Don't know the difference between drip tape and drip line? Don't worry. It's simple. In a nutshell, drip tape lays flat and is typically used for straight-line crops. Drip line curves around objects and is typically used for things like potted plants or raised beds. DIY and hobbyist gardeners often use a mixture of both to get water to their plants.
There are tons of other ways to get water to your plants other than just drip tape or drip tubing. Some people use, dare we say it, a soaker hose, while others build out complex drip irrigation systems. Maybe you actually needed to water your grass and you need something like a lawn sprinkler. When it comes to gardening, most people use a combination of drip tape and drip tubing (which we'll explain more of below).
Editors Note: we updated this article on May 29, to include the latest and greatest on drip line and drip tape.
SHOP LOWEST PRICE
Drip Line vs Drip Tape: Everything You Need to Know
Drip tape and drip line are similar irrigation systems with one main difference: the style of tubing.
Drip tape is known for being a lengthier, flat piece of tubing whereas drip lines are (essentially) regular tubing.
Both are considered drip irrigation systems: they release water in a controlled manner at water drip emitters along the entire length of their tubing.
The lines are pressurized according to the desired water amount and the ability of the line to maintain that pressure.
The best drip irrigation systems are renown for their efficiency.
Whereas a soaker hose or sprinklers waste tons of water, drip delivers water right where you need it the most: the plants (usually the root zone).
BUY DRIP TAPE
Drip Tape Irrigation
Drip tape is a common drip irrigation component that is a long, thin-walled piece of tubing.
It lies flat until it's pressurized with water. It's easy to recoil after use because of how flat it is, unlike tubing, which can coil up when you try to reel it in.
The pressure regulator hooks up to the water source, and you control flow rates.
Drip tape is much less limited than line or even soaker hoses. If you plan on farming or gardening long rows and need a lengthy water supply, then you would use drip tape.
Use it in low-pressure situations, typically with water pressure of up to 15 PSI. (Be sure to use a pressure regulator!)
Most drip tapes will supply water at about 0.4 gallons/minute per 100 ft. of tape.
That means at ft. of tape, you are pushing out 4 gallons of water every minute.
You can easily roll up thousands of meters of line with drip tape, whereas with tubing, it can be frustrating to roll in even a few hundred meters. It's really not hard to lay drip tape.
Also, drip tape gives water to the root zone soil. When it comes to gardening, and most watering, you want to get water to the plant roots.
Wall Thickness
Drip tape is the flatter, thinner tubing with much less wall thickness than drip line.
The drip tape's thickness typically ranges from 5 to 15 mil. 5 being the thinnest and 15 being the largest.
Home gardens should stick with 15 mil drip tape because it will last more seasons than the thinner drip tape - which you want as a hobby gardener.
It's more expensive at first, but the fact that it will last a few seasons/years makes the price even out over time.
A hobby gardener can expect 15 mil tubing to have a service life lasting 5 - 10 years, depending on how aggressively they use/treat it.
&#;The larger the tubing, the longer the service life.
Emitter Spacing
Emitter spacing varies depending on the drip tape you buy. You can get preset emitter spacing anywhere from 4" up to 60". Each emitter length is optimal for different reasons.
For example, 4" would be better suited for flowers, peppers or greenhouses, 6" would be better for tightly spaced plants like onions, or garlic, and then on the other end, 60" would do well with far apart plants like blueberries.
Drip Tape Irrigation
Drip tape is meant for long and straight applications. It's not meant for curving gardens or other applications.
Drip emitters are used to control how the water is supplied to the crop. All the connection points along the drip tape irrigation system are called drip tape fittings.
Drip tape is meant for short-term crops. It typically only lasts a few seasons, so most gardeners will use it for crops up to 5 years.
It's also meant for crops in straight lines as you can't curve drip tape without having watering issues.
Drip Line
Drip line is the thicker, structured tubing similar to a hose. But unlike a hose, it has drip emitters along the length of the line.
Unlike drip tape which has smaller measurements, drop tape has a wall thickness that is a bit thicker.
The most important factors when you buy drip irrigation are run length and flow rate.
If you've never used drip tubing before, we recommend you talk to a professional or at least someone who has done it themselves.
Wall Thickness
Drip irrigation tubing is typically measured in size of tubing.
