DALLAS – Rain barrel-making and efficient home drip irrigation will be addressed during a workshop to be conducted by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center’s Pavilion Building, 17360 Coit Road in Dallas.

“This is a very hands-on workshop,” said Dr. Dotty Woodson, AgriLife Extension water resources program specialist at Dallas. “Participants will actually construct a 55-gallon rain barrel and learn how to fit it with an efficient gravity fed drip irrigation watering system.”

Woodson, who will teach the class, said the barrels are 2 feet wide by 3 feet high, and asked the participants to bring vehicles large enough to haul the barrels home.

“Rainwater is good for the landscape, container and indoor plants, terrariums, aquariums, birdbaths, fish ponds and any other application where clean, salt-free water is needed,” Woodson said. “Our rainwater here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is slightly acidic which most plants prefer. It’s also salt and chlorine-free and as clean as the surface the rain runs off .”

Woodson said the barrels are meant to collect rainwater from a downspout or roof valley where the rainwater is filtered through insect netting upon entering the barrel. The netting removes debris and controls mosquitoes. The barrel is fitted with a faucet that supplies gravity-fed water to a soaker hose, drip tubing with emitters or 1/4 inch in-line emitter tubing.

Cost for each rain barrel is $40 and includes the barrel and necessary materials.

Go to http://dallas.tamu.edu to register for the class before Oct. 17.

For more information contact Woodson at 972-952-9216, d-woodson@tamu.edu  .

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