I haven't done anything with this side of the back yard because we need a new 100' long by 6' tall retaining wall and I will have to drive a bobcat back there to do it. I was sick of waking up and looking outside to this ugly dirt pile as it is the first thing we see out our bedroom slider.

So here are the before and afters! King maxima on the left, Pritchardia on the right, and yucca in the middle.

More shots

Very nice, good green/blue/red/purple/chartreuse contrast!

Are those 1/2" flex pipes without the 1/4" microspray line?

Well done as usual

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok. I'd pull all the mulch away from it and fill in with some gravel or dg or something non-organic.

Are those 1/2" flex pipes without the 1/4" microspray line?

Well done as usual

Thanks Kenny!

The irrigation I use I called Netafim. It is 1/2" drip tube with the emitters built into the line so all you have to do is hook it in. You can get them with different spacing (every 12", 18", 24" etc) and different outputs (.9gph, 2 gph etc). You can bury these lines and the are self cleaning. It is cheaper to do this then to buy the tube,the 1/4" line, the emitters, the emitter holders, etc. IMHO I feel like this system works the best in drip. It mimics rain "DU" (distubration uniformity) and since roots only go where oxygen and water are then it would make sense that using a grid style drip system would make the roots grow farther, and not having a concentration of roots under your one and only dripper, thus allowing the plant to be healthier, and a hole bunch of other cool things. Plus, when you install it like this you can plant anywhere you want without having to run another line. I'm an irrigation nerd

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok.

I was thinking about that Matt, I wasn't planning on planting it there but Steve made me so ill have to block off that section with some black pipe as suggested, thanks.

That looks great Jastin ! personally i would slot in a few Chameadorea radicalis great small palm that takes full sun !

That looks great Jastin ! personally i would slot in a few Chameadorea radicalis great small palm that takes full sun !

Great idea Troy, I'll have to do that since I know my garden is your favorite in Cali

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok. I'd pull all the mulch away from it and fill in with some gravel or dg or something non-organic.

Yucca rostrata is a spectacular plant. It will make a killer contrast to the palms. Although Matt usually has some amazing insight into growing plants I am going to have to disagree with him on this one. Mine is getting a ton of water from drip heads that are a few feet away and it is huge and looks perfect. It has gone from a tiny one gallon to over 6ft tall in 5 years I think they come from an area that gets a lot of summer rain.

Are those 1/2" flex pipes without the 1/4" microspray line?

Well done as usual

Thanks Kenny!

The irrigation I use I called Netafim. It is 1/2" drip tube with the emitters built into the line so all you have to do is hook it in. You can get them with different spacing (every 12", 18", 24" etc) and different outputs (.9gph, 2 gph etc). You can bury these lines and the are self cleaning. It is cheaper to do this then to buy the tube,the 1/4" line, the emitters, the emitter holders, etc. IMHO I feel like this system works the best in drip. It mimics rain "DU" (distubration uniformity) and since roots only go where oxygen and water are then it would make sense that using a grid style drip system would make the roots grow farther, and not having a concentration of roots under your one and only dripper, thus allowing the plant to be healthier, and a hole bunch of other cool things. Plus, when you install it like this you can plant anywhere you want without having to run another line. I'm an irrigation nerd

How are they self cleaning? I've used 1/4" tubing with holes in the past, they ended up clogging up from the hard water.

Looks great, and I agree with Hammer, a little water for the yucca won't hurt it. I have the world's most lethal [expletive]-dagger yucca that gets more water than it's supposed to in clay, to boot.

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok. I'd pull all the mulch away from it and fill in with some gravel or dg or something non-organic.

Yucca rostrata is a spectacular plant. It will make a killer contrast to the palms. Although Matt usually has some amazing insight into growing plants I am going to have to disagree with him on this one. Mine is getting a ton of water from drip heads that are a few feet away and it is huge and looks perfect. It has gone from a tiny one gallon to over 6ft tall in 5 years I think they come from an area that gets a lot of summer rain.

Good to know Aaron, I forgot you had one, yours is killer! If I rot it out I'll just get another one

Are those 1/2" flex pipes without the 1/4" microspray line?

