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When your landscape irrigation comes on, do you see small geysers shooting into the air? If you do, you probably need to do some quick repairs. Drip lines connect to the main black poly tubing (either ½” or ¾” tubing) and then branch off to each individual plant.
Leaks develop due to a variety of causes. Pets chewing on the tubing, high pressure (no pressure reducer), even the sun’s UV rays can weaken the tubing (although the tubing may be UV resistant).
Much of the damage is easily repaired. If an animal has bitten through the tubing, cut each end square and install a barbed fitting. These fittings are simply a straight piece of plastic with a barbed end. Just push the drip tube onto the end of the fitting and it stays.
If you have noticed that drip emitters and fittings are being blown from the tubing, that is a good sign that the pressure is too high. Go to the irrigation valve and look for a pressure reducer just after the valve and filter. If there is none present, you might consider installing one to prevent this in the future.
Also, although manufacturers say it is acceptable to leave the drip lines exposed, I prefer to bury them. This also makes animals work a little harder to chew on them.
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