How to Install and Use a Soaker Hose

I love my soaker hoses! They are essential for good watering, enabling me to easily direct the water where it’s needed without any headaches. But you have to know how to use a soaker hose properly to make it an effective option for you.

Let’s talk about setting up your soaker hose system, where it should go, and how often you need to run it for the best coverage. There’s a lot of ground to cover (so to speak), so let’s dive in!

What is a Soaker Hose?

As it would imply from its name, soaker hoses are hoses that soak your plants. Generally made of porous rubber material, these hoses are designed to allow water to ooze into your garden over a period of time. This ensures deep watering instead of shallow surface watering.

Often made of recycled rubber from used tires, the material used is thoroughly sterilized and repurposed into something sustainable.

Unlike other forms of irrigation, a soaker hose seldom will get water directly on the plant, as it doesn’t spray. This is beneficial for most plants, directing the water where it’s needed.

There’s nothing wrong with using a sprinkler, and many people do. But if you have a plant that’s susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew or other fungal diseases that spread rapidly in wet environments, it’s much safer to opt for a soaker hose.

Benefits of Soaker Hoses

As soaker hoses don’t spray, they reduce water usage. There’s no waste involved, as the water goes straight from the hose into the soil. Further, the slow oozing of the hose prevents runoff and erosion in the garden.

I mentioned a moment ago that soaker hoses tend to keep the water off the plant foliage, and that comes with a distinct benefit. Less moisture on the plant means less susceptibility to fungal disease. They also control the soil moisture, which can prevent soil-borne disease too.

Soaker hoses can reduce the spread of weeds. As water is concentrated along the hose, weeds out of range of the moisture pattern will suffer from a lack of water. This can keep weeds at least partially at bay.

There are time savings involved as well. Since you don’t have to fill watering cans or hold a hose sprayer, you can set it and forget it, and your garden will effectively water itself. Even if you don’t have a timer, simply turning on the faucet and coming back later is super easy.

Once you’ve gotten your frequency planned out, watering is simple. It takes a little getting used to, but you can do other things while your garden is being watered!

Soaker Hose Vs. Drip Irrigation

By now, you’re probably wondering what the difference between a drip hose and a soaker hose is.

The term “drip hose” is used for multiple forms of irrigation, all of which begin with a flexible but solid hose. Generally made from plastic, it can be punctured along its length at intervals (causing it to drip), or fitted with specific attachments that direct a drip or spray.

Drip hoses provide a fixed spacing for watering. For instance, if you are growing grapes, you can set up a drip hose to directly hit the root zone for each grapevine, with long spaces of unbroken hose in between the vines.

By contrast, a soaker hose releases water along its entire length, so it provides an even strip of water release. This can be very effective in a home setting and is much more useful if you’ve got a large number of plants in a small location.

Soaker Hose Installation

It’s important to know the various components needed to connect it all together before you install your soaker hose system.

Soaker Hose Components

Other than the soaker hose itself, there are a few other pieces you’ll need to get everything connected up.

First off, you’ll need to decide how the water is traveling from the faucet to the soaker hose. You can use a garden hose extended over to the bed that needs to be connected. Alternatively, build an in-ground network of PVC plumbing pipes to help direct the water.

Assuming that you’ve already figured out how the water will be making it to the beds, you’ll need a tubing adaptor (often included in kits). This is something that screws onto the end of the hose or pipe and causes the flow to narrow down to a size that will fit.

You will also need a series of couplers. Depending on your orientation, you may need tee couplers, corners, or straight pipes.

With a tee fitting, you can make a loop that can be used around a tree or particular plant. It can also be used to create lines that run across a wide bed. Corners direct the water flow around a corner. Straight pipes join two hoses together.

You’ll also need a soaker hose end cap for the open end of the hose. Those who set up ring-shaped soaker hoses won’t use end caps, but if you have a lot of straight hose extensions, you’ll need them.

DIYers also may want a non-porous hose to transport water in their beds to the desired soaker starting location. Be sure to select one that matches the diameter of your soaker hose so that the couplers match.

Faucet End Components

At the faucet end, there are a number of options that may be needed depending on your setup.

It is always good to make sure you have a soaker hose pressure regulator in place. This ensures the water is slowed down before reaching the soaker hose, which prevents tears or bursting hoses.