Well done as usual

Thanks Kenny!

The irrigation I use I called Netafim. It is 1/2" drip tube with the emitters built into the line so all you have to do is hook it in. You can get them with different spacing (every 12", 18", 24" etc) and different outputs (.9gph, 2 gph etc). You can bury these lines and the are self cleaning. It is cheaper to do this then to buy the tube,the 1/4" line, the emitters, the emitter holders, etc. IMHO I feel like this system works the best in drip. It mimics rain "DU" (distubration uniformity) and since roots only go where oxygen and water are then it would make sense that using a grid style drip system would make the roots grow farther, and not having a concentration of roots under your one and only dripper, thus allowing the plant to be healthier, and a hole bunch of other cool things. Plus, when you install it like this you can plant anywhere you want without having to run another line. I'm an irrigation nerd

How are they self cleaning? I've used 1/4" tubing with holes in the past, they ended up clogging up from the hard water.

If you go on their website and watch the videos it will show you, they have a maze pattern inside the emitter and a little flapper lets all the larger particles out. To my knowledge netafim is the only one that you can bury and the only one that is self cleaning. Now that doesn't mean that you don't have to have a filter but it helps to keep the stuff out if there is build up

Looks great kemosabe! You must have been eating those chocolate covered snacks for extra energy.

Lookin great, Jastin! Nice status pics and drip explanation and observations..........that type of drip system is something I am seriously considering, for at least portions of the garden here.

Bags' Yucca rostrata is amazing so I stand corrected. I'm growing Yucca rigida (very similar) and it was struggling with irrigation so I planted it out in the desert garden with no irrigation at all and its loving it now. I wonder if Y. rostrata and Y. rigida different regarding water?

Anyone contemplating installing a drip system should totally do what Jastin has done here. That 1/2" line with the built in, self cleaning, pressure compensating emitters, is so easy, and covers dense planting beds perfectly. DIG brand at Home Depot is a good product, and the Netafim brand sold at professional irrigation supply houses is top notch.

Very visually pleasing layout.

What is the tree, a Eucalyptus?

Very visually pleasing layout.

What is the tree, a Eucalyptus?

It is a native here, not sure of the name. the wood that's laying down in the planter was cut off a larger tree. It grows like crazy so I will be either cutting it down later or just keeping it trimmed.

Thanks for the comment as well!

Great work Jastin, looks excellent, Love the Neo fosperior perfection and thats a great looking maxima, all good fun eh. I see your 5 miles from the beach but is that all water behind your property ? Pete

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok.

I was thinking about that Matt, I wasn't planning on planting it there but Steve made me so ill have to block off that section with some black pipe as suggested, thanks.

If Steve told you to jump off a cliff, would you?

Btw, the area looks great. I'm committed to plagiarizing your drip system. I think it makes so much sense. Plus I've seen how robust your palms are as a result. Well done.

so your irrigation lines are not actually buried under the soil right? they are just concealed under a few inches of mulch? this makes adding plants later a lot easier... not having to dig up or dig around buried lines.

Great work Jastin, looks excellent, Love the Neo fosperior perfection and thats a great looking maxima, all good fun eh. I see your 5 miles from the beach but is that all water behind your property ? Pete

You know your Broms Pete! I got that for $5! I have no one behind me as we live on a steep hillm and what you see in the background is the tops of buildings - there is a business area over that way. We have a great view of the snow capped mountains looking over the fence, and if you turn around you can see a slice of the ocean.

Very nice drip coverage, those plants are gonna love it! With one exception, that yucca should be placed in an area that receives no irrigation to look its best. If you just bypass the dripper line with solid black polyline in that area around the Yucca it'll probably be ok.

I was thinking about that Matt, I wasn't planning on planting it there but Steve made me so ill have to block off that section with some black pipe as suggested, thanks.

If Steve told you to jump off a cliff, would you?

Btw, the area looks great. I'm committed to plagiarizing your drip system. I think it makes so much sense. Plus I've seen how robust your palms are as a result. Well done.

