For watering many hanging baskets while conserving water and reducing labor, which irrigation system is best?

• A. hydroponics
• B. drip irrigation
• C. rain water collection
• D. sprinkler nozzle

Answer: (B)

Drip irrigation is best because it delivers water exactly where the plant roots need it, using small emitters placed in or near each hanging basket. This targeted, slow watering means much less water is lost to evaporation and runoff, and it avoids soaking the foliage, which helps prevent disease in crowded, hanging plants. The system can be run from a single line to many baskets and controlled with a timer, dramatically reducing labor compared with manual watering.

Other options don’t fit as well. A hydroponic setup isn’t about watering baskets in typical landscapes; it’s a different growing method. Rainwater collection is a water source idea and could feed a drip system, but by itself it isn’t an irrigation method. Sprinkler nozzles spray overhead, wasting water and wetting foliage, and are unreliable for evenly covering many hanging baskets.