Drip Irrigation vs. Soaker Hoses: Which Should You Choose?

Sooner or later, most gardeners get tired of standing with a hose. Hand watering is pleasant on a calm evening in June, but by the third heat wave in July it becomes a chore, and it is hard to water evenly and deeply by hand. The two most popular answers are soaker hoses and drip irrigation. Both deliver water slowly to the soil instead of spraying it into the air. Both save water compared with sprinklers. And both can run on a simple timer.

They are not the same, though. Soaker hoses are cheap and simple but less precise. Drip systems cost more and take a little more setup, but they are more even, more flexible and longer-lasting. This guide compares them honestly so you can choose the right one for your beds, budget and patience.

How soaker hoses work

A soaker hose is a porous hose, usually made from recycled rubber, that weeps water through tiny pores along its entire length. You lay it on the soil among your plants, connect it to a faucet, and water seeps out slowly, soaking the soil around it. There are no emitters to clog and almost nothing to assemble.

Soaker hoses work best at low pressure. Many come with a flow-restrictor disc for the connection, or you can add a simple pressure regulator. At full household pressure, they can spray from weak spots or split.

How drip irrigation works

A drip system is a network of plastic tubing with emitters that release water at a set rate, typically half a gallon to two gallons per hour each. Emitters can be built into the tubing at regular intervals, which is called inline drip tubing, or punched in exactly where you want them. The system connects to a faucet through a filter, a pressure regulator and usually a backflow preventer, and can be expanded or rearranged as your garden changes.

Because each emitter delivers a known amount of water, drip systems are predictable. You can calculate exactly how much water each bed receives and for how long to run it. The drip irrigation calculator does that math for you.

The key differences

Evenness: the biggest practical difference

The main weakness of soaker hoses is uneven output. Water pressure drops along the length of the hose, so the end nearest the faucet tends to release more water than the far end. On a slope, water collects at the low end. Over long runs, plants at the far end may get noticeably less water.

For this reason, soaker hoses work best in short runs. Many manufacturers suggest keeping individual runs fairly short, often under around 100 feet, and shorter still on slopes. If you need to water more than that, connect separate hoses to a splitter rather than joining many hoses end to end.

Drip systems handle this better. Pressure regulators keep the pressure in the range the parts are designed for, and many emitters are pressure-compensating, which means each delivers nearly the same flow along the line, even on gentle slopes. That makes drip much more reliable for long beds, multiple beds and uneven ground.

Cost

Soaker hoses win on upfront cost. A single hose for a raised bed is inexpensive, and you can be watering within minutes of opening the package. For one or two beds, it is hard to beat.

Drip systems cost more at the start. You need tubing, emitters or emitter tubing, connectors, a filter, a pressure regulator and end caps. Starter kits bundle these for a handful of beds and keep the cost reasonable. Over several seasons, the gap narrows, because drip tubing typically lasts many years, while soaker hoses often need replacing every few seasons as they degrade in the sun or develop leaks.

The garden cost calculator includes a line for watering equipment if you are budgeting a new garden.

Water efficiency

Both methods are far more efficient than overhead sprinklers. They deliver water directly to the soil, so almost nothing is lost to wind or evaporation from leaves, and paths and weeds between beds stay dry. Drip irrigation is often cited as delivering around 90 percent of its water to the root zone, compared with roughly 70 percent for sprinklers. Soaker hoses are in the same efficient range when used on short runs.

Keeping leaves dry is a bonus for plant health. Many common diseases, such as early blight on tomatoes and powdery mildew on squash, spread more easily when foliage stays wet. Watering at the soil reduces that risk.

To work out how much water your beds need each week, use the garden watering calculator.

When a soaker hose is the better choice

• One to three beds close to the faucet.
• Short, level runs, such as a single raised bed or a short border.
• Tight budgets or a first garden, where you want something simple to start.
• Rain barrel watering, because soaker hoses work at the low pressure a barrel provides.
• Closely planted beds, where you want moisture along the whole length rather than at specific points.

When drip irrigation is the better choice

• Several beds, or beds spread around the yard.
• Long rows or long beds, where soaker hoses would water unevenly.
• Slopes, where pressure-compensating emitters keep output even.
• Mixed plantings, such as containers, shrubs and vegetables, where each plant needs a different amount.
• Automated watering, where you want to calculate run times accurately and leave the garden on a timer.
• Long-term gardens, where durability and expandability matter more than the lowest upfront cost.

