On 4/3/2016 6:36 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
Last year I put Netafim Techline CV dripline on my front lawn,
just on the surface of the grass. It has worked reasonably well,
so it's time to think about making the setup permanent.

I'd like to bury the dripline with minimal disturbance to the
turf (and minimum labor!) to a depth of no more than a couple
of inches. First thought was to pry a slit in the soil with a
shovel and simply tuck the line in, then tamp the soil back down.
Much easier said than done. Even with considerable prying, the
slit is too narrow and closes up before the line is put in. Roots
make digging a narrow trench fairly destructive; the kerf is apt
to be about as wide as it is deep and hard work to boot.

Does anybody know of a tool for this purpose? I'm aware of
vibratory plows, but that seems like overkill if the goal is
just a 2" burial depth. Some kind of tool that I can either
stand on to press a slot in damp soil or a spreader-like tool
similer to an inside out post hole digger might work, but I've
never seen such a device and don't know what it would be called.
A shovel with a blade about 1/2" thick would be a start.

When it's damp the soil is fairly pliable and there are no
rocks, so some kind of soil pusher or piercer has a decent
chance of working. Digging in the usual sense promises to be
much harder work and there are close to 2000 feet of line to
bury. The OD of the dripline is only about 5/8", so the actual
volume of soil to be displaced is rather small compared to
what is typically moved by digging.

Thanks for reading, and any guidance!

bob prohaska


I suggest you rethink your plans for a buried dripline for a lawn. I
see two potential problems.

First of all, a dripline tends to irrigate only in the immediate area of
the emitters or holes in the line. On the other hand, a lawn consists
of numerous grass plants scattered across the lawn area. Thus, the
dripline would irrigate only spots or stripes in the lawn. The only way
to cover a grass lawn is with a sprinkler system.

Then there is the problem of buried lines becoming clogged. This does
not usually happen when a buried line merely feeds an above-surface
emitter. With a buried line irrigating under ground, the emitters or
holes will eventually be plugged with grass roots or roots from nearby
shrubs and trees. With shrubs and trees, the roots might grow until
they rupture the line, even affecting it away from the emitters or holes.

--
David E. Ross

While many tributes to the late Supreme Court Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia now fill the news media, his legacy was not
necessarily positive. See my "What Price Order, Mr. Justice Scalia?"
at http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_scalia_wrong.html.