Steve and a always talk about weird stuff like "flow", "connection", "contrast", "texture", etc so If he suggests something about garden design that im stumped on I usually take his advice - his place looks great! And it depends on the height of the cliff and if there is deep water by it

so your irrigation lines are not actually buried under the soil right? they are just concealed under a few inches of mulch? this makes adding plants later a lot easier... not having to dig up or dig around buried lines.

Yes, I only bury them under mulch, although some people use these to water their grass, and bury them 6-12" under ground. Its so easy to plant - especially when you have a big planter that you cant figure out all the plants you want in there at once. Ive bought so many little filler plants and all i do is pull the mulch away, find a line which is always within a foot (thats how i spaced them) and since the emitters are spaced at 12" I just run my hand down the tube till I feel a dripper and plop it there. it makes it fun rather then a chore.

The only thing is that its more water, which for me isnt that big of a deal cause my place is small and my soil holds good moisture. if you have a large planter and you run 500' of tubing you will have 500 .9gph emitters (if you bought them at 12" spacing and .9gph) which means youll have about 500 gallons per hour of water in that planter. I use around 20 units (one unit=748 gallons) a month including about 4 from the house. So basically, every time i water (once a week for 99 min) im using about 3,000 gallons of water a week to water my garden.

covering your lines with the mulch definitely helps retain the moisture and thus cuts down on your bill. i just got a notice from the city saying they are raising the water rates 20% over the next 5 years. unless i plant the crap out of my garden and have a palm or plant every 12 inches (velezed), it might not make as much sense to be using that much water. OR, instead of running the lines only a foot apart, space them out a lil more? if only we got more natural rainwater and didnt have such considerations...

Very visually pleasing layout.

What is the tree, a Eucalyptus?

It is a native here, not sure of the name. the wood that's laying down in the planter was cut off a larger tree. It grows like crazy so I will be either cutting it down later or just keeping it trimmed.

Thanks for the comment as well!

It might be Chilopsis linearis the Desert Willow, or maybe some other kind of Willow. Just a guess though.

covering your lines with the mulch definitely helps retain the moisture and thus cuts down on your bill. i just got a notice from the city saying they are raising the water rates 20% over the next 5 years. unless i plant the crap out of my garden and have a palm or plant every 12 inches (velezed), it might not make as much sense to be using that much water. OR, instead of running the lines only a foot apart, space them out a lil more? if only we got more natural rainwater and didnt have such considerations...

Some tips that might help you save water:

I've found that using the line that has the 1 gph emitters spaced every 18" apart, and then spacing those lines at 18" apart (an 18" x 18" grid as opposed to Jastin's 12" x 12" grid) is sufficient to evenly wet the ground. I use this spacing in my vegetable garden and it works even with small, less deep rooting plants like strawberries, etc.

For a xeric garden area I use the same prespaced line, 1gph emitters spaced every 18" apart, and I have that line at about 4 feet spacing apart. This creates dry zones in between the lines where I can plant cactus and stuff like that and I can put the cycads and things that want occasional irrigation closer to the lines.

besides not knowing exactly how much water you would be using (gph) or possible clogs, would there be any harm in running solid polyline and just poking small holes in it at various intervals (whatever suits your needs) and running this for perhaps shorter time intervals?

Don't do that, you won't like the results. Water will spray all over the place, even with a low pressure system. Just take the simple extra step and shove a button emitter in the hole you just poked. They are cheap and easy.

You need to be careful and distingusih between Yucca rostrata (soft blue look) and Yucca rigida (similar blue look but more rigid and perhaps a bit longer leaflets). I have found Yucca rostrata to be sensitive to too much water. Their roots start to rot. I have Yucca rigida that get a lot of water and they are growing like rockets and they are right next to tropical palms. So the plants in my hands look similar but have very different water tolerances. This of course has affected where I place them in the landscape. By the way adding these Yuccas with the blue look is an amazing way to set off your palms as they are stunning plants. Not used nearly enough by those in Mediteranean climates.

Patrick

Thanks for that info Patrick. I've been searching for water requirement differences between these two and couldn't really find anything other than that they are both listed as "drought tolerant". But to add more confusion, your account is different than both Aaron's and mine. His Y. rostrata takes a lot of water and is jamming, and my Y. rigida had trouble with the water. Hmmmm. I guess as usual it comes down to other factors, not the least of which is probably soil drainage.

