How to Make a Micro Drip Irrigation System

Drip irrigation delivers small drops of water directly to the roots of a plant, ensuring that the roots soak up the water. The roots actually get more water this way, leading to healthier plants that bloom more vibrantly or produce more fruit. Conventional watering on top of the soil requires more water because a lot of the water evaporates before it soaks into the soil. Drip irrigation needs less water, because the water drips into the soil right next to the roots underground. You can create your own micro-drip system with a few simple tools.

1-inch thick rubber tubing
Embroidery needle
Rubber stopper
Garden hose
Silicone caulk
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Cut enough rubber tubing to snake through your garden. For instance, if three garden rows are 4 feet long and spaced about 6 inches apart, you'll need 15 feet of tubing. This ensures each row is lined on both sides with tubing with enough to make the turn around the ends of the rows.
- 2
  Poke an embroidery needle into the tube, making a spiral pattern of holes spaced about 1/8 inch apart. Each turn of the spiral should be about ¼ inch from the last. The spacing needn't be perfectly even. Just use these guidelines to eyeball the hole spacing. Have patience; this is the longest part of the process.
- 3
  Run a bead of silicone caulk around the inside of one end of your tubing. Push a rubber stopper cork into the tube. Run a bead of caulk around the outside of the other end of the tube and slip it into one end of a garden hose. Let the caulk cure overnight.
- 4
  Dig a trench snaking through your garden about 5 inches deep and 4 inches from the bases of your plants. Slip the tubing into the trench and cover it with soil. Connect the garden hose to your outdoor spigot. Water your plants on low pressure for about an hour a day.

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