&#;It can range from the smaller end, 1/4" up to 1" in diameter.
What is the Best Purpose for Drip Line Tubing?
It is meant for more long term use. It can be used for multiple years and depending on the quality, and how well you take care of it, it can last at least minimum 10 years.
As we said above, it really can't be recoiled or stored to easily. Even a few hundred meters can be frustrating (when compared to drip tape) but that shouldn't discourage any would be buyers from drip irrigation.
Remember, drip irrigation is 90% efficient at allowing plants to use the water that you supply to them.
Homeowners all over are starting to use drip irrigation for their vegetable gardens or perennials because how economical and environmentally friendly it can be. You'll never supply too much water.
It is typically going to be used where you need to have curved tubing, say in flower gardens, or for watering trees.
RELATED: How To Install Drip Irrigation for Trees
Flower gardens are almost always curving around, so you need to be able to finagle a piece of tubing here and there to get the flowers water.
You can't do this with drip tape (as we said above) because the tubing needs to stay flat or else watering issues are going to happen.
Overall, drip tubing isn't much more limited than drip tape. They each have their place.
You need to be careful with the poly tubing because if you keep extending the maximum run length, you may under calculate the gallons per hour for the tubing which could lead to incomplete watering.
Should You Buy Both?
Springrain Product Page
A good drip irrigation system typically has both a supply line and some sort of drip emitting tubing. It's going to depend on the length of line you need, the type of plants you have, and the size of your garden.
If you plan on running rows of drip tape through your garden, you will need to supply the tape with what is known as the mainline tubing or supply. It usually runs along the edge of the plot, and the drip tape will run through it.
RELATED: Drip Irrigation for Potted Plants
The main line is connected to the water supply, and it too has even spaced emitters along the length of the line.
If you need to customize your plot size, you can punch the holes on the length of the tubing yourself.
Oftentimes when you look at a perfectly planned out irrigation system, you can see the supply line in what looks like a perfect box around the garden.
The supply lines then have drip tape running through the rows of plants giving them the water they need.
However, the supply line is not necessarily the drip line. The supply line is the main water line that supplies either your drip tubing or your drip tape, depending on how you install the irrigation system.
As we mentioned above, drip tape is typically in straight-lined rows, whereas drip tubing has a bit more flexibility with things like flower gardens (which are usually curved).
FAQs
You plant on top of drip tape. We recommend to everyone that they bury their drip tape so its out of the way so that you can cultivate on top of it.
Drip tape is better than soaker hoses. We have an extensive guide on drip irrigation vs soaker hoses but in short,drip irrigation products are more reliable, and durable than soaker hoses.
Drip tape emitters should face up. If you face them down, the drip emitters will quickly become clogged due to the sediment.
Drip tape is laid in straight lines with the holes facing up. We recommend burying the drip tape, and if you want to make laying the tape easier, use a drip tape layer.
Before you go...
Learning about drip tape and drip irrigation can be tough. But knowing what drip irrigation system to buy can be even tougher.
Knowing the difference is only the first step, but check out our in-depth guide on the best drip irrigation systems to know which one is right for your needs.
Modified on: Thu, 27 Jun, at 9:26 AM
Poly Tubing, Drip Tape, Drip Line, and Soaker Hoses
In the world of drip irrigation there are many methods to deliver water to thirsty plants. These methods are referred to by many different terms, often used interchangeably. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the differences between these common methods. Drip tape, drip line, tubing and soaker hoses are all terms you have likely run across in your drip irrigation research, but these terms are often used without proper explanation.
Poly Tubing
Poly tubing is the most common way to deliver water to an irrigation area. Unlike the other methods considered in this article, tubing itself does not emit water, however emitters (also called drippers) can be punched into the tubing in places water is needed. We offer poly tubing in various sizes, from &#;&#; to 1&#;. The &#;&#; and ¼&#; sizes of poly tubing are most often used in short lengths with an emitter installed at the end of that length to deliver water to 1 or more plants. The larger sizes (½&#; to 1&#;) are most often used as mainlines to deliver water to the smaller sizes of poly tubing, drip line and drip tape.
