Guide to Choosing Garden Hoses

Every home owner must have a hose. Most require several different hoses to properly maintain their yard and gardens. Length, material, purpose, and usability are the most important factors to consider when choosing garden hoses. Learn how to determine what types to select for your own landscaping needs.

Garden Hoses - Lengths

The first thing to consider when choosing a basic garden hose for your home is length. No matter what size property you have, you must have enough hose to reach the farthest corners of it. A single hose may be acceptable for a small property. The owner of a larger property may choose a longer hose, or use several smaller hoses that attach neatly together. The latter choice may be ideal, since you can also use the hoses separately when a longer reach is not needed.

Garden Hoses - Materials

The choice of hose materials may, at first, seem unimportant. However, it is important to choose a material that suits your needs, and your climate. Most hoses are fashioned from rubber or vinyl. Vinyl is the less expensive choice, but it is not as sturdy and does not stand up to temperature extremes as well. It is recommended for regular watering jobs in temperate climate. In very cold or very hot climates, rubber can be a better choice. Some hoses are reinforced with nylon or even metal.

Garden Hoses - Purposes

While a garden hose's main purpose is transferring water from a spigot to a garden or lawn area, there are many different methods of doing so. A standard garden hose is simply a inpermeable tube through which water will run. For more continuous garden watering, you might choose a soaker hose. These come in two varieties: one has holes in it along the length, the other is made from a material that lets some water seep out.

Garden Hoses - Attachments

The most common diameter of garden hose designed for home use is five-eighths inch. The brass or plastic couplings on most hoses are compatible with each other. All hoses have a male and a female end. This makes it easy to connect them to the home water supply, to each other, and to a variety of sprinklers, handles, and valves. Choosing a variety of attachments for your garden hose is important. Every lawn needs some type of sprinkler. You will also need a trigger or valve-type sprayer, perhaps a higher pressure valve sprayer for cleaning purposes, and a long-handled attachment for hanging plants, cleaning gutters, and watering hard-to-reach garden plants.