Here are a few good investments to make for your garden - with emphasis on how you go about watering your garden. It all begins with a garden hose, and believe me, you may as well start out with good quality from the beginning. Why? Because the best kind of investment is the one you only have to make once! If you buy too cheap a water hose, you may find that it kinks too easily, restricting the water flow and eventually weakening the hose to the point of breaking. When that happens, you have to go and buy a new one. Even if the hose was cheaper than a quality hose, once you have to buy it twice - it probably isn't. So get the good stuff first time - get a heavy duty garden hose and enjoy using it for years - even decades.
So what describes a heavy duty garden hose? The quality of the material, the number of layers - or ply's - of material and the reinforcement. A good hose is a 4 to 5 ply hose, made of reaonably thick material and with one or more layers of synthetic fiber reinforcement. Some hoses have a built in spring relief around where they connect to the faucet, preventing kinks at that spot. You should expect to be able to use a garden hosepipe like this with high water pressure - the reinforcement should take care of that. Also, weather resistance should be one of the traits of a good hose. It may sound strange, as all garden hoses are made to transport water, but things made of plastic have a tendency to decay when exposed to constant sunlight, and rubber hoses may rot over time. As you can see, you may be able to increase the life span of your hose, depending on what sort of treatment you offer it.
While you are at it, why not match your hose with some other good quality watering equipment? A good heavy duty hose reel will last you a long time, and these can be as simple as wall mounted reels made of stainless steel or other durable material. A retractable garden hose reel could be a good idea, as it makes it easier for you to store your hose when you are not using it - which adds to its longevity. Also, while plastic garden hose fittings are cheap and cheerful, and will fit the needs of most gardeners; there is no doubt in my mind that brass garden hose fittings provide that extra bit of toughness - that it is actually worth it. Brass does not break the way plastic does. Accidentally drop your spade with its sharp end on a brass fitting, and it will keep on keeping on. So will a heavy duty garden hose, by the way. Did I tell you to get one of those?
So what describes a heavy duty garden hose? The quality of the material, the number of layers - or ply's - of material and the reinforcement. A good hose is a 4 to 5 ply hose, made of reaonably thick material and with one or more layers of synthetic fiber reinforcement. Some hoses have a built in spring relief around where they connect to the faucet, preventing kinks at that spot. You should expect to be able to use a garden hosepipe like this with high water pressure - the reinforcement should take care of that. Also, weather resistance should be one of the traits of a good hose. It may sound strange, as all garden hoses are made to transport water, but things made of plastic have a tendency to decay when exposed to constant sunlight, and rubber hoses may rot over time. As you can see, you may be able to increase the life span of your hose, depending on what sort of treatment you offer it.
While you are at it, why not match your hose with some other good quality watering equipment? A good heavy duty hose reel will last you a long time, and these can be as simple as wall mounted reels made of stainless steel or other durable material. A retractable garden hose reel could be a good idea, as it makes it easier for you to store your hose when you are not using it - which adds to its longevity. Also, while plastic garden hose fittings are cheap and cheerful, and will fit the needs of most gardeners; there is no doubt in my mind that brass garden hose fittings provide that extra bit of toughness - that it is actually worth it. Brass does not break the way plastic does. Accidentally drop your spade with its sharp end on a brass fitting, and it will keep on keeping on. So will a heavy duty garden hose, by the way. Did I tell you to get one of those?
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