This is my first crack at doing drip irrigation and want to get some thoughts on setup.

For a large in-ground perennial bed (200sqft), with mainly newly planted bushes, trees, and smaller perennials, how close to the plant should I put the emitter?

I want to encourage root growth so putting the emitter at the base doesn't seem like the right thing to do. But 6" out, if it doesn't spread, that isn't helpful either. Also, should I do two 1/2gal emitters on each side of the plant, or a single 1 gal?

Right now most of my setup uses 1/2" tube with built-in emitters(18" spacing). Two runs roughly 3' apart but I get an emitter within 12" of each tree. I was hoping to soak the whole area after 2 hours of watering but I don't think that's happening.

If I start using individual emitters... the ones I have cannot be daily chained... should I make a hole in the main line per emitter and run it to the plant with a 1/4" tube? I think I will turn it into spaghetti!

One of the challenges with drip is not knowing if it's "doing anything" until too late. The hoses are covered by mulch so you can't even see how wet the soil is at the emitter.