A soaker hose is a unique way of gradually dripping water onto thirsty plants.
They are ideal for keeping on whilst you are at work during hotter weather or even overnight to really soak the ground.
Soaker Hoses are also great for establishing younger plants or hedges.
Here we have a selection of the Best Soaker Hose Pipes!
(Looking for regular hose pipes? Check out our guide to the best garden hose here)
Hozelock Soaker Hose
Available in 10m, 15m or 25m, the Hozelock Soaker Hoze by reputable brand Hozelock comes with a fantastic 2 year manufacturers warranty. It is supplied with connectors so that you can join it up to other soaker hoses – ideal if you have a large garden and want to cover more ground. The Hozelock Soaker Hose can also be buried under the soil in your garden, this helps the water get down to the roots of the plants even more. If water is dispersed purely onto the surface of the ground and then dries up, it won’t be too effective. By burying it, you really are making the most of the water.
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Hydrosure Garden Soaker Hose
Available in 15m or 50m lenths, this hose is high quality and comes supplied with connectors. A nice benefit of the Hydrosure Soaker Hose is that it is made from recycled tyres! This is lovely to see and helps to reduce carbon footprint and to be more environmentally friendly. The manufacturer guidelines state it can be placed a maximum of 15cm underground – this is great for deep rooted plants in beds and will help reduce the amount of water you use compared with a regular hosepipe.
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Porous Pipe Soaker Hose 25m
This soaker hose is made in the UK and is made from recycled materials! It is 25m in length which is great for small-medium sized gardens. It comes supplied with connectors to connect it to your existing hozelock hose pipe (also works with other brands) so if you already own a hose pipe then you should have everything you need to use this hose and get started immediately.
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15m Porous Soaker Hose Pipe
This budget-range soaker hose is a great price and comes supplied with connectors. It does a good job of watering the beds and borders. However, please be aware that this is an entry-level budget range soaker hose, so will not compare to the quality of say the Hozelock soaker hose pipe.
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Karcher Soaker Hose
Well-known manufacturer of high quality water products, Karcher, have produced a high quality soaker hose! Available in lengths of 10m or 25m to suit the needs of your garden. This particular soaker hose will require the purchase of a few extra components to get it working (if you don’t already have them). It is part of the Karcher Rain Irrigation System which has a large variety of products to create an immense watering paradise.
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Gardena Soaker Hose
Gardena make some of the highest quality hose pipes available in the world – a bit like the Rolls Royce of hose pipes! This 15m soaker hose is very high quality and comes supplied with Gardena connectors which can also connect to existing Gardena or Hozelock products. To highlight how good the quality is, it comes with a 2 year manufacturers guarantee – so you can trust it will last a while without any concern.
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Benefits of Soaker Hose Pipes:
- They use up to 70% less water than a conventional hose – this is because the soaker hoses gradually drip the water either onto the surface of the soil right next to the plants or straight under ground if is buried.
When using a conventional hose pipe, the water is often wasted as it goes everywhere uncontrollably when in use! - It is cheaper to operate if you are on a water meter. Houses on water meters are likely to rack up hefty bills when using a hose pipe, a soaker hose can help reduce water bills by using significantly less water more effectively than a conventional hose.
- If you bury the hose in the garden, you don’t have to worry about reeling it in or storing it, simply plug it onto the tap and turn on when you need to use it!
- Great for people with borders, beds or hedges in particular.
- When several lengths are joined together with connectors and positioned correctly, it can provide a watering solution for your entire garden, even if it is a massive garden!
Why not to use a soaker hose:
- Soaker hoses wont be good for general or pot-based watering. They are primarily designed to stay in situ around a specific area or part of the garden.
- A regular conventional hose pipe will have more uses such as watering pots, the grass, the car, filling up the pond or swimming pool.
Soaker Hose FAQ:
What is the difference between a soaker hose and a regular garden hose?
A soaker hose is a special type of hose pipe that contains a number of holes or “slashes” along its length allowing a slow release of water. It is ideal for borders, hedges and beds to provide a consistent level of water throughout the day/night.
It utilises less water than a regular hose as it is more accurate so can save money on water bills.
A regular garden hose does not do what a soaker hose does, but you can provide water all around the garden and direct it rather than be fixed to one location like a soaker hose.
Do you need anything else when you buy a soaker hose?
- Pegs – due to the nature of their design and how they are made, soaker hoses will require some form of pegs to stop them from moving around. You can pick these up quite cheaply on Amazon.
- Connectors – make sure you have the right connectors before buying a soaker hose – ideally you want an existing hose pipe or length of hose to run from your tap and join up with the soaker hose at the point where you want to start watering your garden. If the soaker hose is attached directly to the tap, you will have water seeping out of it right there rather than next to the plants!
What is a soaker hose used for?
- Gradual seeping of water through a hose length with holes in, this ensures water goes directly to where the hose length is situated.
- Ideal for hedges, establishing new plants, borders and beds. Also great for warmer weather when you are concerned that your plants may not be getting enough water throughout the day, a soaker hose can help. By using a soaker hose you don’t risk things like scorching plant leaves or damaging flower heads when directing water from a regular hose.
How long can a soaker hose be?
This depends on the manufacturers guidelines. But traditionally you shouldn’t go above 50 meters in length. This is because the hose will be so long, the water will find it difficult to reach the very end of the hose length as the water will be seeping out of the previous meters of length.
Does a soaker hose need full water pressure?
No – this is important! If you turn the tap on full for a soaker hose, you will most likely damage the hose or break it completely. It needs low pressure, about half that of a regular hose pipe to allow water to gradually travel down and permeate through the hose length.