What is the best way to water?

There are a number of ways to supply water to rosebushes. The most traditional is with hoses and sprinklers, available at garden centers and hardware stores. The equipment for overhead watering with sprinklers is less expensive than that for drip irrigation, but overhead watering takes much more water and can promote fungal disease. Because of increasing concern about water conservation, many people are turning to drip irrigation, which is the most efficient way to water. Drip irrigation uses less water than overhead watering since the water is applied only to the ground where it can be absorbed by the roots. Drip irrigation also prevents foliage and flowers from getting wet, thus protecting them from diseases and water damage. There are two major kinds of drip systems: emitters and soaker hoses. An emitter system consists of a rigid main tubing interspersed with small holes from which flexible narrow tubes called emitters extend. The ends of the emitters are capped with small nozzles ... more