It was a dry summer of drought conditions, and drip tape saved my eggplant, tomato and pepper crop. Let me rephrase that. It saved my colleague’s crops, which he planted in 30-yd. long rows. And while COVID made working together a bit tough, the tape made watering the crop easy and accessible to anyone.

As a newbie to drip tape, this is how I see it working in the garden:

What Is Drip Tape?

Drip tape is flat plastic tubing that attaches to a spigot or hose and slowly emit water along planting rows. With emitters or holes in the tape every 12 inches, water soaks into the ground and into the root zone, exactly where the plants need the water. Why waste water by getting leaves wet with overhead watering? Depending on the sturdiness of the tape you can even bury it up to about 6 inches, which is exactly where your plants need it. Using connectors coming off the main line of tubing, you can set up many tapes to water several rows of crops. A drip tape kit contains all the values, couplings, starts and ends you need to begin the irrigation process. Use multiple kits to extend the system’s reach.

How Should I Use Drip Tape?

You can determine a drip tape’s flow rate using formulas found on the product’s website. With flow rate in hand, you can easily determine how long your drip tape system should be turned on for to sufficiently water your crop. You can either turn the faucet on manually (maybe do a little work in the garden while it’s on) or set your system on an automatic timer.

Benefits

• Reduces wasted water
• Helps control weeds by watering only your crop plants
• Less water on foliage will reduce pest and disease stress

Drawbacks

• Some thicker foam irrigation tapes contain elements that attract rodents, which chew on the tape
• Some foam tapes may contain chemicals that leach into the soil, which is not a good thing for a vegetable patch. Research the tapes you are considering purchasing to avoid pest and leaching issues.
• Drip tape needs flushing to clear out debris and mineral buildup.

So why am I writing about my colleague’s crops like they were my own? Well, because he went on paternity leave just as his crops were coming in, and I became the lucky beneficiary – and with very little watering effort even during a drought, thanks to drip tape irrigation!