Hello everyone,
I'm in the process of landscaping my side yard and I'm including 4-10 hydrangeas. My question is how important is a drip line? We already have a sprinkler system which will do the watering but was wondering if I need a drip line for the hydrangeas.
Thanks.
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luis_pr
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 824
- Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
- Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a
The drip line is needed if you want to reduce the amount of water being used or if you determine that sprinkler use will result in fungal issues (powdery mildew).
A drip irrigation, a sprinkler or even a soaker hose -with a timer- can all do the job you describe. But here in Texas, drip irrigation alone will still result in lots of wilting during the worst part of the summer, specifically when the temperatures are well above 100 daily. This is usually due to the temps but also plant and root growth that the drip does not "cover". A dual use zone would be great at times like this (who wants to go out and mess with the drip when it is hot) but this is expensive and redundant. Other solutions are: water manually, try drilling additional holes in the drip tubing or even add more drip tubes.
I have drip irrigation only zones that supply water to the hydrangeas and most of my shrubs but during the worst of the summer the drip needs some assistance. Once every few days, I have to manually water because the plants are still wilted in the mornings. Azaleas and rhodies are the ones who suffer the most. Hydrangeas are next. It probably would have been nice if I had set up a dual system that could be switched from drip to sprinkler but oh welllllll. I will do that when I win the lottery.
So, if you ever see me watering shrubs at 10pm when the temperatures go down to the lower 100s, you now know why I am doing it!
A drip irrigation, a sprinkler or even a soaker hose -with a timer- can all do the job you describe. But here in Texas, drip irrigation alone will still result in lots of wilting during the worst part of the summer, specifically when the temperatures are well above 100 daily. This is usually due to the temps but also plant and root growth that the drip does not "cover". A dual use zone would be great at times like this (who wants to go out and mess with the drip when it is hot) but this is expensive and redundant. Other solutions are: water manually, try drilling additional holes in the drip tubing or even add more drip tubes.
I have drip irrigation only zones that supply water to the hydrangeas and most of my shrubs but during the worst of the summer the drip needs some assistance. Once every few days, I have to manually water because the plants are still wilted in the mornings. Azaleas and rhodies are the ones who suffer the most. Hydrangeas are next. It probably would have been nice if I had set up a dual system that could be switched from drip to sprinkler but oh welllllll. I will do that when I win the lottery.
So, if you ever see me watering shrubs at 10pm when the temperatures go down to the lower 100s, you now know why I am doing it!
