I am considering using lengths of flat sprinkler/soaker hoses - there are a few brands on the market with the idea being that one face gives a sprinkling action while the other gives a dripfeed - to water two stretches of lawn (actually Wild Thyme) of around 25m2 each. However, given that I have never used these hoses before I thought it best to get some views - will this work or am I better of using a conventional sprinkler system. I'd me most grateful for any advice.

FredAt.gardenbanana.uk wrote:

I am considering using lengths of flat sprinkler/soaker hoses - there
are a few brands on the market with the idea being that one face gives a
sprinkling action while the other gives a dripfeed - to water two
stretches of lawn (actually Wild Thyme) of around 25m2 each. However,
given that I have never used these hoses before I thought it best to get
some views - will this work or am I better of using a conventional
sprinkler system. I'd me most grateful for any advice.

I'd not recommend soaker hose for lawns.

I agree!
However, for borders and flower beds, soaker hoses are really good!
They waste little water and they don't weigh down flowers with water like sprinklers can.
Thyme lawns, if not too big are better watered by hand.

Thanks. So I take it the best route for the lawn is an old-fashioned sprinkler. I have found sprinklers that range from as low as €11 (I live in Luxembourg) to well over €30. I need to water two stretches of lawn - one around 5m x 5m and the other 15m x 3m (adjacent to my next-door neigbor's garden). Can I do this with two bog standard sprinklers.

A somewhat unrelated question - I am planning on using a G...a automatic watering timer while I am away on holiday in July. Theft is not a big problem out here but nevertheless I am wondering if this range of timers comes with some form of lock to prevent theft.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I've posted a couple of messages today but one on this thread with some photos and a video appears to have got lost.

Here's the post that seems to have got lost.



I’m in favour of “leaky hoses” the only problem can be if there is any likelihood of damage if they are above ground. Mine are mostly a couple of inches below the surface, but I leave the ends slightly exposed so I can check they are working.
Mine feed the whole of one side of a garden from this tap under the kitchen window, via an ancient mechanical Hoselock water meter.

I can set the number of gallons (yes that old!) and it will shut itself off when it has passed that amount.



The water supply goes through a pipe under the patio and our koi pool concrete collar and emerges behind the waterfall. It is connected to one of these cheap Hoselock water valves. You can set it for 1, 2, 1+2, or off.



One length of leaky hose feeds the bottom end of the garden.
Another length of hose is connected to this second valve, the house-side of the rockery.




One length of leaky hose feeds the rockery, the other the bed at the side of the patio.
This means I can water any combination of any section of the garden from one to three.
The hoses on the rockery and the patio bed are arranged in an “S” shape to get maximum coverage.
I often shut off the supply to the rockery as it needs less water.

My biggest indulgence is my “pop up” sprinklers on the lawn.
I bought them new on eBay for a few pounds and they are connected to “speed fit” pipe from a tap on the side of the garage, controlled by a recycled heating valve. I re-maid the path where the pipe work passes under it with some spare materials I had. So the total cost was only around fifty quid. It covers the lawn the bed adjacent to the pool, the bed at the bottom of the garden and most of the bed between my tea-house and the shed.

This was my “dry run” or should I say “wet run” to make sure the mains pressure was enough to make them work. The supply goes to a point mid-way between the heads to ensure an even pressure at both. I took six inch deep wedges out of the lawn, laid the pipe work and replaced the wedges in the same order. Half a day’s work.





You can see them working (if you're still reading this) at the end of this video.

YouTube - ‪Our Garden, April 2011‬‏

Thank you! The sprinkled water is not easy to see on the video - it took me a while to realize that I was actually looking at it!

Yes, the heads produce quite a fine spray, you can get throughly soaked just walking past them! I can adjust them to cover from 10 to 360 degrees, so I created a narrow "dead spot" where the control is situated so I'm not watering much of the shed or the garage and a 45 degree quadrant with the far one to ensure our tea-house doesn't get watered.
I can turn them on and get out of the way before they come up, so turning them off only involves getting wet once. Or if I'm really bothered, I can turn on the tap under the kitchen window so the reduced pressure isn't enough to overcome the springs that keep the heads in the off position and then I can turn them off without getting wet at all.
I'm not sure if the mains pressure would be enough to power more than three.

This is a link to the vendor on eBay where I bought the heads last year.

Pop Up Garden Sprinkler - Adjustable Spray Arc | eBay UK

I think B&Q sell a system, but I'm never enamoured of much of their stuff.

Installing such a system as mine is well within the capabilities of the average DIYer.


I used "speed-fit" pipework and connections, as they are pretty much indestructable and are unaffected by frost.
I bought a roll of pipe and the surplus came in handy to protect some low voltage cable that feeds a couple of my outdoor lamps.

As you can see the scarring was minimal and the lawn recovered in a couple of weeks.



Now, no one notices they are there when they aren't working and I can just go straight over the heads with my Flymo.

Ummm... I am starting to wonder if any of the responders got my original question. What I wanted to know was wether the flat sprinkler/soaker hoses - one side sprinkles, the other side soaks - are any good for watering a lawn using the sprinkler side.

I am a gradening newbie and I have never seen this kind of hose in action - apart from the big brand names many of the DIY chains have their own brand versions - and I have a tough time imagnining how the sprinkle or soak action would work. However, if it does it sounds like a neat idea.

Any thoughts?

Just tried googling for Sprinkler/Soaker hose review. It came up with reviews for a brand called Gilmour (which I assume is American). Every single reviewer has said that the hose works for starters. The the holes at the start of the run get bigger and no water reaches the end of the run.

I may be a gardening newbie but I am an engineer and I had a tough time understanding how it could work. By the looks of it - it does not.