Why bury it?

Tubing that crosses lawn should be buried to avoid damage from a mower. Burying the tubing will hide it from view and will keep people from tripping over it.

An extra benefit is that irrigation systems tubing underground is protected from the sun and will last longer. If you have the right tool, burying a drip irrigation line goes quickly and is easy enough to be fun.

Gophers or other ground-dwelling rodents may chew on the tubing. If they do, get rid of the pests or use heavier rigid PVC pipe, available from plumbing shops, on the buried sections of drip irrigation systems.

First step

Lay out the tubing on the lawn and make all connections, including the connection to the timer and faucet. The installation should be working and complete before you begin burying the tubing.

You can leave the irrigation systems tubing above ground as it crosses garden beds or passes trees or you can bury it completely. But you can only bury drippers if they have a length of tubing attached that exits above ground level. Otherwise, dirt may end up in the dripper.

Plan your drain

Drip irrigation systems tubing underground may freeze in cold weather. Plan on draining the entire length of tubing to avoid breakage of solid plastic connectors, drippers and fittings. Since you will no longer be able to pick up one end and drain the tubing, you should find the low point along the tubing and attach a Tee and a 4" length of tubing as a drain.

Dig a 8" diameter hole around the drip irrigation drain and fit a 6" plastic plant pot or similar container upside down over the tee and drain. You will have to cut slots in the pot to clear the tubing. The bottom of the pot should be flush with the lawn and visible so it is easy to find and open to drain the system. If possible, place the drain off the lawn by adding a tee and an extension of tubing that drains the irrigation systems away from the lawn.

Digging

The best tool to use is an edging tool which is a shovel handle with a flat half circle of steel at the cutting edge. Score the lawn about 4" deep on one side of the tubing and then score from the opposite side. The trench only needs to be about 3" wide.

Move the drip irrigation tubing to one side and use the edging tool to lift out the cut lawn in long strips. Keep the strips close to where they are lifted out. Move the tubing into the trench and cover it with the strips of lawn. Press down with your shoe to flatten the lawn strips.

The strips of lawn will regrow and gradually disappear unless the weather is very hot and dry in which case, it's best to water the lawn at the strips.