Gardeners debate irrigation systems versus hand-watering, and I see benefits on both sides. In our cut flower garden located outside the kitchen window I’ve included drip hoses that coil among the plantings and connect to a one-to-four hose adapter. I connect the garden hose, turn on the faucet, and while that garden is drinking, I move to the front gardens where I drag a hose behind me to hydrate those plantings. Alas, more than once while pulling on a seventy-five-foot hose, I’ve managed to crush a plant or two back at the twenty-five-foot spot. The problem is easily resolved using hose guides, but have you checked the prices of metal ones that will last season after season? Here’s my cost-competitive solution which you can adapt and share with no royalty payments to me.
These are simple to make. The cost per guide is less than $10 if I considered my labor as free for this project. Note that I found plastic guides for less money but doubted they would perform for more than a season or two, and I did not care for their appearance.
What parts did I use?
I ordered cast iron ball finials from Steel Supply (stock number #108573). This finial accepts a half inch rod.
I purchased half inch rebar from the concrete section of the local building supply. Rebar comes in various lengths, and with my truck I could handle the ten-foot sections. If you can’t haul a piece that long, or if you do not have tools to cut the rebar shorter pieces are available. You may pay more for shorter sections, but at least the project can move forward.
I have cut rebar with a hacksaw when my tool collection was sparse but prefer the angle grinder and a cut-off wheel. I suppose I might have used a metal-cutting blade in my reciprocating saw for this also, but the angle grinder was first choice.
Work with metal safely.
If you not worked with metal (or if you have and need a refresher) understand that metal flakes and metal splinters love fleshy fingers and moist eyeballs. Protect yourself. The sparks flying from the cutoff wheel are HOT and WILL BURN skin. The newly cut rod is also hot and should you pick it up you will likely drop it quickly.
- Wear safety glasses or a face shield.
- Pop in a pair of ear plugs.
- I don’t have a leather apron so I wore jeans and boots. Metal cutting exercises are no place for shorts, flip-flops, or bare skin.
- Lastly, I donned gloves.
How did I make these guides?
- Clamp the rebar to a suitable work platform such as the WorkMate I used here. If someone is available to help, enlist them but outfit them with the same safety measures.
- Cut the rebar into two-foot sections.
- Use a bench grinder or file to remove any jagged spots on the ends.
- Use a bench grinder to smooth some of the roughness off two inches of one end of each section. I ground the first rod down too far and the finial easily slips on and off but that’s OK. Gravity will keep it in place in the garden. For the other four the fit was snug.
- Tap the rebar into the finial. I inserted the rebar about a half inch, turned the guide upside down and tapped the ball against the work bench until the rebar seated properly.
- Now pound the hose guide into the ground in your intended locations leaving eight to ten inches above ground to catch the hose.
Steel Supply warns that “cast iron and steel products will rust if not covered.” So will rebar. I did not paint or finish these guides, and some rust appeared overnight due to a storm.. Hopefully the look will allow the guide to “disappear” into the landscape. Besides, painting these would generate a maintenance item in future seasons to re-sand and repaint. Nobody’s got time for that when there’s gardening to do.
Here is my primary reason for gardening. I do my best to show my love to her by fulfilling her garden whimsies. Shawn is happy with the hose guides and likes the look. I am happy because I constructed five for the price of one store-bought unit. DIY rocks! By the end of summer we will know how functional these are, and I can make as many as we need for future garden beds.
My thanks to Shawn Rae Nichols for her photography work and to the crew at Steel Supply in Houston, Texas for their quick-turnaround getting the finials into my shop. Hope this post brings you more business, guys!