Drip tape can be installed easily either above or below ground. It is designed for use in vegetable gardens, narrow rows of vegetation, and for row crops. Most often, a vegetable garden or vegetable crops are planted in parallel rows. This makes the layout of a drip tape very easy.
To successfully use drip tape for seed germination, the soil type, the drip tape outlet spacing, and the depth and spacing between the drip tape laterals should be determined first. The drip tape must be close enough to the surface and the drip outlets must be in close enough spacing to germinate the seeds. For example, drip tape 4 to 5 inches deep was successfully used to germinate onion seeds in silt loam soil, while drip tape with 12 inch spacing failed to uniformly germinate the same crop.
When using a drip tape system, the right amount of water must be applied. If more water is applied than the plants need, most of the benefits that the drip tape system provides will be negated. The soil will be excessively wet, promoting disease, weed growth, and nitrate leaching.
Option one for large coils: Mount the drip tape spool on a stand at the end of the row, tie the stand to the ground and pull the drip tape close to the ground.
Step 1: Install a drip zone or control valve that includes remote control valve or battery operated controller, filter, pressure regulator, and pipe adapter to PVC or poly tubing. We highly recommend using a 10 to 15 PSI pressure regulator.
Step 2: Lay out the main lateral or supply line, PVC pipe, or poly tubing perpendicular to the rows.
Step 3: Place the drip tape at the layout or spacing selected (see the two options suggested above).
Spacing suggestions: Lay out the drip tape at the center of the vegetable row with one line per row, or one line between every two rows if the bed is less than 2' wide.