Both work well. Drip tape runs at low pressure, about 8–15 psi, and needs few hold-downs; emitter tubing runs at about 20–30 psi, has a thicker wall, and puts out more water. On three 4 × 8 ft beds, tape needs 3 h 3 min of watering a week for an inch of water, and emitter tubing 42 min.
Open this example in the Drip Irrigation Planner
What each one is
- Drip tape is thin-walled tubing that lies flat until water fills it, with small outlets (emitters) built in at a set spacing, often 12 in. It's sold on long rolls.
- Emitter tubing (also called dripline) is round 1/2-in tubing with a much thicker wall and emitters built in at a set spacing. The planner assumes 12 in.
Both water the same way, a slow drip right at the roots. The differences are pressure, flow, and how they're held down.
Side by side
| Drip tape | Emitter tubing (1/2 in) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure | about 8–15 psi; can burst above 15 psi (Part I: Drip Tape Irrigation for Cut Flowers) | about 20–30 psi (Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens) |
| Flow the planner assumes | 20.4 gallons per hour per 100 ft (medium-flow tape, emitters 12 in apart; Determining How Long to Run Drip Irrigation Systems for Vegetables) | 90 gallons per hour per 100 ft (0.9 gph emitters 12 in apart; Water Recommendations for Vegetables) |
| Longest single line | about 210 ft on level ground at 10 psi (Part I: Drip Tape Irrigation for Cut Flowers) | no extension figure; the planner uses 200 ft, borrowed from the common 200 ft limit on supply line per zone (Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens). Check the maker's maximum-length chart |
| Filter | 150–200 mesh (Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens) | 200 mesh (the planner's pick from the same range) |
| Hold-downs | a staple about every 20 ft (Part I: Drip Tape Irrigation for Cut Flowers) | a stake about every 2 ft (extension guidance) |
| Regulators with several zones | one per zone, after each zone's valve | one, ahead of all the zones |
Example: the same three beds, both ways
Three 4 × 8 ft beds, planted closely, four lines per bed, 1 in of water a week. The planner gives:
| Drip tape | Emitter tubing | |
|---|---|---|
| Flow, all three beds | 19.6 gph | 86.4 gph |
| Watering time per week | 3 h 3 min | 42 min |
| Water applied per hour | 0.33 in | 1.44 in |
| Regulator | 8–15 psi | 20–30 psi |
| Staples or stakes | 24 | 60 |
| Zones | 1 | 1 |
Both deliver the same 60 gallons a week; emitter tubing just does it about 4.4 times faster. In a small garden that hardly matters. In a big one it does: emitter tubing's higher flow fills a zone's capacity sooner, so the same beds may need more zones. Either way, split the weekly time into two or three waterings so the water soaks in instead of draining past the roots (Determining How Long to Run Drip Irrigation Systems for Vegetables).
Which to choose
- Drip tape suits long, straight beds and gardens where you want the most beds on one zone. It needs a low-pressure regulator, and its thin wall is easy to nick with a hoe or chew through, so many growers treat it as a one- or few-season product.
- Emitter tubing suits raised beds you'll leave set up from year to year. Its thicker wall takes more pressure and more knocks, but it needs more stakes and more flow.
- Whichever you pick, set the regulator to the pressure printed on the product, and check its maximum-length chart if your beds are long.
The planner link below opens the example with emitter tubing. Switch Tubing to drip tape to compare the two on your own beds.
Run your own numbers
The free BedMath Drip Irrigation Planner works this out for your beds, spigot, crops, and tubing, and shows every formula and source. This link opens it with the example above filled in.
Sources
- Utah State University Extension, Part I: Drip Tape Irrigation for Cut Flowers
- Colorado State University Extension, Drip Irrigation for Home Gardens (fact sheet 4.702)
- Penn State Extension, Determining How Long to Run Drip Irrigation Systems for Vegetables
- Utah State University Extension, Water Recommendations for Vegetables
- UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Published 2026-11-03. The numbers in the examples come straight from the planner.