Irrigation for your garden

Drip tape irrigation makes watering so easy

In the past few days, several people have asked me about irrigation for dahlias. Yes, dahlias benefit from more water than the rain you can depend on here in southern New Hampshire. Yes, more water definitely results in more flowers.

I use drip tape irrigation for several reasons. Drip irrigation conserves water and is more efficient at getting water to the root zone. It reduces the risk of powdery mildew. It does not cause soil splashing up onto the leaves which can lead to fungal diseases like dahlia smut (caused by Entyloma dahliae), and bacterial diseases like crown gall (caused by Rhizobium radiobacter) and leafy gall (caused by Rhodococcus fascians).

Also, I'm lazy. I don't like carrying heavy watering cans, I don't like dragging heavy hoses around, I don't like standing around watering, and I don't like setting up sprinklers. My drip tape is on a timer, so I just go out, twist the timer, and go on about my day while my dahlias get watered. I never even have to remember to turn off the hose. Yay!

I have a drip irrigation kit from Johnny's, but similar kits are available from Drip Works and Drip Depot (and probably Amazon). The kits come with everything you need. It is a bit of a puzzle to put it together the first time, but think how much your back will thank you. You can use the same kit year after year.

Here are some useful links:

Drip Depot Irrigation Kit

• Johnny's Drip Kit

  • https://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-supplies/watering-and-irrigation/drip-irrigation/johnnys-drip-irrigation-kit-500-6981.html

• Drip Depot Drip Kit

  • https://www.dripdepot.com/drip-irrigation-kit-for-raised-bed-gardening-kit-size-basic

• Drip Works Drip Kit

  • https://www.dripworks.com/garden-bed-irrigation-kit-small

• Amazon Orbit Hose Timer

  • https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62034-Mechanical-Watering-Timer/dp/B006FLGHGE/ref=sr_1_8?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oXQWxAHHQlWl57KiiRHH_CIcuJynFzqxCxQGsZhAzmF3WPS8IFnPaJHxgWxycPzmVDzJor-W8h9Z3EuvAL8mfRPvMQhXhLQWu00-c39NtMkyGrNZHfOvV29k683ybDOSiODP3JQ54wSbzY_XVp9PD830KktR87IcFzmMgGX3KxjIlbberujRQT36NfQhc1fTKAywtNFe4FDSSd8Jx1c8qDH0r0zeayswmHd-neUNqL8QkVA4PatL4SvwEspqkhJIMp9GeTJ1LPZXX4rJRxzusL9CxmHAzBzIRjEthEVatQ0.QCBZ1Rq5FHbehA-Em75nrtKIy7P1X-SNpzDpjf6tZD8&dib_tag=se&keywords=hose%2Btimer&qid=1779362686&sr=8-8&th=1

My planting beds are 4 feet wide. I run 4 lines of tape per bed. I plant my dahlias 12 inches apart down the bed and 2 dahlias across the bed, but I cut heavily from my plants. If you are not cutting as heavily, 18 inch spacing down the bed would be better. I use the closer spacing to help keep the dahlias from flopping over onto the ground, suppress weeds, and fit more plants into my space. I also use Hortonova netting to support them instead of staking individual plants because I have so many plants. Staking is better if you only have a few, and corralling with twine is probably the best method, but I'm lazy (I may have mentioned that) and I don't like pounding T-posts into my rocky NH soil.

If you feel like your dahlias should be producing more flowers, provide deep watering 2-3 times per week and see how many more blooms you get. If you want more dahlias in your life, we still have some tubers left in our online dahlia tuber shop. Now is the time to plant. Happy gardening.