How to water plants in your desert garden

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One of the reasons that so many people fail with their desert garden is that they don't know what's "behind the scenes". That is, the watering system. I try to keep mine as hidden and discreet as possible, and it isn't because I'm secretive, it's just that it looks better that way, and is more efficient. I have a low-pressure system that waters the roots of my plants through tiny sprayer heads.

I started with a "drip system", which had "spaghetti tubing" but that tubing would always get clogged up, so I changed over to little plastic sprayer heads, which I put on small plastic risers. I just installed two of them a few minutes ago, and it looks like I'm not a minute too soon - the oleanders were suffering in the awful heat!

Close-up of the sprayer heads

I use the adjustable sprayers, which I get at Home Depot, which allows me to control the distance of the spray. Even though it's a low-pressure system, it's still under pressure, and there's no reason to go spraying all over the sidewalk, or my neighbor's truck! The spray goes directly to the roots, which is not only the best for plants, it's the best for the environment, and my water bill. In fact, my garden uses so little water it's not even noticeable in my water bill.

One of the things I've learned over time is how easy it is to accidentally kick, and break, one of the sprayer heads. So I put some rocks nearby just as a visual to remind me not to step there.

I've seen people plant in the spring in Phoenix and try to haul out a heavy hose regularly, and by summer everything in their yard is dead, except cactus and weeds. Sometimes the only thing that lasts the summer is the rocks. I installed the low-pressure water system myself (it's not rocket science!) and I keep an eye on it, making small adjustments every once in a while. Even then it's awful to be out there in the summer, and I wouldn't even dream of trying to keep a garden like mine going with water from a hose.

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