Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates

I had tried various types of drip in the past and most of them failed in one way or another, either with the plants dying, or the system becoming a mainly non-functional tangle in a year or two. Kourik's easy to read book completely changed that for me, with a simple to install, reliable, and low-maintenance drip system that has kept my garden flourishing. Koirik's approach is based on techniques used by professional growers and concentrates on the goal of providing moisture to the root zone of the planting area. He advocates using emitter hose rather than a tangle of spaghetti and drippers for area plantings, which works out well and is common agricultural practice. He also addresses container and raised bed planting. There are specific product recommendations for diving into a professional irrigation supply house, rather than the consumer-grade (and relatively expensive and unreliable) components typically found at the big box stores. Sometimes you may need to find a similar product (e.g., I now use Perma-Loc fittings rather than the Spin-Loc discussed), but its a great starting point to work with an ag or turf house to get a system going in a weekend. You'll find out why "ET" isn't just a movie and how to get a good idea on setting run times to provide a reasonable amount of water to your plants, based on your climate and a little "evapotranspiration" data from your state or county Cooperative Extension. While some of the suppliers and parts have changed in the 15 years since this was originally published, the concepts are still very valid and very useful. Highly recommended -- I have two new copies sitting on my shelf for gifts when friends ask about how we keep our garden so happy.

I always recommend this book, expecially to people who've recently moved from "back East" to California. I couldn't have set up my drip irrigation system without it, even though I had done some tech-writing work for an agricultural research institute.

This is a very helpful book for the gardener who wants to actually install a drip irrigation herself. The author goes into specifics about how to test your soil so you know how water moves through it and you can calculate how much water you'll need to apply, and he talks (somewhat unsuccessfully for my complete understanding) about transpiration rates for various types of plant, so you can kind of figure out how much water your plants actually use, and he gives a primer in the various components of a drip system. Basically he is teaching plumbing, horticulture, and geology just enough to help a novice design and install a drip system without hiring a pro. The best part, in my opinion, is the fact that in the back of the book there is a form for ordering the components, and it includes the option to purchase a main assembly fully assembled so I don't really need to master all that plumbing skills I might have had to master. This book is certainly worth its price. Be advised, however, I have an older version of this book, so I don't know if the current edition has the wonderful order form.

Concise and to the point, this clearly illustrated book is the definitive work or proper irrigation and an absolute must for any serious gardener.