Eight Irrigation Tips For The Perfect Garden Hose

A garden hose is a garden hose, right? Wrong! Lawn irrigation and gardening requires you have a good water hose and you don't want to just grab the first one you see at the store. Instead, take into consideration a few things about your specific needs and the ease of use and durability of the water hose before you buy.

Cheap garden hoses are hard to handle, kink easily, simply refuse to coil and are certain to leak after only a short period of use. You may be able to use the hose for one or two seasons of lawn irrigation, but it won't hold up for years. It is far better to invest in a quality garden hose that will last and last with proper care.

First, consider the length that is right for you before choosing a garden hose. You can easily find hoses in lengths from 25 feet to over 100 feet. Determine the length from the water spigot to the farthest area to which you regularly apply lawn irrigation with a garden hose. That should be the length you select. If you require a longer hose only on rare occasions, you can purchase a second short hose which can be coupled to your primary garden hose for those rare occasions when you need to reach the farthest corner of your properly.

Consider the best diameter for your garden hose. The larger the diameter, the more water the hose will deliver in the same period of time. Sizes from 3/8 inch to one inch are commonly available. Most home landscape enthusiasts find the 5/8 inch size to be the best for their gardening needs.

The material from which your garden hose is produced makes a big difference as well. Rubber, vinyl and PVC are commonly used in hoses. Quality lawn irrigation equipment uses a number of layers of reinforcement made from nylon or rayon between layers of rubber, vinyl or PVC to make the garden hose as strong as possible. PVC garden hoses weigh less than those of other materials, which can be a big advantage if you require a long hose which must be moved frequently. PVC which is reinforced with rubber combines light weight with more durability.

Garden hose fittings are also very important to the life-span of lawn irrigation equipment. Fittings and couplings should be made of thick brass with hexagonal swivels rather than round swivels. A quality garden hose also has a protective collar below the coupling to prevent kinks at the coupling or spigot connection.

If you like to take a drink from your garden hose, you want to select one that is marked "potable". This means that the water coming through the hose will taste like tap water rather than rubber. This isn't necessarily better for watering; it is only a point to consider if you do like to stop for a drink from the garden hose or if you children like to grab the hose for a drink.

You may also want to buy garden hoses which are made for special lawn irrigation purposes such as soaker hoses. These have small holes allowing water to seep out slowly to soak the soil and are meant to be left in place for hours or days at a time. Use the same quality considerations when buying specialty lawn irrigation hoses as for your primary garden hose.

After you purchase a garden hose, you must care for it properly or even the finest product will not last for years to come. After turning off the water spigot, allow your garden hose to drain all the water out. When you are not using your garden hose, coil it up neatly or use a hose stand which has a coiler to roll the hose without kinks. When you store your lawn irrigation equipment at season's end, place it where it will not be exposed to freezing temperatures.

Use these helpful guidelines when buying a garden hose or lawn irrigation hoses. This way your investment will pay off with years of use before you must replace your watering equipment

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