While many residential water systems already regulate the pressure somewhat, soaker hose water pressure levels vary. Some are only rated for 10 PSI, whereas others can handle a much heavier water flow. If you have a low-pressure soaker hose, definitely use a pressure regulator.

Another option at the faucet end is a water filter. This can be extremely useful if you have hard water that may have mineral deposits in it, as it can keep those deposits from getting into your soaker hose system.

If you plan on installing multiple soaker hoses, a hose splitter added after the pressure regulator is in place can split up your watering pattern into different locations. The splitter enables you to have multiple hoses running from a single faucet.

Layout & Planning

Determining how to install soaker hose systems in your yard really has a few key factors you need to take into consideration.

First, what do you need to water? Are you planning on using soaker hoses in raised beds, or are you looking for flower bed irrigation? Soaker hoses for trees, or a soaker hose for vegetable garden watering purposes? You’ll need to identify where these will need to be placed.

Knowing how long to run the soaker hose distance-wise is important, too. Generally, a soaker hose shouldn’t be over 25 feet in length for the best functionality. While you can get one to work up to 50 feet in length, the second half sees a reduction in water flow from the first half.

Tree soaker hoses can be formed into a loose loop around the base of the tree. If it’s a more mature tree, going out two to three feet from the trunk is a good diameter. Young trees can have it much closer to the trunk, 6-12 inches. Avoid putting it directly against the trunk.

A vegetable garden layout can be done in a loop form if you’ve only got a few plants to encircle. If you have a lot of plants in rows, you may want something a bit more elaborate.

I use both forms as needed. I use loops for just a few plants in large containers, or trees or bushy plants. For neatly ordered rows in my vegetable garden, I make an extended E shape with multiple soaker arms coming off of a non-soaker hose at one side.

Installation

Whether you’re using a kit or DIYing your own system, assembly of your system is fairly simple once designed.

Cut your hose to the lengths it will need to be for your layout. If you’re not looping, cap one end of the hose with a hole plug. Attach the other end to the appropriate connector (or both ends to the tee connector if it’s looped). When assembled, attach it to your water source.

You will need a pair of heavy-duty shears (I found sharp wire cutters worked well too), and occasionally a pair of pliers to help you snug the components together. DIYers may require a few extra tools depending on their setup, so be sure you know everything you need.

How To Use A Soaker Hose

So now that you have this fantastic system, how do you use it all?

How Often Should You Water?

The quick answer to this is that it depends on your system and its layout.

For most gardens, people will want to water about one inch per week. Your soaker hose flow rate should be listed on the roll of hose or kit packaging you purchase. Typically, narrower soaker hoses have a faster flow rate.

If you’re using a narrow soaker hose, it will use less water overall. A larger diameter hose takes more water to fill and ends up using more.

You can do a water test by taking an empty can or small plastic tub and burying it in the soil under your soaker hose. Turn on the hose, and time how long it takes to fill the bottom of the container one inch deep. That’s how long your soaker hose should be run over an average week.

In the summertime, you’ll need to water more often as hot weather will cause evaporation. You might need as much as two inches per week. If you mulch over your soaker hose, you’ll have less moisture loss than you would without the mulch, helping you save more water.

Do You Need A Timer?

Soaker hose timer settings vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and realistically, a high-quality hose timer from any company may be of benefit to you. If you’re planning on going on a vacation for a week, you don’t want your garden to lack water while you’re away.

Splitting up your watering by multiple different valves is an option, especially with more advanced hose timers. You can have your water to one bed run for 30 minutes and shut off, and then water the next bed for the next 30 minutes, depending on your set up.

If you want your system to run while you’re at work, then buy a timer. Similarly, if you’re not a morning person but would like your watering done early in the day, a timer becomes a necessity. It’s certainly worth the money spent.

Non-Plant Uses

Did you know that soaker hoses have uses beyond simply watering your plants?

In many areas of the country, clay-like soil can pull away from the side of the house. This leaves a gap behind which can cause a house’s foundation to shift or crack. In this case, you can use a hose for foundation stability.

Place hoses foundation deep in the ground (at the base of the slab) in cracks that form next to the house. Turn them on for short periods of time to cause the soil to swell back against the foundation, preventing damage to your home.

Be sure that if you are using a soaker hose to protect your foundation, it is thoroughly buried in the soil. Usually, it’ll need to be a few inches deep. By regulating the moisture under your house to ensure it remains consistent, you will reduce the risk of damage to your foundation.

Troubleshooting