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Location

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Date Posted

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

After all of these years of growing I am planning to enter the world of drip tape this season... Is it optimum for the tape to run parallel to the secondary vines or parallel with the main. I see it done both ways on the diaries. I guess if you have multiple plants, you may be getting both designs. One way may be easier to deal with the vines and the tape?

5/14/2024 10:00:50 AM

Colorado

Ned, I dont think it maters.Where your water source is, any slope and patch shape will determine best way to lay out main line/lines.I have always run the tape perpendicular to the main cause i have a long 2 plant spot and I liked the idea of more short tapes than 100ft tapes running the long way.

5/14/2024 11:32:40 AM

Springfield, VT

I run mine parallel to the main with the lines nearest to the main about a foot from it. This allow the main to stay dryer and less likely to get a rot spot due to too much water

5/14/2024 2:30:13 PM

Western NY

I've done both ways. Haven't noticed one was significantly better or easier to manage.

5/14/2024 8:42:22 PM

Peosta, Iowa

same as Andy, tape goes the same direction every year and the plant patterns are changed up

5/14/2024 9:35:51 PM

Syracuse, NY

Be a rebel - Go Diagonal!
(From a devout overhead guy, lol)---eg

5/14/2024 9:42:35 PM

Sonoma County, CA

I have done both and prefer parallel to the secondaries. Makes vine burying much easier because you aren’t wrestling with the vines crossing the tape over and over.

5/15/2024 10:14:24 AM

Massachusetts

I'm with Dawson. I like the option of using a stirrup hoe with a long handle to weed in and around the vines. I hate weeding but I hate it even more when the drip lines are parallel to the main. Much easier to maintain if the drip lines run along the side vines IMO.

5/15/2024 12:25:50 PM

Massachusetts

For the last couple of seasons, I grew the main vine on weed fabric with the drip lines under the weed fabric. I find this helps to reduce weeds and it addresses the point made by VTWilbur of keeping the main vine dry.

5/15/2024 12:36:04 PM

Merrimack NH

I run mine parallel to the secondaries, and then I just adjust the drip lines to ensure that none of them drip directly on the main. The emitters are a foot apart, so it's not hard to ensure nothing is dripping directly on the main.
It does make weeding much easier if the tape runs parallel with the vines.

5/17/2024 11:01:47 AM

Kutztown, PA

Last year was my first year with the drip tape. I went parallel with the main in all cases. This year will be parallel with the secondary vines. Tape is roughly 12" apart. I don't think it's going to make much difference either way.
We had more than enough rain last year and my plants went south before the end of the season. Hope to utilize it more this year. I'm hoping for dry weather so I can control the moisture.

5/30/2024 2:55:20 PM

Deer Park WA

Parallel to the secondaries for us broken into multiple zones. As the plant agez we reduce the water to the stump and older leaves.

5/30/2024 3:49:09 PM