What You Need to Attach a Soaker Hose to a Garden Hose

Sometimes you need to connect a soaker hose to a water source that’s too far away, or you’ve got two garden beds on soaker hoses that need to link up. Either way, you’re probably wondering: can you attach a soaker hose to a garden hose?

Yes, you can. All it takes is a coupling or connector that fits both hoses. Once it’s on, water runs straight through from one hose to the other, giving your plants a steady, even stream. If you want more on how a soaker hose compares to a regular garden hose, or you’re still shopping for the right garden hose to pair it with, we’ve got guides for both.

What is a Soaker Hose?

Getting water to plant roots is trickier than it sounds. A soaker hose solves that: it’s made from porous material that lets water seep out slowly and evenly along its whole length, so roots get a steady supply of moisture without soaking the leaves and stems.

You can run a soaker hose around individual plants or small beds, or loop it around the perimeter of a larger garden. Either way, it delivers water right where roots need it.

Using Water Efficiently With a Soaker Hose

Soaker hoses conserve water because they put it directly where plants need it, right at the roots, instead of spraying it everywhere.

One catch: soaker hoses release water along their entire length. That’s great when you’ve got plants the whole way down, but not so great if part of that stretch doesn’t need watering at all.

That’s exactly where connecting a garden hose to your soaker hose comes in handy.

How to Connect a Soaker Hose to a Garden Hose

You’ll connect the two hoses with a coupling or connector, and the type you need depends on your situation. There are two scenarios you’re likely facing:

1) You Have a Full-Length Soaker Hose With Both Fittings Intact

Here’s a soaker hose with fittings still attached, for reference:

Here’s one without the fittings:

If your soaker hose already has intact fittings and both hoses are the same diameter, connecting them can be as simple as screwing the garden hose’s male end into the soaker hose’s female end.

If you’ve already searched for a fix online, though, it’s probably not that simple. Maybe both your soaker hose fittings are male, or you need to join two male ends together.

In that case, you need a coupling that turns a male fitting into a female one, but measure first, before you buy anything.

Measuring Your Garden and Soaker Hose Diameter

Most residential hoses use 5/8″ fittings, though some run 3/4″ or 1/2″. To measure your garden and soaker hose diameter, follow these steps:

1. Take a thick piece of paper, like bond paper or an index card, and roll it into a tube small enough to fit inside your hose opening. Push it in deep enough to reach the rubber part of the hose.

2. Pull the paper back out without letting it lose its shape where it touched the rubber. A piece of tape on the tube helps hold that shape.

3. Measure the widest part of the paper tube with a ruler or measuring tape. That’s your hose size.

Garden Hose Couplings

Once you know both hose sizes, you can buy the right coupling.

Need to join two male fittings? You’ll want a coupling like this:

If it’s the opposite situation and you need to turn a female fitting into a male one, a coupling like this:

One thing to note: if your soaker hose is a lot smaller than your garden hose (under 1/2″ diameter), you’ll also want a pressure regulator alongside your coupling. Here’s one that could work, if it’s the right size for your hoses:

A Useful Video on Attaching a Soaker Hose to Garden Hose

2) You Have a Soaker Hose Without Fittings

The second scenario: your soaker hose doesn’t have male or female fittings at all.

In that case, you’ll need a compression fitting you insert directly into the end of the soaker hose. The other side threads onto your garden hose. Here’s one that would work, if it’s the right size.

Pro tip: to make the compression fitting easier to insert, boil some water and dip the end of your soaker hose in it for a minute. The heat softens the rubber so it slips onto the fitting more easily.

Not Finding the Right Size Hose Couplings?

If you’re struggling to find the right size, cut the fitting off the end of your garden or soaker hose with scissors and refit it.

You can do that with this type of coupler:

Now you’ve got everything you need to connect a garden hose to a soaker hose. Just double check your hose and fitting sizes before you buy anything.

Happy gardening!