• Save water by trading in watering cans and sprinklers for trickle hoses.watering can image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
  
  Plants are 75 to 90 percent water, so soils clearly need adequate moisture for healthy crops. But when you irrigate you're not actually watering plants. You are "depositing" water into the soil's water bank so individual plants can "make withdrawals" as needed. Using trickle or drip irrigation systems allows you to deposit water much more efficiently, by more frequently applying smaller amounts. Trickle and soaker hose options offer the benefits of drip irrigation systems with much greater portability.
  
  

Soaker Hose

• Lightweight and easy to use, the fibrous black soaker hoses are green too: most are made largely from recycled rubber tires, sometimes blended with recycled plastic. Water seeps out through tiny holes along the hose's entire length. Because water is delivered just at the soil's surface, little water is lost to evaporation, runoff or wind. Weed growth is also greatly reduced, because water is delivered just where it's needed--near the roots of desired plants only, instead of to surrounding areas. However, soaker hoses can become water fountains and chew toys for ground squirrels, rats and other pests. Another drawback is that the tiny seep holes can become clogged by soil particles, sand, algae or minerals from hard water.
  
  

Sprinkler Hose

• Recycled black rubber sprinkler hoses offer a variation on soaker hoses, with larger holes that allow water to spray gently up and outward. Another version, made of green plastic, has a white stripe on one side so it's obvious which side goes up. Simply turning it over turns it into a faster soaker hose, essentially.
  
  

Trickle Tape

• Beyond plastic soaker or sprinkler hoses, the other main type of trickle hose is the trickle tape or drip tape. Commercial growers commonly use trickle tape; evenly spaced holes can range from 8 to 24 inches apart. Designed to be effective at lengths greater than 200 feet, trickle tape can still be a good choice for backyard vegetable gardens. Soaker hoses clog easily from soil particles and impurities from hard water, but trickle tape has larger holes and clogs less often. Flow regulators are often needed with trickle tape, so water can reach the far end. Pressure-compensating drip tape maintains an even flow along the entire length of the tape, even on uneven slopes.
  
  

Hose with Bubbler

• Another way to trickle water is to attach an aluminum bubbler soaker to the end of a standard garden hose. Bubblers are most effective when turned on low and placed beneath a tree or shrub, to allow water to slowly soak into the soil of a fairly large area. Water bubbles out in a steady stream that is diffused, preventing it from gushing out and uncovering roots. Move the bubbler from place to place as needed, for even coverage.