I installed my irrigation system about 7-8 years ago, and with water prices skyrocketing, I'm looking to cut back on costs. I've been using drip emitters for all my plants, which have been thriving. Now I'm wondering if it's time to remove or reduce the number of drip emitters. My trees are more established now, so could I take their emitters off? What about the grasses that need watering after division, and the shrubs? I also wish I'd installed shutoff valves for different planting areas, but that's something I can consider retrofitting.
2 Answers
If you have a lot of emitters running, it can add up quickly in water usage. For instance, having 360 emitters at 2gph can total about 700 gallons an hour! If you can reduce the days you run the system, it might save you some cash. Just be careful not to randomly plug emitters; monitor how your plants respond first.
As a general rule, you shouldn't remove the emitters during the first year since plants are primarily focused on establishing their roots. By the second year, you should see some new leaf growth, and by the third year, if everything has gone well and the plants are native to your area, you can likely remove the emitters. Just make sure your plants aren't varieties that need a lot of water, like Hydrangeas. It sounds like things are going well for you!
That’s great to hear! If you're able to plug some emitters, it sounds like you'll save quite a bit on your bill. Just keep an eye on the grasses, especially when you divide them—they might need some extra care when re-establishing.
That’s solid advice! I currently run mine about three times a week for an hour, so I might try cutting back to see how that impacts water usage before making any drastic changes.