Best Soaker Hose

Searching for the best soaker hose?  Use this data to determine the features and functionality that make up the best soaker hose for your particular application.  Without further adieu, we have compiled a list of the best soaker hoses featuring the most popular soaker hoses and their features.

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What is a soaker hose?

Soaker hoses are normally black in color and made out of recycled rubber materials.  They typically come in varying lengths (25 ft, 50 ft, 75 ft and 100 ft).  Some manufacturers sell soaker hose material in bulk so you can cut custom lengths to use for your specific application.  They are extremely pliable so they can be easily routed through a garden.

How does a soaker hose work?

When you turn on the water a soaker hose looks as though it’s sweating.  It’s a form of a drip irrigation system.  The beauty of soaker hoses is that they are placed throughout the garden and remain static through the growing season.  This means you don’t have to water by hand or move sprinklers around.  Many people put their soaker hose systems on a mechanical or electronic water timer so you can control the amount of water your garden soil or potting soil is getting and determine the best time to use your soaker hoses.

If you want to water your flowers or vegetable garden more effectively, you’ll want to use a soaker hose.  Your only other options are some type of sprinkler system (which isn’t optimum for getting water directly to the roots of your plants) or by hand watering.  Hand watering is fine for small garden plots.  If your flower beds or vegetable garden is larger, hand watering will be time consuming. It will take you away from other garden chores.  Time is precious and using soaker hoses is a great way to water effectively and quickly, and it can save water as well.

The biggest factor in purchasing the best soaker hose for your garden is length.  Measure the area you need to water and determine if one long soaker hose will work for your area or if you’ll need multiple shorter lengths of hose.  Typically, soaker hoses come in 25, 50, and 100 foot lengths.

Best soaker hose accessories to consider buying

Setting up your soaker hose system may require some accessories:

Soaker Hose pressure regulator

Your soaker hose is supposed to “weep” water into the ground.  If you live in an area with high water pressures you may need to use a water pressure regulator to lessen the water pressure to your soaker hose system.  It’s possible that you may damage your soaker hose if the water pressure is too high.

Splitters

Hose splitters make it easy to run multiple soaker hosers from a single main hose. They come in a wide variety of materials and designs. A typical hose splitter allows you to attach two hoses to the main hose. Some splitters allow you to attach more than two hoses.

Mechanical water timers

A mechanical water timer will allow you to control the length of time water is distributed to your soaker hoses.  Many mechanical water timers will allow you to water for up to 120 minutes.

Electronic water timers

Electronic water timers allow you to turn your soaker hoses on and off multiple times per day and for different lengths of time.  This allows you to water in the cool of the morning and evening and adjust run time lengths based on the type of plant that is getting watered.  Electronic water timers come in a wide variety of prices / features.

Maintaining and Storing (winterizing) your soaker hose

It’s worthwhile (particularly in cold winter climates) to store your hoses inside during the winter.  If you choose to leave them outside all winter they probably won’t last as long.  If you leave them outside without draining they may rupture if they get frozen.  Loosely roll up your soaker hoses and store them away to ensure you get the longest life possible.  Soaker hoses that are on top of the ground (rather than buried under mulch) may deteriorate faster from exposure to hot sunlight.  Soaker hoses that are under high water pressures may also wear out faster.

Why use a soaker hose?

There’s certainly nothing wrong with watering small gardens and flower beds with a hose and sprayer.  In fact, watering my flowers can be really relaxing.  Unfortunately, watering your flowers or garden this way isn’t really efficient and chances are you are wasting water as well.  That’s where soaker hoses excel.  You can arrange them in your flower beds or vegetable gardens, put them on a hose timer and water in a more efficient way at times that are optimal (morning and evening).  They will also eliminate issues with getting foliage too wet and having issues like leaf burn from harsh sunlight on wet foliage or other issues that could arise like leaf rot or fungus.

This is going to give you more time to weed, prune, fertilize, and do all of the other activities you need to do to keep your plants healthy and looking great.

Are there disadvantages in using soaker hoses?  There can be when your yard has lots of elevation changes.  If you run a soaker hose up or down a small rise, the water may not weep out evenly along the full length of the hose.  This could result in uneven watering.

How long are soaker hoses?

Typically, soaker hoses come in 25 foot, 50 foot, 75 foot, and 100 foot lengths.  You can also custom size your soaker hose system.  You can get soaker hose material in bulk rolls of 100 foot lengths and 500 foot lengths.  You’ll need to purchase soaker hose fittings if you buy bulk soaker hose.

What are soaker hoses made of?

Many soaker hoses are made out of recycled tires.  If you are an organic gardener this might be something to consider before you use.  There are plenty of articles and discussions about the pros and cons of hose material but I haven’t run across any specific scientific studies that show direct connections between the hose material and effects on the plants you are eating.  You’ll have to depend on the manufacturers description of the hose material.  Most say they are made of recycled rubber or vinyl and since you can’t drink directly out of a soaker hose they normally don’t address that issue.

How to care for your soaker hose

Unless you’ve buried your soaker hoses you should store them in a cool dry place during the winter.  Leaving any hose exposed to the weather and sun all year long will lessen the hose life.  Another thing that will lessen the life of your soaker hose are high water pressures.  Consider using water pressure regulators if you have high water pressures.

Alternatives to soaker hoses

If you don’t think soaker hoses are right for your specific watering application, you might want to consider a drip irrigation system.  There are dozens of systems suitable for applications where soaker hoses might not work.

Best Soaker Hose conclusion

Now that you’ve determined the best best soaker hose or hoses for your particular gardening application and viewed all of the top accessories to effectively set up your hoses, you should be ready to save time and ensure your garden is effectively watered.  We highly recommend planning out your soaker hose irrigation system prior to  making your soaker hose purchase so you have all of the items you need (splitters, timers, water pressure regulators, etc.)  Once you’ve implemented your soaker hose system you’ll be able to spend less time watering and more time enjoying the fruits of your labors..