I have 15 mil irrigation drip tape on my caneberries. Is it safe to just leave them over winter in zone 7? They are covered in straw mulch, and I can probably drain at least the mainlines easily enough.
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Here in Z6 I leave it all winter. Open the end and blow it out with one of those little inflator tools for an air mattress and it’ll be fine.
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I use drip tubing around 45 mil. I will leave it out as is for the winter. Zone 5.
I ran a nursery in the past and we had 500 acres of drip lines and we never took in for the winter or winterized the tubing itself. We’d leave it out sometimes for 6 years.
Tape can be as thin as 7 mil I believe, which is almost use one time and throw it away. We used tape up to 25 mil and the crows and other critters would tear it up badly. The drip tubing is much more durable.
The tape generally drains out and some water is forced out when you blow the mains and sub mains. Can’t say we ever gave the tape or tubing a second thought. Ever.
I will drain my personal filters and any ball valves left in the open position and drained or they will break without question.
Poly gives and can handle some ice expansion.
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Good info. The hard part is the vegetable area because I don’t plant in the exact same configuration every year. I’m gonna have to try to think of some modular way to take it down anyway, but at least for my blackberries, I just wanted to leave it down.