17 Amazing DIY Drip Irrigation Systems

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The practice of applying small amounts of water and fertilizer over a cross-sectional area of soil is known as drip irrigation. Drip irrigation has some advantages over other types of irrigation system, the way water and fertilizers are delivered to the root eliminating evaporation and drifting.

If you align properly a drip irrigation system, be rest assured that you will in no time achieve uniformity and irrigation efficiency. This will save time, energy and cost while maximizing yield. If you were wondering, there are two major types of drip irrigation systems:

  • Surface drip irrigation system
  • Sub-surface drip Irrigation system

Surface Drip Irrigation System

Surface drip irrigation system is more expensive to maintain and makes use of close emitter spacing (12 inches to 18 inch) within a thin wall buried  2- 6 inches below soil surface. This system requires a dripline that has to be replaced annually. Because of the annual cost of installation and replacing the driplines, surface drip irrigation is suited for high-value crops.

drip irrigation

Read More: How to Clean a Garden Hose?

Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation System (DSI)

Subsurface drip irrigation system is more popular among gardeners because of the low cost of maintenance and practicability. It uses a wider emitter spacing (20-27 inches) and a thicker wall than a surface irrigation system. The drip lines are injected much lower than ordinary surface irrigation system to between 8- 14 inches below the surface of the soil.

If you consider the time it takes to water a large garden, it seems wise to install a drip irrigation system that does all the hard watering labor for you. Gardeners are always faced with the harsh reality of watering their gardens during hot summer months when rain is at its lowest.

Installing a drip irrigation system might be costly at first but the usage and benefits they offer in the long –run make them cheap.  Here are 17 do-it-yourself drip irrigation systems that are efficient and help take out the difficulty of keeping your garden watered.

Amazing DIY Drip Irrigation Systems

Till now, you weren’t aware of the many DIY ideas of drip irrigation systems, but with the following methods below, you are going to be a master on your own of the DIY ideas. Scroll down to read on.

#1. Easy Assemble Outdoor Drip Irrigation System

Outdoor Drip Irrigation System

Alexandra Bandon of This Old House Magazine clearly illustrates how to install a micro-drip irrigation system that can keep your plants, shrubs, and flowerbed watered in no time. If you live in conservative conscious areas where sprinklers are prohibited, you will do yourself and your garden a whole lot of good by following his step by step guide to building the perfect micro-drip irrigation system.

The best part is that this system is very easy to use and handle. It works by utilizing simple connectors to your outdoor faucet/spigot.  It doesn’t take long to set up once you have the right supplies in hand.

#2. Simple Bucket Irrigation System

James S. Koga tells a compelling story of how he came across a short item in Sunset Magazine that illustrates how a simple bucket can be used to feed a drip irrigation system to the garden. It’s an absolutely fantastic piece and must-read for all gardeners struggling with a DIY irrigation system.

You will love this project if you aren’t tech savvy enough to construct a complicated drip system. This system is very easy to construct and will cost little to nothing in supplies and labor. All you need is a couple of gallons, inline drippers, pruning shears, pliers, forceps and a dissecting needle. That’s it!!

#3. Potted Plant Drip Irrigation System

Potted Plant Drip Irrigation System

Irrigation systems for potted plants are easier to construct than those for garden plants. Most potted plants are located close to a water source unless in extreme cases are they far off.  This system comes with an automatic timer that gives you the liberty to set and forget for a few days. This way you won’t get worried about your plants staying hydrated all day.

Depending on how many pots you have lined up, all you will need is a drip irrigation kit. Irrigation kits like this can water between 8-20 pots.

Follow Amy Andrychoicz as she takes you by the hand, illustrating with appropriate pictures how she self-installed a drip irrigation kit to water potted plants.

#4. Bottle Drip Irrigation System

Bottle Drip Irrigation System.jpg

This has to be one of the most innovative ways of applying water drip wise in-between plants. All you need is a large plastic bottle and some inexpensive irrigation supplies. Punch a few holes at the bottom of the plastic bottle and bury it halfway into the ground in-between plants. Fill with water and you are good to go.

See how Henk uses bottles that only take 10 seconds to fill in his garden.

#5. Raised Bed Drip Irrigation System

Raised Bed Drip Irrigation System

There are a thousand and one reasons why you need a raised garden if you are a vegetable gardener.  You know what I mean, those garden types that sit above the ground, resting on a wooden frame. A raised garden can provide you with the platform to experiment on different soil types. It doesn’t matter if your land is sandy or hard-cracked clay.

This step-by-step pictorial example perfectly illustrates how to install a drip irrigation system on your own. The write-up list supplies and all the equipment you need to get things started on solid footing. It doesn’t get easier than this. Jacinda in her informative blog post at prettyprudent.com shows us exactly how it is done.

#6. DIY PVC Drip Irrigation System

PVC pipes and systems offer a cost-effective alternative to expensive irrigation systems. With less than $100 you can get this DIY PVC irrigation system up and running in no time.

