Questions & tips

Conservation & efficiency

A planned irrigation system is undoubtedly the best way to water your garden  -  it will save water, save money and save time.

The most efficient way to water plants is to use a dripper system.  It delivers water direct to the soil, thus minimising evaporation, and the water goes exactly where you want it with no wastage.  All Streamfast drippers are adjustable so you can fine tune the system to ensure that each plant gets exactly the amount of water you want.  A dripper system is ideal for pots, window boxes and hanging baskets.

For larger areas, such as beds and borders, drippers are not really practical and we recommend a micro-sprinkler system.  A choice of sprinkler heads with different spray patterns ensures the water gets to where it is needed without being wasted on bare areas, paths or patios, and keeping the delivery close to the ground reduces evaporation.  Streamfast micro-sprinklers are mounted on thin aluminium spikes which can be easily pushed onto the soil, enabling the sprinkler heads to be located close to ground level  -  and then raised as your plants grow.

Maximum efficiency is obtained by fitting an electronic timer, thus ensuring that the system operates for exactly the time you want  -  no forgetting to turn it off at the end of the cycle  -  and evaporation can be further reduced by watering at night.

How long and how often should I water?

There is much conflicting advice on this subject.  At Streamfast we believe that you should water less frequently and for longer, particularly for established plants.

Newly planted seedlings and hanging baskets dry out quickly and in hot weather they may need watering every day - but even in these cases, every other day is often better.   For established plants once a week is usually sufficient. 

Watering for a short period at frequent intervals means that the water does not penetrate beyond the surface layers which also dry out quickly so a significant proportion of the water evaporates back into the atmosphere.  The plants find their water close to the surface and develop their root structures accordingly.  They then become dependent on this frequent watering and will wither and die quickly if this supply is interrupted, thus creating a ‘vicious circle’.  

Watering less frequently for longer is closer to the normal natural rainfall pattern.  The water penetrates deeper into the soil and the plants develop deeper, stronger root structures to gather it.  This produces healthier, more resilient plants which are used to surviving without daily watering.

We normally recommend that you water hanging baskets, small pots and newly planted seedlings  every other day, although this is obviously dependent on your particular conditions.  Using drippers we suggest an hour at a time although again this will depend on your particular situation, for example water pressure and flow rates.  If you see water dripping out of the bottom of baskets or pots you are over-watering.

Medium and large pots and window boxes may need watering twice a week, again for an hour using drippers.

For borders and beds using micro-sprinklers, once a week for an hour would be typical.

How long will delivery take?

Your purchases will normally be delivered in two to four days from time of order if you have paid by credit/debit card.  If you are paying by cheque then you must also allow time for the cheque to clear. We do not charge for delivery  - the cost of delivery is included in the price.  (we can only make this offer for delivery to mainland Britain).

Are Streamfast systems compatible with my existing hoses and watering system?

With some exceptions our systems are fully compatible with other systems and components sold in the UK.  We are aware of two exceptions :

1. there are several different types of dripper tubing used by different manufacturers, all with slightly different internal diameters.  Our drippers and ‘T’s are quite tolerant of slightly different tubing and will fit most alternatives but we cannot guarantee full compatibility.
2. our micro-sprinkler heads are designed to be attached as a ‘push-fit’ to a slightly tapered distributor nozzle.  They are compatible with other ‘push-fit’ systems but not with screw attachments or bayonet fittings.  We therefore recommend that the Streamfast micro-sprinkler heads are used with our Streamfast sprinkler assemblies which are easily identified by our unique (to UK) aluminium stakes.

How long to install micro-sprinklers?

Typically our 12 sprinkler starter pack might take :

Installation tips for micro-sprinklers :

“The pipe won’t stay where I want it”. 
There are two common problems :  the first is that the pipe has been rolled up for some time and will try to curl itself up again and this can be solved by weighting it down in position for a short time – usually just a few hours is enough and then the weights can be removed; the second is that if the pipe is twisted at all as it is unrolled it becomes difficult to manage and if you have enough open space it is often helpful to lay it out there and make sure that it is straight and untwisted before laying it in position.

I can’t plug the sprinkler assembly into the supply pipe.

The barbed connectors have to be a tight fit to ensure a watertight connection.  After you have made a hole in the pipe with the hole punch (supplied in your starter pack) they can usually be inserted with a firm push using just your fingers but if this proves difficult it is easier if you hold the barbed connector in a pair of pliers which provides better leverage.

Can I move a sprinkler after installing the system?

Yes. The feeder tubing allows considerable freedom to move the sprinkler stake to a new position and its height can be easily varied by pushing it further into the ground or raising it up.  This is particularly useful because you will probably want to start the season with the sprinklers close to the ground and then raise them as your plants grow during the summer.

If you need to raise a sprinkler higher than the standard half metre stake will allow, we also sell sprinkler assemblies with 1 metre stakes for those taller plants.

If you need to move a sprinkler to a completely new location, just disconnect it from the supply pipe and install it in the new location.  It is possible to pull the feeder tube out of the supply pipe and block the hole with a ‘mistake plug’ (supplied in your starter pack) but pulling the barbed connector out can damage the supply pipe so we recommend that you cut the feeder tube close to the pipe and block the tube with the ‘mistake plug’.  You can then fit a new barbed connector (supplied in your starter pack) to the feeder tube to connect the sprinkler to the supply pipe in its new location.