Next spring we will add a drip irrigation system to our potted figs
What's best? Spot emitters, drip hose, bubblers ?..
The kits are really cheap on Amazon $10-20 for 10 + pots
Has anyone used Rain Bird kits for there figs?

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/hose-end/index.htm
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/index.htm

How many plants are you looking to water?  The kits that I found were all for 1/4" line and that won't be sufficient for a large number of plants.  You'll need to run a 1/2" line and then can branch the 1/4" line to each pot. 

Rich,

There are many ways to go about it cheaply.  I don't like drip tape it clogs.  Bubblers or drippers are ok I like spray heads best for bigger plants.  Like Meghan said you are going to need a bigger main line.  Lowes sells Mister brand.....100' of 1/2 is like $15 then you will need the couplers that attach to the 1/2 line and 1/4 inch line that runs up to the emitters.  If you want risers just buy 1/2 plastic electrical conduit it is like $1.37 for a 10 foot piece.  Drill a angled hole in the pipe and run the 1/4 line in to it and the spray head will sit on top.  You can also use those same conduit pieces to hold the 1/4 line in place while it drops in to the pot with a dripper.   Here is one of my conduits with the 1/4 tubing in it.a coupler on the bottom and spay head on top.  You just pop the coupler in to the 1/2 line and you are good to go. 

Good information Meghan and Willis Thanks!

I watched a video when I set mine up.  The idea is simple.  Start at the faucet, set up your timer, backflow preventer and you'll need a downsizer to drop the hose line (3/4") down to the 1/2".  After they are set up just start running your line.  Make cuts in place, set up your corner attachment or splitter (depending on what your doing) and then keep going till you get to the end.  Cap off your 1/2" line and then go back and start putting in your 1/4" lines.  The whole thing should only take you a few hours. 

Personally I liked the hose that Lowes sells more so than the one home depot sells.  The brand that Lowes sells was softer and more flexible, it didn't kink up like the HD stuff.  But that is just preference.

I'll try and find the video I watched before taking on my watering project. 

check out dripworks, that's what I use, really simple!

Here is a helpful video.  It will give you an idea of what is involved in setting up something like this.

I use spot-spitter irrigation sticks.  When I started with them they were made by Roberts who seem to be bought out by John Deere. See link below.   I mostly use ¾ inch black poly tube. Talk about tough. Still using leftover I had from putting in my citrus in Fl  back in 1990? Exposed above ground in  N. GA most these years and good as the day I bought it.  You punch a hole in it and it self seals around the  0.125” ID small tubing which slips right on the end of the spot-spitter . very simple concept no moving parts, if it clogs just pull the tubing off the spot-spitter and back on.

http://www.deere.com/common/docs/products/equipment/water/irrigation_and_water_management/drip_and_micro_irrigation_emission_devices/sprinklers_and_sprays/spot_spitter/brochure/JDW%20Spot_Spitter.pdf

I found something that helped water about 100 potted figs. I already have sprinklers for a lawn, and I converted them to drip. At Home Depot, they have a sprinkler converter called an octopus (that what the sprinkler people there call it, I don't think that's the real name). You simply unscrew your sprinkler head and then screw the octopus on. The octopus has 8 lines where you can hook up 8 - 1/4" tubing and then run them to your pots. Each arm of the octopus can easily water 12 one gallon figs. If you don't have a sprinkler system. You can get some adapters and attach the octopus to a hose outlet.

Also, I use these bubblers for each pot. They don't fall out of the pots.
They are on a 5" spike.

Here's a link but you can get it at the hardware store too.

http://www.dripdepot.com/1419

I'll agree with strudeldog on spot spitters. They're excellent. The only thing you have to watch is to make sure they're pointed the right way. I use them in my 3 gallon figs on up. On the smaller stuff I just use drippers that get inserted into the pot. Those have worked very well too but the spot spitters cover a larger area with water. I've purchased all of my supplies online and have been very pleased. The local hardware stores have a pretty limited selection in my opinion.

I have purchased from dripworks (www.dripworks.com) in the past.  I found their prices to be competitive and their customer service to be excellent - I knew very little about what I wanted, short of 'I need to get water here, here and there', and they walked through all the couplers, attachments and differences between all the products to figure out what was best for my applications.

I bought a timer with two independent outlets/timers.  Some of the timers have two outlets, but they can't be programmed to operate separately.  The timer is a Melnor AquaTimer.  Using this will let you water on either different schedules or to two completely different areas.  I have strawberry beds on one set of schedules and strawberry towers on another - both attached to the same timer.  As long as the tubing doesn't break or the timer die all of the plants are happy.

Good luck.

Andrew

Greetings,

I know that you asked about the best Rainbird products! but I'll throw the DIG system out that is readily available as well. The kits they have are really plug-n- play. We bought one of the larger kits and it really was easy to install and took care of a lot of our daily watering needs. The kit we had included everything but the timer that i already had. The main 1/2 inch pipe easily coils in and around the plants and planters, while the 1/4 inch runners, drippers, and sprayers are easy to run directly to your potted fig trees.

This is a description of the kit i installed:

The DIG model GE200 Drip Irrigation and Micro Sprayer Kit is a complete irrigation kit that has all the parts needed to install a drip irrigation and micro sprayer system from a hose faucet. This kit is ideal for use in gardens planted with roses, shrubs, ground cover, flowerbeds and trees with a 700 sq. ft. coverage area. This kit can accommodate expansion up to 1000 sq. ft. using additional drip hose, drip emitters and micro sprayers with flow rate of up to 220 GPH.

Use to install a drip irrigation and micro-sprayer system from a hose faucet
Kit includes a 3/4 in. back-flow device, 25 psi 3/4 in. preset pressure regulator, 3/4 in. swivel adapter, 200 ft. 1/2 in. drip irrigation hose and 50 ft. 1/4 in. micro tubing
11 completely-assembled micro sprayers with 360-, 180- and 90-degree spray patterns
Also includes 13 in. stakes, 24 in. of micro tubing and twenty 1 GPH pressure-compensating drip emitters
MFG Model # : GE200
MFG Part # : GE200

>>> potted figs

Potted figs do move.

Hard 'wired' emitters a best for a fixed location plants.

Cheap&easy soaker hoses worked best for my potted plants.

It depends a lot on the plant set up.