish to water then you can insert the emitter directly into the mainline tubing. If your mainline tubing is too far from the plant you wish to water, then you will need to use micro tubing feeder lines to bring the emitter close enough to the plant’s root zone. At each spot that you will place a watering device, make sure to note how much micro tubing you may need to reach your final destination from your mainline tubing. Write down the value for every spot to place a watering device. Then add up each value and this will give you a great idea of how much micro tubing you may need.

As a side note: For every feeder line you will need a 1⁄4 inch barbed connector to attach to the mainline. 


6. How are your plants planted?  

This may seem like an odd question, however; it is an important one when creating a landscape drip irrigation system. Most drip irrigation systems are created with the idea of placing a button dripper at a single plant. This works great when plants are spread out evenly. In many landscape situations (like flowerbeds) this is not the case. Often there are many plants densely planted in one area. This makes the single dripper to single plant setup very difficult to achieve.


We recommend in areas that are of medium size and densely planted to use a Spray Jet watering device. These offer great coverage and are easy to setup. Note how many areas you need to water that are of medium size and densely planted.


For areas that are densely planted and large we recommend a microsprinkler. Mircosprinklers are easy to setup and offer fantastic coverage area. Note each area that may need a mircrosprinkler.


In landscapes you may still have plants that are spread out by themselves and require a button dripper. Note how many plants you will need to run button drippers to. 


Remember for soil with good capillary action, each drip point will create about a 12 inch wet circle. If the plant’s root zone is larger than 12 inches, you will need to plan for more than one emitter for that plant.


Plant Situation / Density# of Watering Devices Needed
Single Plant (Single Dripper)
Single Plant (Multiple Drippers)
Medium Densely Planted Areas (Spray Jets)
Large Densely Planted Areas (Micro-Sprinklers)
Potted Plants / Water Hungry Plants (Adjustable Drippers on Spike)


Step 2: Creating a sketch

Once you have answered the questions in Step 1 we recommend creating a sketch of your project area. We have found that a sketch helps to visualize the area and ensures that you have not overlooked any details, which may result in not ordering enough parts or incorrect parts the first time. We have enclosed a sample sketch of a project to show the details that you want to provide in your sketch. 

Step 3: Using your information to choose the right kit

Now that you have gathered your information and created a sketch of your project area it is time to use that information to choose the best landscape kit for you. Below is a chart that lists the quantities of important items in each of our landscape kits. Start in column 1 and work your way to the right by choosing the quantity that best matches your results. When you have finished with each column look to find the kit that best matches your needs. Remember, every part we sell is available individually so if you find a kit that is closest to your project requirements, choose it and add the parts you need.


Mainline Tubing (Ft)# of 1/2” Tees# of 1/2” End Caps# of 1/2” ElbowsMicro Tubing (Ft)Button Drip pers# of Spray Jets# of Micro SprinklersLandscape Kit Name/ItemNumber
50010502511Basic/101
100121507022Standard/102
10023210010033Deluxe/103
20034420013044Premium/104
50045630016055Ultimate/105


No kit fits your design needs exactly?

Let’s say that you have accomplished the above steps and you still don’t find a kit to suit your needs. We can help! Just use the Drip Depot exclusive “Customize this drip irrigation kit" feature.

To start: choose a landscape kit that is close to your design needs. This will become the template for your customized kit. Once on the item page of a kit, next to the "add" button you will find a "customize" button. Click on the link to begin customizing your kit.   Below is a short video (1:30) that will walk you through how to customize any of our drip irrigation kits. 


Installation Tips:

Although installing your own professional drip irrigation system might sound difficult, it is actually very easy. In fact, many of our customers who were apprehensive at first, found that the installation process was very easy and took less time than they thought thanks to our kits. You don’t need any specialized tools or training and we even provide a useful video tutorial that you can watch before or during the installation process. Watching the video will save you time and frustration, so check it out. 


Don't forget a timer:

Adding a timer to your drip irrigation system is one of those extra incurred costs that are well worth it. It reduces the time you have to put into your system by automatically turning it on and off and ensuring that you never underwater your plants.

With less human error involved, a timer can do its job of ensuring that a regular watering schedule is being adhered to and that the plants are less stressed. Studies show that a less stressed plant will deliver a much higher yield so be sure to add a timer to your drip irrigation system and watch as it pays for itself season after season.  Shop drip irrigation timers


Lastly, every Drip Depot kit is...

Durable

Drip Depot kits use only the highest quality parts in every one of our kits to ensure our customers receive many years of repeated use.

Reusable

We use Perma-loc fittings in our kits because they are durable, reusable and reliable. They offer flexibility and ease of assembly making our kits the best in the industry.

Backed by a Lifetime Guarantee

Every kit Drip Depot sells is backed by a lifetime guarantee. We are confident that our kits, including the components within, will provide our customers many years of use.

Expandable

We sell our components individually as well as in kit form. This means that you can add to your drip irrigation system at any time without having to buy new kit. Our components are in stock and ready to ship today, making Drip Depot your reliable source for drip irrigation kits, components and accessories.