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NILES , CALIF

Which way is the right way to place drip tape ?
Going along the main or going along all the secondaries?

Just in case a little kid asks me why that way.

4/3/2016 5:07:10 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

good question, this is the first year i will be using drip-tape, i havent thought about which way to put it yet

4/3/2016 5:33:06 PM

Central NY

Horizontal for sure...they are meant to lay flat...

4/3/2016 7:35:13 PM

East Jordan, MI

I don't think it really matters...but since we bury the secondaries and not the main, it is easier to run them over the secondaries (parallel to the main). You don't want them under the vines because they swell up and are round when they are under pressure which would be restricted if it were under a vine.

4/3/2016 8:20:20 PM

aurora, IL

I am going to run 1/2" emitter tape the same direction as the secondaries. They will be connected to a 3/4" main line with a value that each connect. The water can be advanced with the growth of the plant. I bought my irrigation system from dripworks.com.

4/3/2016 9:00:36 PM

Eganville, Ontario

So you just place them on the vine as the secondaries start to run, Cecil?

It's my first year with drip and was wondering how the vines would sit with the drip tape underneath the vine. I didn't like the feeling.

4/3/2016 9:12:17 PM

Hanson Ma

I run mine the same direction as the secondary's because they are going to get buried. I have never had a problem with the main vine restricting flow.

4/4/2016 5:19:52 AM

Ashland, Ohio

If you run the tape parallel with the secondaries you have vines and tape running in the same direction and you're working in "slots". (more convienant) If you run the tape perpendicular to the secondaries you're working in "squares" (less convienant). ALWAYS put the emitters UP on any drip.

4/5/2016 8:49:54 PM

aurora, IL

drip tape from dripworks.com comes ridged so, it would not matter if the vines are over or under

4/8/2016 1:14:04 PM

East Jordan, MI

Sorry, ive been pretty busy and haven't been on the boards in days...

when you bury the vines the drip tape runs over them with no issues (they are under the ground).

As for running them in parallel with secondaries...
if you do it that way you will be watering a large area that has no plant for a large period of time (the part that is between the header and where the plant is).

If you start with the header behind the plant and run the lines perpendicular to the side vines you only water where you need/want it (a few feet ahead of the plant growth).

As for ease of laying them....
When I lay them out before the plant is established, turning off each line with a valve. I start with them all laying near the header. I roll them up and use a twist tie to keep them in a bundle, with a fold about 4 ft out using a short piece of the drip tape about 3 inches long to slip over the fold to stop the water at that point.

Then when I'm burying vines, I just slide the next tape to the left or right out of the way until the vine is buried, pick it up, lay it back in place across the vine(s) I just buried, and readjust the "end" to the proper length (about 4 ft past the plant). I bury vines daily, or at the most every other day so I never have to adjust more than 3 or 4 tapes per plant per day. It is very efficient -- at least for me...

4/8/2016 5:22:39 PM

Central Illinois

Are you using new tape every year, I try to keep my tape straight even during the off season, I think folding it causes it to break easier

4/9/2016 8:43:04 AM

Eganville, Ontario

Thanks, I think I get it.

That was my layout plan but I wanted to make sure. I'll have to figure out the un-rolling of the lines as I go and the plant grows.

I know all soil is different and emitters as well, but what's your tape spacing that you've found to work best for you?

4/10/2016 10:29:34 PM

Muddy Waters

I lay my drip tape on the ground ahead of the plant.So the vines grow over it.I dont want my vines to get constantly wet from the drip tape emitters.I dont bury my vines completely I just cover the vine at the leaf node.I lost my stump last year due to a drip tape keeping the main vine to wet.So the 1177 Clementz grew with no stump.I also find it easier to not have to pull drip tape through the plant & break leafs & such.Never had a pressure restriction issue.Plus I want to water the root zone ahead of the plant.So laying drip tape ahead of the plant keeps the root system more aggressive.There really is not one way to do most of the things we do as growers.Just need to find the way you like best.We all have different theory's & ideas.Thats what keeps life interesting.My way,Cecils way its all good. Tape direction doest matter I run mine both ways in the patch.Depends on the convenience for running the main lines.

4/11/2016 8:26:54 AM