Garden Hose Tips and Tricks

Does your garden hose tangle when it should lie flat? Do you have trouble reaching your entire garden? Are you tired of having to buy a new garden hose every year? These garden hose tips and tricks can make your gardening and outdoor cleaning chores so much easier!

Use a Garden Hose Reel

Storing your garden hose properly makes a difference in so many ways. A garden hose reel will keep your hose off the ground – and out of harm’s way – and prevent rot and fungus that can shorten its life. In addition, rolling up your garden hose on a reel will empty all the water, which reduces the likelihood of bacteria growing in standing water inside that dark, cozy, warm environment.

Maximize Hose Output

The diameter of the garden hose you choose affects how much water is delivered at the business end of the hose. The most common garden hose sizes are the ½ inch garden hose, 5/8 inch garden hose and ¾ inch garden hose, as well as 1 inch water hose. Unless you’re filling a swimming pool – or watering troughs – regularly, a 1 inch water hose may be overkill, but a ¾ inch garden hose is ideal for most household tasks, from watering your garden to washing down your siding.

Use More Than One Garden Hose

Need to reach more than one place on your property? The longer your garden hose is, the less water pressure you’ll get from it. If you need 50 feet of garden hose to reach the flower beds by the driveway but only 25 feet to get to your vegetable garden on the other side of the house, why not invest in a multi-connection manifold for your outdoor spigot and keep two garden hoses connected – a 50 foot one to go in one direction and a 25 foot one to reach the veggies. As an added bonus, you can water both gardens at the same time.

Get the Right Garden Hose Fittings

The garden hose fitting attaches the garden hose to your faucet. You can make your watering chores easier by making sure that the connector is made of good quality brass that won’t warp or get bent out of shape if you step on it. You can also buy various attachments for your faucet that will make your hose easier to connect, or provide a swivel function that prevents wear on your garden hose.

Most importantly of all, always buy the best quality garden hose you can afford. Paying a little more for your hose in the first place can save you a lot of money over the long run.

How to Love Your Garden Hose

Most gardeners have a decidedly rocky relationship with one of the most important partners in their gardening efforts – their garden hose Anyone who keeps a healthy garden has nearly daily use for a garden hose watering plants and keeping the lawn looking fresh and green. For many of them, using their hose means wrestling with an intractable and unwieldy garden hose that insists on fighting them every step of the way. It kinks and twists, constricts their water, splits at inconvenient places and drips or leaks at the tap. You can avoid all of these problems and start to love your garden hose if you follow these tips to buy the right hose for your needs and care for it properly.

Pick the Right Hose for Your Needs

Do you really need a 50-foot one inch water hose for your garden? For most casual gardeners – people who have a small vegetable or herb garden in their backyard – a 25-foot ½ inch garden hose or ¾ inch garden hose are more than sufficient for their needs. If 25 feet isn’t long enough to reach most of your garden, consider a 50-foot garden hose but keep in mind that the longer your hose is, the more difficult it will be to handle. If you only need the additional length occasionally, consider buying two 25-foot garden hoses and coupling them when you need to get water beyond its reach.

Specialty Garden Hose Types

If you have a special watering need, chances are there’s a specialty garden hose to meet that need. Among the most popular specialty hoses is the drinking safe garden hose Most common hoses are lined with a plastic that may leach lead and other toxic substances into water that stands in it for any length of time. Drinking safe garden hoses are made of a non-toxic material. If your children – or you – drink from the garden hose on hot days, or if you use the garden hose to fill drinking containers, you’ll want to use a drinking safe garden hose that is safe to drink from.

A coil garden hose is designed for use in small and confined spaces like your patio. When you’re not using a coil hose, it curls into a tight spiral like a spring, making it much easier – and more attractive – to store and use.

Store Your Garden Hose Properly

A garden hose reel is one of the best ways to store your garden hose It keeps the hose off the ground where it can rot or be damaged by lawn mowers and garden tools. Rolling your hose up on a reel also drains the water from it, which helps lengthen its useful life by preventing bacteria and mold growth inside the hose.

If you’re in a rocky relationship with the wrong garden hose it’s time to go shopping and find a hose that will make your life easier.