We know our hoses

We use about 3 million gallons of water a year, maintaining the plants at the nursery. I’m going to guess that we apply about 1 million of that by hand. Most of the rest is through the irrigation system. Some is overhead rotors, like you might have for your lawn, the trees and large shrubs are on a spitter system that sprays water on the root balls. Preventing excess water from hitting the ground is impossible, but we do our best to keep it to a minimum. One way we save water (and money) is by using a quality hose. We use Gilmore 50 foot hoses, the same hoses we have for sale to our customers. This hose has a lifetime replacement guarantee for non industrial use. We would be considered “industrial use” so we have never asked for the replacement and just repair them as needed. I have 2 at home, that are about 3 years old. They never kink, have not split or cracked and the brass ends don’t leak. Any leaks at the fittings have been from the washers in the sprayer attachment…replace the washer…no more leaks. As a bonus, these hoses are made in the USA! We sell the 50 footers for 36.99 (Wal-Mart has the 25 footers for $37.99…you can do the math on that…)

Water breakers

Using a water breaker is important. Water breakers “break” the solid stream of water into many smaller streams. Our favorite is Dramm 1000 (pictured above). It has 1000 tiny holes in the stainless steel screen (I haven’t counter them, I just take their word for it). It makes the water stream into a super gentle rain, which prevents compaction and washing out of the soil. The only thing I warn about this item, be gentle with it. The screen is very thin and can get dented, which reduces the gentleness of the water coming out. We replace the ones we use the most, about every year, that’s with heavy use. Avoid damaging it, so don’t throw it on the ground, let your kids use it to smush snails or allow your dog to chew on it. $15.99 This and many other Dramm products are made in the USA.