As noted previously, the larger sizes of poly tubing can be punched and emitters installed anywhere along their lengths. For example, if you had a 100&#; row of tomato plants planted at uneven intervals, you could run 100&#; of ½&#; poly tubing along the row and place an emitter in the tubing wherever a plant required water.
To learn more about poly tubing, its limits and uses, please see our Tubing Buying Guide.
Drip Tape
Drip tape is often confused with soaker hose and drip line, however it is actually a very different product that is free of some of the limitations that apply to drip line and soaker hoses. That&#;s not to say Drip Tape has no length limits, however it is not as limited as poly tubing and drip line. When long lengths are required, such as in farming or long residential applications, drip tape is often the go to solution. Drip tape is often used in low pressure applications, working optimally at 8-15 PSI.
While drip tape can be used in longer lengths than poly tubing and drip line, it is not entirely without limit. How long you can make a drip tape line will depend on many factors, including: size of the drip tape, inlet pressure, elevational changes and flow rate. These factors all affect the emission uniformity rate of the system. Calculating emission uniformity is a bit of an involved process, but probably not something the average residential irrigator will need to consider unless their project is larger than usual. A commercial irrigator will likely possess a deeper understanding of the formulas involved.
For most consumers the biggest limitation to consider is flow rate. Long runs of drip tape can quickly overtax your incoming flow rate. For example, if you have 10 100&#; runs of drip tape with 1 GPH emitters spaced every 24&#;, you&#;ll have a total flow demand of 500 GPH; this level of demand could be difficult for many residential faucets to supply.
The last limitation to consider is in design. When drip tape is filled and pressurized it is not flexible and thus can only be used in straight lines.
To learn more about drip tape, please see our Drip Tape Buying Guide.
Drip Line
Drip line is most often confused with soaker hose, however as you will see they are very different products. Drip line is similar to drip tape in that it has emitters of various emission rates installed at evenly spaced intervals, however the similarities stop there. Unlike drip tape, drip line is limited in length to the same limits of poly tubing of corresponding size. This means that ¼&#; drip line should never be longer than 30&#; in a single run and ½&#; drip line should never be longer than 200&#; in a single run.
Drip line does have one advantage over drip tape in regards to flexibility. ¼&#; drip line is reasonably flexible, in fact it is often used to make rings around trees in order to water the entire root system of a tree evenly. ½&#; drip line isn&#;t quite as flexible as ¼&#; drip line. It is as flexible as poly tubing, meaning it can take gentle turns and bends but not sharp corners or 90 degree angles without the use of a fitting. Drip line uses the same fittings as poly tubing of the same size, this means that our Perma-Loc Fittings can be used with our ½&#; drip line and our Barbed 1/4" Fittings can be used with our ¼&#; drip line.
To learn more about drip line, please see our Tubing Buying Guide.
Drip Tape vs Dripline (Commercial/Farm):
Drip Tape vs Dripline (Residential/Garden):
Soaker Hose
Soaker hoses are a relatively modern invention, and while drip line and drip tape are often referred to as soaker hoses they are actually a product unique unto themselves. In fact, soaker hoses are not compatible with drip irrigation or pressurized systems. Soaker hoses are most often made of rubber and other recycled material that is perforated throughout its length to allow water to seep out. In this regard it is similar to drip irrigation products, however there are some disadvantages inherent in its design.
Because soaker hoses seep water along the entire length, there is no fine tuned control to where the water is delivered. If your plants are spaced 6&#; apart, there is little sense in watering the dirt (or even worse, the weeds!) between them. Soaker hoses are also notorious for weeping more water out of the part of the hose closest to the water source than the ends furthest away. This is because soaker hoses do not (generally speaking) operate as part of a pressurized system. Even if water conservation isn&#;t a concern, the higher water bill from wasted water certainly is.
One advantage to soaker hose can be when a long hedge of bushes requires watering. Soaker hose is good at this aspect as it can be laid along the entire length of a hedge and the perforated design means every portion of the hedge will receive water. However the concern of uneven water distribution cannot be ameliorated and parts of the hedge may receive too much water while others may receive too little; this becomes even more noticeable on uneven terrain. Soaker hoses, at the end of the day, are among the most primitive form of drip irrigation and other methods would likely see greater success and less waste, but there are situations (such as long hedges) where it can be advantageous.
For more drip irrigation tapeinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.