Irrigation and Water Management
Sub-surface Drip Irrigation
ub-surface drip irrigation continues to become an increasingly popular method of
irrigating just about any landscape, from large expanses of
turf to street medians to narrow planting
beds.
Like standard drip irrigation, subsurface drip uses less water, promotes
healthy plant growth, is unaffected by wind
and offers more uniform watering. According to Christine Canepa, senior product
manager for Rain Bird's Landscape Drip
Division, because sub-surface drip irrigation takes place below ground level, it also
eliminates wasteful and sometimes damag-
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20 Landscape and Irrigation January 2013
ing overspray and is virtually unaffected by
evaporation. "All in all, sub-surface drip can
be up to 90 percent more efficient than
overhead irrigation and use 70 percent less
water," said Canepa. "And because watering
takes place underground, people and pets
can continue to use the landscape as it is
being watered, allowing for more activity in
places such as parks or sports fields."
Mike Garcia, owner of Enviroscape LA,
Redondo Beach, Calif., has been installing
sub-surface drip for many years. "Southern
California is basically a desert," said Garcia.
"Our Metropolitan Water District imports
1.5 billion gallons of water each day, and
the cost of that water continues to rise."
Garcia said that those higher water costs
have caused many of his customers to consider sub-surface drip irrigation for the first
time. "Nowadays, people only seem to
spend money when they know they will receive a return on their investment," Garcia
explained. "The benefits of sub-surface drip
make it an easy sell in that respect. It may
require an investment up front, but it will
bring in positive returns for many years."
One hurdle that Garcia initially encountered when selling sub-surface drip irrigation is the issue of root intrusion. In
the past, some contractors installed fertigation units with sub-surface drip systems
and pumped herbicide through it to keep
www.landscapeirrigation.com
Photos provided by Mike Garcia
Installing and maintaining the world's most water-efficient irrigation method
