The first step in planning a drip or micro sprinkler system is determining out the watering zones. To do this you must take inventory of the available water supplies as well identify their location.
Start by making a sketch of the areas that you want to water. Make sure that you note the locations of trees, shrubs and ground cover. List your plants by categories. Based on the plant sizes, category and concentration, determine the necessary dripper flow rates and the micro sprinklers coverage. Show the site's water sources, retaining walls and paved areas. This will require measuring the area that you wish to water. We recommend using graph paper with 1/4" squares. This will make drawing to scale easier. 1/4" = 1 foot scale is usually appropriate for residential landscapes.
Using drip irrigation, water is applied at a point source directly to the root zone. The water moved by the forces of gravity (downwards) and capillary action (outwards) producing a wetted pattern characteristic of the soil type.

To determine which type of soil you have in a given area, take a handful of dry soil, grip tightly and release. Sandy (coarse) soil will crumble and fall apart, loam (medium) Will hold together but easily break apart and clay will mold without breaking.

Lengend:

small shrubs, flowers and groundcover

vegetable gardens

potted plants

trees and large shrubs