Drip Irrigation for Container Gardens in NYC

NYC is home to many container garden on rooftops, terraces, and backyards. Drip irrigation is very important for a container garden in NYC. Plantings can be watered automatically at the right time of day. Pots and planters on a terrace are designed to let water pass through and pots and can quickly become dry without drip irrigation. A drip irrigation systems for a container garden includes a professional timer, manifold, mainline, blanc line, drip line, and a rain sensor. With the proper set up your plants should do great!

What is Drip Irrigation for Container Gardening?

Timer – An irrigation timer is the brain of the system, allowing your container garden to flourish. Low voltage signal wires run from the timer to the valves allowing them to open and close. At Metropolitan Garden Design, we only use professional-grade timers for our irrigation projects. Cheap hose-end timers from big-box stores aren’t reliable enough for our gardens. A high-quality irrigation timer makes garden maintenance much easier. These timers can be set to water your garden at specific times and for desired durations. In the peak heat of summer, we typically set the timer to water container plantings twice a day, while in milder temperatures, we schedule it to water once in the morning. Timers can also be programmed to water only a few days per week when the weather is more temperate. We recommend using professional battery-powered timers because they operate independently of electricity and are less prone to failure. While electrical timers are also an option, they rely on a steady power supply to function properly. Smart WiFi-connected timers are also a great choice as they can be programmed via your smartphone and adapt to changing weather conditions.

Manifold– The manifold includes valves, a check valve, and a pressure-regulating filter. Valves are connected to the timer and with a low voltage signal they open and close. When the valves open, water flows to mainliene. Check valves and back flow preventer safety features which prevents water from going back into the building. The pressure-regulating filter ensures that water flows cleanly through the system and reduces pressure for the drip irrigation. Drip systems require lower water pressure around 30 PSI to function well. With too much pressure fittings may pop off. Too little pressure will prevent water from flowing properly through the drip line.

Mainline – The mainline tubing is a half inch tube that runs along the perimeter of your garden. This connects to the manifold and carries water throughout the system. The tubing can sometimes be hidden under pavers for a more discreet setup, and it is capped at the end to build pressure inside.

Blank Line – The blank line is a quarter inch tubing that taps into the mainline and delivers water to your planter boxes or pots. This flexible tubing can be hidden behind the container that you're planting in.

Drip Line – The drip line connects to the blank tubing inside your pots and directly distributes water to the root ball. The drip tubing used for container gardens features emitters spaced 6 inches apart. The line is typically wrapped around the root ball multiple times, depending on the size of the plant. Using high-quality drip line is worth the investment to minimize the chances of clogging. It's also important not to bury the drip line in potting soil, though it’s fine to cover it lightly with mulch.

Rain Sensor – A rain sensor is a small device that signals the timer to delay watering when it detects rain. The sensor contains ceramic discs that expand and contract when wet, prompting the timer to pause watering. Once the sensor dries, the timer resumes its regular watering schedule.

Feel free to reach out to Metropolitan Garden Design if you have any questions about drip irrigation for your container garden in NYC.