To complicate matters further I have talked to growers who speak of hybrid seed existing out there. I think we would need to get together and compare plants to make sure we are making a solid ID on the right plant. What is clear is that there are two plants with clearly different watering needs. I should show you three that I have planted in a bed that are about four feet from a sprinkler head that used to be an area of lawn. They seem to be loving getting that much water. A grower up in Valley Center had these in five gallons and I bought twelve of them about half with multiple heads emerging. These are remarkable when they get bigger. The blue really sets off other plants.

patrick

One more try with this. With Yucca rigida take your hand and put it several inches away from the tip of a leaflet. Then move it toward the tip of the sharp leaflet. If it feels like it is going to puncture your skin it is rigida. If is slightly pokes your hand and then flexes it is rostrata. Also rostrata has a more flat and twisted plane for the leaflet (Like a Jubaea frond). Rigida has a bowed shape to the leaflet which is what provides the stiffness and straightness. There are a lot of bum ID's on these two and there are natural hybrids for the two.

Now some images first rigida:

Now rostrata:

Thanks Patrick. I definitely have rostrata. it bends when I push the leaf. From what I can remember Aaron has rostrata. I dont remember his leafs being that thick. I guess I will find out if its getting too much water!

Matt, I do the 12" spacing mostly because I know for sure that there is water to every point, I dont want any areas dry for the stuff that I plant in a 12" spacing area. I would use 18" on hills. It might be a little over kill but the plants dont seem to mind it at all.

I surprised that 18" spacing fully wets the ground, especially with your soil. Could it be because some of your soil is shallow?

Hi Jastin

when i was planning my irrigation i saw that exact same drip line for sale and i remember at the time disregarding iot because i thought that the holes in the pipe would clog up easily causing problems where i can't se them . Maybe i was wrong !

Jastin,

Depending on the slope and the amount of mulch, the 18" spacing doesn't always wet the entire surface of the ground. From above it'll look like wet patches, but below grade, I'd estimate no deeper than maybe 6"-12", the saturation zones all converge and the ground becomes evenly wet. Who cares if the surface of your soil is wet? The roots are below the ground.

Are those 1/2" flex pipes without the 1/4" microspray line?

Well done as usual

Thanks Kenny!

The irrigation I use I called Netafim. It is 1/2" drip tube with the emitters built into the line so all you have to do is hook it in. You can get them with different spacing (every 12", 18", 24" etc) and different outputs (.9gph, 2 gph etc). You can bury these lines and the are self cleaning. It is cheaper to do this then to buy the tube,the 1/4" line, the emitters, the emitter holders, etc. IMHO I feel like this system works the best in drip. It mimics rain "DU" (distubration uniformity) and since roots only go where oxygen and water are then it would make sense that using a grid style drip system would make the roots grow farther, and not having a concentration of roots under your one and only dripper, thus allowing the plant to be healthier, and a hole bunch of other cool things. Plus, when you install it like this you can plant anywhere you want without having to run another line. I'm an irrigation nerd

How are they self cleaning? I've used 1/4" tubing with holes in the past, they ended up clogging up from the hard water.

If you go on their website and watch the videos it will show you, they have a maze pattern inside the emitter and a little flapper lets all the larger particles out. To my knowledge netafim is the only one that you can bury and the only one that is self cleaning. Now that doesn't mean that you don't have to have a filter but it helps to keep the stuff out if there is build up

Having read materials, it does not appear to "self flush chemical precipitation" which includes hardness, but rather it filters sand/dirt particles. So I expect hard water can be an issue if the mg/Ca are high enough. For this perspective I would rather replace a surface dripper -which I can see has failed visually- than dig up my drip line to see if it is still delivering. I understand the literature to claim a robustness against particles that may be sucked into the system -as can happen in buried emitters when siphon action occurs after shutoff- but I do not see a claim that it is self cleaning with respect to precipitated scale or hardness. Often the hardness causes drippers to plug at the outlet aperture by precipitation after evaporation. Many above ground button dripper do very well against hardness precipitation.