Question about soaker hoses

[erins327]

So I have seen that these soaker hoses are quite popular at my local community garden.
However, if you have water sitting in the hose from the previous time you used it, and then you turn it on the dead of summer, won't the water coming out of the hose be boiling hot? I mean the soaker hose is black?

We use mostly rainwater and hand watering, but when it stops raining around here, I would love to switch to this method. I'm just having difficulty seeing how to get around this problem.

Thanks for any suggestions?

[Marlingardener]

The soaker hose can be covered in mulch. In my limited experience with soaker hoses they are shaded by the plants, since you want the water as close to the root system as possible, and the water is no warmer than what comes out of the tap. (Cold showers are not possible in Texas in mid-summer!).
I prefer watering plants in person so I can detect problems before they increase. However, for large operations, that just isn't possible.

[imafan26]

There isn't that much water in soaker hoses. The water will be as hot as it is coming out of the tap. The little water in the tubing can be steaming hot at first duing the heat of the day. It is best to water early in the morning or early evening when it is cooler. It is better for the plants and you waste 90% of the water to evaporation by watering during the hottest time of the day. That being said, soaker hoses should not be connected directly to faucets and left connected between watering without an antisiphon valve in place to protect the water supply.

Better than soaker hoses are pressure compensating drip tubing or a drip system. It ultimately uses less water than a soaker and waters more evenly. Depending on water pressure, the soaker puts out more water at the beginning than at the end of the run. It costs more to install but they actually can last longer than soaker hoses.

If water pressure is good and the run is short, then garden soakers are inexpensive and work fine. I turn them upside down into the ground so they water the soil not the air or the plant leaves.

[erins327]

Thanks for the advice.

Sometimes I feel lazy and think a soaker hose would be easier. But I agree with you marlingardener, I prefer to hand water myself.

Our other obstacle is our garden is set off from the house about 100'. So I would have to connect it to a 'regular' hose, and drain it every time I used bc that hose in the summer would be boiling hot.

As long as it rains every 2-3 weeks, we use rain water as well and its just easier to hand water that. (Eventho it's fantasy thinking it's going to rain every 2 weeks in the summer!)

[Dillbert]

methinks you can ignore the 'boiling hot' idea.

when that 'hot' water trickles into the 'colder' soil, it'll cool off really right quick.

[imafan26]

I saw someone do something very interesting. they put rainbarrels on high stands near the garden. they filled the rain barrel with water from the hose. the rain barrel was connected to a soaker line. It was an old hose punctured along its' length to act as a soaker.

The other thing I could suggest is to move your tap closer to the garden. You can extend a line out with copper tubing and make a faucet closer to your garden. My dad helped me do this at my house. the house came with 3 faucets on the side of the house. I did not like water dripping so close to the house foundation, so my dad made me three extra faucets in the back yard along the fence and another two in the front yard. One faucet is connected to my garden timer which has a built in anti siphon device.

[ElizabethB]

I use them in my veggie garden. It is not close to the house so when I need to water I just bring the regular hose out and hook it up. I have a timer and set it to go off in the wee hours. During the summer we have "water days". My days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Friday I water morning and evening during the heat of the summer. I had the round black soaker hoses but they were old and cracking so G got me some new ones. These are flat. Much easier to weave through the plants and they don't need to be staked down. They "puff up" when the water is flowing and get flat once the water is turned off. Little water left in the hose. Probably none since it is perferated and the water drips out.

Since G PROMISED to re-do my boxes over next winter I want to install a drip system. Since my boxes will no longer be adjacent to each other that will work better because the solid tubing can be run between the boxes and the drip system only in the boxes. I like the flexablility of the drip system. You can always plug a hole and make a new one to suit your crop. I will still have to bring the regular hose to the garden but honestly it beats trying to hand water in our heat and humidity.

This season I will hand water my small herb bed but next year I will move the soaker hose to the herb bed and probalby expand it in the process.

Any way - I do use soaker hoses and like the flat ones better.

[KeriFord]

It was an old hose punctured along its' length to act as a soaker.
.

THIS might be the answer to my problem.

I have two soakers connected. first hose has a good, steady drip. so good, in fact, that it is flooding the ground while the second hose has barely wet the ground. I'm not using the world flooded lightly either. as in you can hear the water running off.

I accidently bought a new hose when we didn't need one, so swapping the soakers out for a long, old one that's been punctured sounds like the trick!

[imafan26]

For old hoses to work make sure the holes are not too big or you will get gushers instead of a slow perculation. Don't make too many holes in the tubing and see how far it wets before you make more. There will come a point where your water pressure cannot support another hole. It is best to start at the far end and work your way up towards the faucet end. Space the holes far apart you can always add more in between. The gusher at the end will get smaller as you move up. You can also control flow by not turning your faucet all the way on. In the end you want the end hole to still be able to ooze out with your faucet still not turned on full. The holes nearer the faucet should be smaller than the ones on the far end. You can use a needlepoint needle, ice pick or small nail to make the holes.

[KeriFord]

good to know. thanks! I was thinking needle, but a finishing nail might treat my thumbs better on the end, then save the nail for the front.

[gixxerific]

Love soaker hoses myself. Just watch the pressure on them. When I first started using them I was trying 3 in line that WILL NOT work. Can't remember if 2 inline worked or not though. But Now I take my hose to a splitter and run 2 hoses that way and it works great. Almost flooding my ground in a fairly short amount of time.

[ElizabethB]

I run 2 50' flat soaker hoses. More than that results in low pressure and uneven watering.

[imafan26]

How long your hoses can run will depend on the water pressure, the diameter of the hose and if you are running it up hill.

[n8young]

I run a timer, with a T off of it for two zones. One zone is 1 50' soaker hose, the other zone is 4 50' lengths all connected. I have no issues getting even watering throughout my garden. I will add my garden is flat, and the soaker hoses I have are the permeable black rubbery material, that don't have actual holes, they just weep water out. I mulch over all my veggies and soaker hoses. This is season two of using them, and I wouldn't go back to hand watering if you paid me.

As far as boiling water onto your plants....I water daily, at 6 AM, so the water is far from boiling.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Loops are better than dead end runs. Connect both ends of the soaker.

Soaker hose being a open system drains most of the water.

Eric