Advantages

• While drip irrigation systems have been used since ancient times, the invention of plastics gave a boon to the drip irrigation industry by making inexpensive and effective materials widely available.
  
  Drip irrigation leads to greater control over how much water is applied and at what rate. In sandy soils that cannot hold a large volume of water, drip irrigation can be set to a slower rate to limit waste. Drip irrigation can also ensure that all plants in a bed receive the same amount of water for equal growth and maximum plant yield.
  
  

Setup

• A drip irrigation system is simple to set up and easily customizable for any yard landscape. You can slash a hole in the PVC pipe or plastic tubing and insert a plastic device called an emitter. The emitter controls the spray of water and directs it sideways, away from the hose body. You can install as many emitters as your flow of gallons per hour supports. All emitters and tubing sold will display their "drip rate" in gallons per hour. Different weights of emitters have different water control rates, so you can adjust the water level to each type of plant. You can extend a drip irrigation system over acres of agricultural beds or in a home garden plot.
  
  

Layout

• Consider how you will want to lay out the irrigation before you begin. If you want a separate irrigation system for a flower bed and another for vegetables, you will not be able to put both on the same line. If all of your plants require the same daily frequency of water--but with different amounts--you can maintain one drip line and use different styles of emitters for the different plants. The type of tubing you purchase will offer a different water capacity, too: DripWorks estimates the water carrying capacity of their tubing as around 240 gallons per hour for the 1/2 inch tube and the 480 gallons per hour for the 3/4 inch variety. Other manufacturers will have different rates.
  
  To lay out the irrigation, connect one end to a hose. You can attach a timer to the hose for greater control. Next, lay out the tubing along the ground, leaving it slightly slack without too much room. You don't want children or animals tripping on it. Secure the tubing with thin metal stakes, available wherever other irrigation supplies are sold. Attach the emitters as discussed above and turn the system on.