#7. DIY Rainwater Drip Irrigation System

DIY Rainwater Drip Irrigation System

Rain barrels are a great way to harvest nature’s natural supply of water. Now what? Why not transform that water barrel into a nice reservoir for feeding your drip-lines with water. Collecting water is the easy part; you have to put that water to use.

Drip irrigation is one of the most efficient methods of watering plants. Combined with gravity and you have a very water-efficient way to irrigate. To do this, you need to align your barrels and pipes in such a way that the force of gravity acts on them.

See how bluebarrelsystems.com takes advantage of the force of gravity to channel water via drip irrigation pipes to potted plants and vegetables.

#8. DIY Drip line Irrigation System

DIY Drip line Irrigation System

MJ on “Home for the Harvest” delivers a stunning article piece on how to install drip irrigation lines on your garden.  He shows how effortless this process can be and illustrates how time-saving and efficient drip irrigation system are. They are easy to install and far easy to use freeing up more time for other profitable chores around your garden.

The best part of his piece is that he offers a free drip irrigation cheat sheet at the end of this how-to article. Grab yours now!

#9. DIY Water Dripper System

DIY Water Dripper System

We have established the fact that delivering water to plants at appropriate times of the day is better achieved by the use of watering systems. Although sprinklers are a popular choice for most gardeners, they more often than not, waste water. To introduce watering systems to your garden, follow the step by step instructions laid out in this article by diy.com

Components: Garden hose, Hose Connectors, Drippers, water timer, Hose stakes, flow control valves, Hose end plugs.

Tools: Hose Punch, retractable Knife

In 7 easy steps, your drip irrigation system can be up and running.

#10. DIY Soaker Drip Irrigation System

DIY Soaker Drip Irrigation System

Soaker hose drip irrigation system can deliver water directly to the roots of your plants in the garden.

Unlike most drip irrigation system discussed above that is suited for potted plants, this soaker drip irrigation system is the perfect choice for outdoor garden plants. It is easy to set up in a few hours and requires inexpensive PVC pipes and equipment.

#11. Cost Effective Drip Irrigation System for those on a Budget

Cost Effective Drip Irrigation System

If you are on a budget and can’t seem to buy major drip kits for gardening purposes, follow this guide on how to install a drip irrigation system with your existing spigot hose.

This guide requires some ingenuity and a couple of fee hours to make it work. You will still need to buy tubing and accessories for this project. Once you are done, it all comes down to throwing some mulch over the area to cover the nose that snakes around your yard.

#12. Step-by-Step Drip Irrigation System Guide

Step-by-Step Drip Irrigation System Guide

With easy to follow steps and colorful images, sprinkler warehouse has a laid down DIY drip irrigation system plan. In comparison to regular sprinkler systems, drip irrigation systems are simple to design, easy to set up and use. They apply water only where it is needed by delivering water in Gallons per hour (GPH).

The guide over at sprinkler warehouse starts by helping users create a plant list, choosing a method to start with, solution for distributing water etc. This has to be one of the most informative guides out there on how to install a drip system in your yard.

#13. Emmy Drip Irrigation System Guide

Emmy Drip Irrigation System Guide

Emmy of “This old house” takes us on a 9 step guide on how to fulfill your DIY drip irrigation system needs. The difficulty level is easy, requires a minimum of 2 hours of your time and starts at $40. Emmy says “the way to beat the heat is with micro-irrigation”.

Nothing could be truer than this, considering the recent heatwaves sweeping across the country. A must read!

#14. Wiki How’s Irrigation System Guide

WikiHow’s Irrigation System Guide

This DIY list won’t be complete without a post from Wikihow, the world’s largest online resource for DIY projects and articles. This guide is an in-depth article about how to install a drip irrigation system covering all areas with related images and video walkthrough.

Pay close attention to the video walkthroughs as they are self-explanatory.

#15. Automatic Drip Irrigation System Installation in the Yard

To take the hassles of watering your yard, carrying hose pipes every now and then and completely lugging the entire area with unnecessary piping, the Handyman illustrates with a guide how to install a network of micro irrigation tubing and low-volume drippers across the entire lawn.

The time-frame for this project = 24 hours

Complexity = Simple/Easy

Cost = $20 – $100

#16. Assembling and Installing your System

Linda of gardenbetty.com takes us on a smooth ride on how to quickly assemble and install a drip irrigation system.  Check out her paid partnership post, it’s one of the most informative resource online about installing a drip irrigation system.

#17. How to Install a Drip-Line Watering System

How to Install a Drip-Line Watering System

Adam Woodhams’s guide to installing a drip-line irrigation system is as informative as it sounds. His method uses drip lines perforated with holes every 300mm along the tube. The holes are fortified with a regulated dripper that automatically releases a set volume of water every hour or so.

This slow watering process is beneficial for plants because it allows for greater penetration to the roots in the soil. A must read.

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