Author: Drip Depot Staff
Deciding on the number of drippers to use is part science, part math, and part judgment call (some might call this a guess). Remember that you must wet at least 60% of the plant's root zone. When unsure of the number of drippers or TOP outlets needed, always use more.
You must find the proper balance based on the formula and actual site conditions. You also need to be aware of the number of drippers or TOP outlets to use, If you have a single 4 GPH dripper or one TOP 3.3 GPH outlet watering a plant, and it plugs and stops working, what will happen to your plant? On the other hand, if you have four 1 GPH drippers or four TOP 1 GPH outlets the plant has a better chance to survive.
Formula #2
- Formula to determine the number of drippers to be used per plant|
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Square foot of plant zone area | = Number of drippers per plant |
| Square foot of dripper wetted area |
Example: Our plant root zone area is 78.5 sq.ft. If we have sandy soil we can see from Table A4 that we can expect 7-13 sq. ft of wetted area from a 1 GPH dripper. Let's stay on the conservative side and use 10 sq. ft. of wetted area. The number of drippers per # 2 formula for the 10 ft tree is 7.8 -1 GPH drippers. Let's round it to 8 drippers. The last step is to use formula # 3 to determine how long we turn the water on each day.
Example
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78.5 Sq Ft | = 7.8 Drippers |
| 10 Sq ft with 1 GPH dripper |
Determining system run time per day
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Plant Watering Requirements (GDP) | = Run Time Per Day |
| Flow Rate x Number of Drippers Per Plant |
Example
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12 Gallons Per Day (12 GDP) | = 1.5 Hours Per Day |
| 1 GPH x 8 Drippers |
Example: If the tree needs 12 gallon per day ( plant water requirement from formula # 1) divided by the number of drippers ( from formula # 2) x the drippers flow rate, and you get a run time of 1.5 hours every day, or 3 hours every two days.
Conclusion: We will turn the water on for 1.5 hours every day using 8 drippers at a flow rate of 1 gallon per hour.
Chart B: Recommended number of drippers per plant and spacings
| Type of plants | Number of drippers and spacing |
| Flowers | One dripper {.5 gph} in clay soil, spaced every 16"- 20". One dripper {1 gph} in loamy & sandy soil spaced every 12" to 16" |
| Vegetables | One dripper {.5 gph} in clay soil, spaced every 18". One dripper {1 gph} in loamy & sandy soil spaced every 12" to 16" or See drip soaker line |
| Small shrubs and roses (up to 2' high) | One dripper {1 gph} per plant in clay soil. One to two {1 gph }drippers in loamy & sandy soil, spaced 12" to 16" |
| Medium shrubs and small trees (2' to 4' high) | Two drippers 1 gph per plant in clay soil spaced 8" from center. Two {2 gph} spaced 10"-12" from center or 3 (1gph) drippers in loamy & sandy soil, spaced 12" to 16" apart |
| Medium shrubs and small trees (4' to 6' high) | Six drippers .5 gph in clay soil spaced 20"-24" apart in a loop around the tree. Two to three {2 gph} in loamy soil spaced 16"-18" apart in a loop around the tree or 4 {1gph} drippers in sandy soil, spaced 12" to 16" apart in a loop around the tree. |
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Chart B1: Recommended number of drippers and micro sprinklers per plant spacings
| Type of plants | Dripper and micro sprinklers spacing |
| Large trees (6' and up ) | Five drippers (2 gph ) per plant in clay soil spaced 20" to 24" around the tree. Five (2 gph) drippers in loamy & sandy soil, spaced around the tree 12" 18" apart or one mini sprinkler model 8809-1B (# 94 ) near the base |
| Ground cover | Select micro sprinklers or micro sprayers depending on the area you wish to cover (see chart A for spacing).For narrow areas up to 2' wide, space drippers {1 gph} in clay soil 18" apart. In loamy & sandy soil, space drippers {2gph} 12" apart. |
| Greenhouses (germination) | Mini sprinkler model 8809-1B (# 94) spaced every 4'-5' or mister model 7750B(#43) every 3', placed 8" above the plants in rectangular pattern |
| Greenhouses & nurseries (cooling) | Mister model 7750B(# 43), or fogger model 8810BB and 8825BB(# 98, 99) spaced 3' to 5', six to eight feet above the ground |
| Hanging baskets and boxes (1 gallon to 25 gallons) | One dripper 1 gph for up to 5 gallon plants, Two .5 gph drippers for 5 to 10 gallon plants. One sprayer model 7750B {# 43} or 7790B {# 46} installd up side down mounted on a spike for up to 25 gallon sized plants |
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