Setting up a soaker hose

1. Let it relax. Leave the hose in the sun for an hour so it uncoils and lies flat.
2. Lay it close to plants. In a 4-foot bed, snake the hose in loops or run two lengths about 12 to 18 inches apart. Keep it a few inches from stems.
3. Pin it down. Landscape staples keep it in place.
4. Reduce the pressure. Use the flow disc that came with it, or a pressure regulator. You want water to seep, not spray.
5. Cover with mulch. Mulch reduces evaporation, protects the hose from sunlight and hides it from view.
6. Test the run time. Run it for 30 minutes, wait an hour, then dig a small hole between plants. Aim for moist soil about 6 inches deep, and adjust the time accordingly.

Setting up a basic drip system

1. Assemble the head at the faucet: backflow preventer, timer if you are using one, filter, pressure regulator, then the adapter for the tubing.
2. Run a supply line of half-inch tubing to the beds.
3. Lay inline drip tubing along each bed. Two lines about 12 inches in from each side suit most 4-foot beds.
4. Connect and cap the lines. Use connectors where bed lines join the supply line and end caps at the far ends.
5. Flush and test. Run water with the ends open to clear debris, cap them, then check every emitter is dripping.
6. Calculate run times. The drip irrigation calculator works out the number of emitters, total flow and weekly run time from your bed sizes and emitter spacing.

Adding a timer

Either system becomes far more useful on a timer. A simple battery timer at the faucet waters early in the morning, on schedule, whether or not you are home. That consistency is better for plants than irregular hand watering, and it removes the temptation to water a little every day.

Check the soil regularly anyway, and adjust the timer as the season changes. Young plants in spring need much less water than mature plants in July. Turn the timer off or reduce it after heavy rain. Our guide to overwatering versus underwatering explains how to tell which way to adjust.

Maintenance and winter care

Soaker hoses

• Keep them covered with mulch to slow sun damage.
• Check for split sections or spraying spots each spring.
• Drain and store them indoors over winter in cold climates. Water left inside can freeze and damage the hose.

Drip systems

• Clean the filter regularly.
• Flush the lines at the start of the season and occasionally during summer by opening the end caps.
• Walk the lines while running to spot clogs and leaks.
• In freezing regions, drain the system and bring the timer, filter and pressure regulator indoors for winter.

Can you combine them?

Yes, and many gardens do. A common approach uses drip tubing to carry water to each bed, and soaker hoses or inline drip within the beds. Another uses a soaker hose on a rain barrel for a nearby bed, and a drip system on the faucet for the rest of the garden. Start with what suits your current garden, and expand as it grows.

The verdict

If you have one or two beds near a faucet and want the cheapest, quickest solution, a soaker hose on a timer is an excellent start. If you have several beds, long rows, slopes or a mix of plantings, or you want a system that will last for years and that you can calculate precisely, drip irrigation is worth the extra cost and setup.

Whichever you choose, pair it with mulch, check the soil now and then, and you will spend far less time holding a hose and far more time enjoying the garden.

Common mistakes with each system

Soaker hose mistakes

• Running at full pressure. Without a flow restrictor or regulator, soaker hoses can spray, split or wear out quickly.
• Joining too many lengths. Long runs water unevenly. Use a splitter to feed separate short runs instead.
• Leaving them uncovered. Sunlight degrades the rubber. A layer of mulch protects the hose and reduces evaporation.
• Guessing run times. Output varies so much between brands and pressures that the only reliable way to set a run time is to dig and check soil moisture.

Drip irrigation mistakes

• Skipping the filter. Grit in the water is the most common cause of clogged emitters.
• Skipping the pressure regulator. High pressure pops fittings apart and makes emitters spray.
• Too few lines in wide beds. In sandy soil especially, water does not spread far sideways, so plants between widely spaced lines can go dry.
• Exceeding the flow limit. One half-inch line can only carry so much water. Large gardens may need to be split into zones.

Watering containers and raised beds

Raised beds suit both systems well. For a single 4-by-8-foot bed, one soaker hose looped through the bed or two lines of inline drip tubing work equally well. As the number of beds grows, drip becomes more practical, because one supply line can feed many beds evenly.

Containers are where drip has a clear advantage. Soaker hoses do not adapt well to scattered pots. A drip system can run a supply line along a row of containers, with small micro tubes carrying water to an emitter or stake in each pot. Larger pots can be given a higher-flow emitter or two emitters, so every container gets the right amount. Because containers dry out quickly, short daily runs on a timer often work well.

Thinking about cost over several years

Comparing only the price on the package can be misleading. A soaker hose is cheaper to buy, but if it needs replacing every few seasons, its cost over five or more years can approach that of a drip system, which often keeps working for many years with occasional replacement of a few parts. If you expect to garden in the same beds for a long time, it is worth weighing durability alongside upfront cost.

Frequently asked questions