While a subsurface drip irrigation system can last from twelve to fifteen years, especially if it is maintained well, some of the system’s components may need to be replaced or repaired through the years.
A controller, for example, is subject to UV degradation if it is installed outside. Controllers need to be properly sealed and monitored for any inside moisture that can corrode the system's components. Older controllers (pre-2000) can be difficult to set and have limited choices for how to water, which can make watering inefficient when using these controllers. Since Water Sense Smart Technology controllers are more efficient, we recommend switching to this technology. We offer rebates to help you make that upgrade.
Drip irrigation tubing is also known to degrade when exposed to UV light. According to landscape professionals in the Albuquerque area, you can expect the tubing to last for about ten years if it is buried. If tubing is placed on the surface of the ground, it generally won’t last a decade due to several factors, including exposure to UV light and an increased risk of freezing and splitting.
Emitters have various lifespans. Button emitters tend to clog less but need replacement when that happens. Flag emitters clog more often from mineralization but can be flushed.
Another reason for emitter and drip line failure is damage from humans, dogs, rabbits, ground squirrels and pack rats.
Regular maintenance is the best way to increase the lifespan of an irrigation system. Click here for our free irrigation checklist to help keep your system in tip-top shape.
Author: Richard Perce, Irrigation Efficiency Specialist with the Water Conservation Department for the Water Authority. Research: USGA.org and Colorado Extension Service Have a question about the article?
Albuquerque ranks third, after New Orleans and Houston, among cities with tree loss. Our trees are dying because they aren’t being watered properly or at all. How should we water established and mature trees?
To address this problem a landscape architect and a professional landscaper put together a Tree Watering Irrigation Kit that allows you to water established trees more deeply and consistently.
It’s easy for homeowners to assemble a similar kit that attaches to a hose spigot using the parts below, from left to right.
Startwith a hose bib vacuum breaker, which prevents water from siphoning back into the potable water system. Next in line is a hose water timer that works like a kitchen timer, opening and closing a valve at a pre-set time. Instead of a hose water timer, consider using a WaterSense Smart Controller (a rebate is available for this controller). Attach a female-to-male hose swivel converter to the timer or controller. This converter allows you to pop on a pressure regulator that drops our city’s water pressure down to 30psi, which is the best pressure for a drip system. After the pressure regulator, attach an adapter that connects to the ½” inline dripline. The inline dripline comes with 1gph emitters that are spaced every twelve inches. This allows the water to drip consistently and efficiently directly into the ground, deeply soaking the roots of the tree.
Once you have your system installed, a good rule of thumb is to set up a 45-minute run time. To know how often to water, follow the Seasonal Watering Recommendations .
The end cap (pictured below) is installed at the end of the inline drip tubing. This can be opened to empty the line of water and prevent freezing.
Do you want to learn how to harvest rainwater to support a beautiful, regionally adapted, low -water-use landscape in your yard? A new video series launched in June provides instruction on how to design, install, and maintain residential-scale, passive rainwater harvesting features. In passive water harvesting, rainwater is conveyed directly to a landscaped area and infiltrated in the soil.
Landscapes that incorporate rainwater harvesting and native/drought-tolerant plants require little supplemental irrigation. Rainwater harvesting provides the deep watering that large plants like trees and shrubs need in our hot and dry climate. Capturing and infiltrating rainwater also reduces runoff that carries pollutants to the Rio Grande River.
In this series, you will learn how to construct some of the most common passive rainwater harvesting features in residential applications – basins, swales and soil sponges. The training addresses site selection, sizing basins, grading swales, installing soil sponges for enhanced infiltration and selecting plants. It is presented by four local experts on rainwater harvesting and arid-adapted gardens: Jim Brooks, Tess Houle, Judith Phillips, and Hunter Ten Broeck.
The video series was developed through a collaboration between Bernalillo County, Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Arid LID Coalition, and included the installation of a Rainwater Harvesting Learning Landscape at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House History and Cultural Center. Please visit the Rainwater Harvesting Learning Landscape in person to see an example of a rainwater harvesting feature designed for our arid climate.
Fall can be a great time to plant, especially if you are planting higher elevation and temperate climate plants that are adapted to cooler, more humid growing conditions. In the fall, the soil is still warm enough to encourage roots to develop so watering properly makes a big difference on preparing them to survive in the winter season. What to plant? Most conifers, shade trees, cool season grass and moisture-loving fruit and ornamental trees, such as crabapples, apples and pears, are a great selection for planting in this autumn.
What not to plant this fall? The answer is plants from desert ecosystems like southern New Mexico and the Mediterranean natives. Their newly planted roots are less able to survive our winter cold. The same is true for perennial wildflowers and warm season grasses. These should be planted in the spring through early August. Succulents are another group of plants that thrive after settling into the garden during the warmer part of the growing season, so wait until the spring to plant them.
Knowing what to plant at this time of year will give you that edge you need to grow healthy plants!
Author: Judith Phillips, owner of Design Oasis, landscape designer, and garden writer with 30 years of experience designing arid-adapted and native gardens in the high desert. Photography:Plants of the Southwest. Have a question about the article? AskAnExpert@abcwua.org
This evergreen shrub is a win-win in our high desert gardens. It has a lovely dark green color year-round, and in the fall, it has beautiful yellow blooms to brighten up the garden. There is no pruning needed due to its predictable rounded shape.
