SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

I have a Rain Bird system that was installed about 7 years ago. I'm getting ready to put a raised garden in my back year that will sit over an existing pop-up sprinkler head (the garden bed is going to be about 4'x8' and the existing head will be in the front left corner). I'm wondering what my options are here? I'd really like to just put a drip line on that one head and keep all the other heads in that zone as-is since they are needed mainly because there are heads on risers on the side of my house that water the shrubs and the grass. However, all the retro-fit kits I've researched say that all heads need to be converted or capped. This zone is in my backyard and is about 10 feet below my zone 1 and 2 in my front yard (the sides of my house are on a steep grade). My control box has the ability for 12 zones, but when I open it, it looks like theirs only one module in there for zone 1-4. So, I don't know how feasible it would be to add a zone myself. Any advice? I figure, worst case scenario, I can add a riser to the head now (so it's flush with the top of my raised garden bed), but I wouldn't want to keep the same pop up head in there since it would just spray the leaves of my vegetables...which is not ideal.

Thank you for the reply. Do you know what type of head or kit I could use? I see rain bird makes several drip conversion kits. However I know those are regulated. Would that matter? If so, I also see a rain bird 6 port free flow manifiold that is unregulated. Would this be a better solution? Thanks again.

Hi Wet_Boots - Thank you again for the reply and for the advice on forum etiquette. With regards to your reply, are you offering two different solutions (one being the rain bird retro fit kit and one being the "old school" drip method)? To add to my original post, I am looking to install some type of drip irrigation for my raised garden, which is the one downstream/downhill from the valves. That will have probably about 12 different types of vegetable plants. Again, this is on a zone that needs to still have regular heads (some pop-up and some heads attached to risers). Which system do you think would be the best here? Can you explain the "old school" method in a littler further detail (do I need a special filter, regulator and/or head)?

Also, if I can do it, I was thinking of adding some type of drip irrigation to my rose bushes which are level with the valves on my property, and the head is currently just a spray head on a riser. This zone also has pop-ups that need to stay. I was just thinking that rose bushes would benefit from a more targeted flow of water since currently the head that waters them now tends to spray the tops of the bushes (which isn't ideal for roses). Since this one is not downstream, is there a kit or parts that would work best here?

In both cases and if at all possible, I don't want to have to over water my other plants on these zones by putting a low flow drip line (e.g. most emitters I see say they're like 1-2 GPH -- keeping my system on for 30mins-1hour would be overkill for my other plants on those same zones with pop-up and spray heads). So, any other advice on what you think would work best for either or both cases would be greatly appreciated. If there's certain links to products or kits on the website that will work, just include the links or product names.

Thanks again for all of your help!