I know the main benefit of watering with a soaker hose is that the water goes right to the plants’ roots where it is needed, but how do you know exactly how much water you are applying since you can’t really see the water being delivered?

Environmentally conscious gardeners love soaker hoses. Many of today’s soaker hoses are made from recycled car tires and are a great way to supply plants with a slow, deep, uniform watering with little runoff or waste.

Soaker hoses wet an area 1 to 3 feet wide along their length, depending on soil types. If your soil is heavy in clay, hoses should be spaced 2-3 feet apart for even coverage; loam soils 1-2 feet apart; and sandy soils 1 foot apart.

Hose length should not exceed 100 feet. However, multiple lengths of 100 feet (up to 6) may be split off a main feeder hose and run simultaneously. Under normal house water pressure, a 1/2 inch soaker hose will deliver about 1 gallon per minute per 100 feet of hose, which is equivalent to 1/2 inch of moisture in 100 minutes (per 100 feet of soaker hose).