Question
I just put in 17 knockout roses... 7 Rainbow and 9 red,single knockout... I
bought a soaker hose to place in the rose garden.  I know roses like a big
gulp of water =ing 5 gallons a week.  I don't know how long I should run the
hose ... I am thinking everyother day... for about 1 and half hours.  Would this
be enough water... or too much.  Also, Ive read that mulching is important to
keep the roots cool but I've also been warned not to over mulch inside the
drip line.  My garden is 24x12 feet.  It gets 6 hours of full sun  and dappled
sun ... or shade for the remainder of the day.  My new plants were in quart
size containers.  I gave them good top soil (a tad sandy I'm at the Delaware
shore) I used a soil conditioner mixed... with the soil at the site of each
planting... and bone meal.   I would appreciate any advice you might have for
me.  I planted in late July because during the fall I will be too busy teaching...
and will not be able to devote the time to my new babies.   Thankx so much!  
Maggie B  Millsboro,Delaware

Answer
Soaker hoses are easy to use but their actual ooze rate is variable. It can differ significantly and can drop dramatically after the hose has been buried in the ground even in one season. This is probably the reason that covering the hose is not a good idea. The holes are made with a laser but even these tiny ones can get plugged up. I would leave about 2 inches on either side of the hose. Also it is a forgone conclusion that those roses at the beginning of the soaker hose will always get more than those at the end of the hose. You can't get away from this because it is due to the water pressure. Most quarter inch soaker hoses put out water at a rate of 30 gallons an hour at 50 feet. Roughly that is about half a gallon per rose per hour. If you use the hose for say 8 hours (depending on your soil) that should do the rose for another five days, especially if you have a light mulch around the roses. You could take a trowel after 8 hours and see just how deep the water went and then you could adjust the time from there. You could also check after 5 days to see how much water is left in the soil. I usually water at night but that is because I have sandy soil and it dries out too quickly in the sunshine. But you do have a better chance of getting all the water to the plant. Hope this helps.

  

Even on flat ground, plants near the beginning of the line are going to get more water than plants near the end.
R