How To Install A Drip Irrigation System

By Andrea Davidson


As the name describes it, drip irrigation system is a way of watering plants which allows water to drip slowly onto the soil or deep into root zone. This kind of irrigation method was created because of the need to control the amount of water taken up by plants. Too much water for plants causes them to be water logged and the will not grow while little water causes the vegetation to wither.

The drip is able to take water into the soil or roots through pipes, tubing, emitters and valves. But before setting up this structure, a person needs to set out a clear plan for the watering process. The individual has to consider the size of farm or garden and vegetation being grown if they can be watered using this method.

One important thing that a person needs to come up with is planting zones. This is because different crops need different amount of water therefore these zones will help a person create a timer for different sections and offer water to the plants as per their requirement. Example of zones include; front lawns, rear lawns, trees, shrubs, containers, food gardens and many other sectors. With the examples, one can see the need to have different sectors because of different water requirement.

After determining the various sectors, an individual then decides on the location of irrigation controllers will be located. It is usually advisable to have automatic valves with this drip watering method and these valves are usually controlled by the irrigation controllers. These gadgets can be stored inside the house or outside connected with control wires which run from controller location to the valves.

After the main line has been set up installation of the lateral lines then follows. Lateral lines consist of small tubes running from main line to the planting zones. Once this is done, the emitters are then installed and they transmit water in gph. One should ensure that vegetation in same sector get amount of water in gph.

Once all the connections have been made and cross checked to be alright, an individual can now turn on the water. The person can use clamps to attach the lines onto the ground. Among the many benefits of this technique is the obvious fact that it reduces loss of nutrients and fertilizer that would otherwise be seen when watering other ways. The other benefits include low cost of labor, decreased soil erosion among other advantages.

As we all know, no man made item is perfect. Therefore there are certain disadvantages of this process. First is the high initial cost of set up, clogging of pipes and tubes can also be experienced especially if system is not well maintained. There is also the problem of rodents entering the pipes. But these issues can be minimized by maintaining the structure well and regular checking of normal functioning.

As seen above, planning is crucial in ensuring a successful set up of drip irrigation system. An individual should also have a checklist and go through it in the end just to ensure everything is in order. For people wondering what kind of crops and plants can be grown using this technique there is a wide variety ranging from cereals, vegetables, spices, nuts to flowers and shrubs.




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