For plants on the plot, moisture is needed. It will be better if it comes to the roots constantly and in metered amounts. For this, there is a drip irrigation device. Difficulties with the installation of the system in the future relieve of heavy and inefficient physical labor. This can be judged by the numerous reviews of gardeners. Many are satisfied with this exemption from hard manual labor. In addition to watering, in the country there are many other things. It is tempting to replace hard and painstaking work with relaxation.
There are many types of devices and irrigation systems. They can be made or assembled with your own hands, as well as attract specialists.
Pros and cons of drip irrigation
Drop water supply has many advantages.
- The flow of water directly under the stem, which allows you to simultaneously fertilize with moisture.
- Saving of working time and physical forces of a summer resident. Having mounted the system once, you can not do manual irrigation during the whole season.
- Exclusion of the possibility of drying out the soil. Its moisture is always sufficient for the necessary plant growth.
- The system is applied to any plants as it is universal.
- The ability to choose the best option for irrigation of beds.
Among the shortcomings can be noted the costs of the component parts of the drip irrigation device: accessories, hoses, tapes, dosing water pump, filter, etc. The system must be constantly monitored, periodically remove contaminants, check the flow of water, the operation of the valves, etc. The installation is volatile and requires constant availability of electricity.
Drop watering: device and principle of operation
The drip irrigation system delivers moisture directly to the roots, which saves water and prevents damage to the aerial parts of plants. Water slowly enters at certain periods or continuously, which allows you to maintain a given level of soil moisture, which has a beneficial effect on garden crops.
Do-it-yourself drip irrigation: where to start?
First, a drip irrigation scheme is drawn on paper, where all points of irrigation, the location of the water source and capacity are indicated. The step between rows of stands is measured. According to the finished sizes, you can easily calculate the number of communications.
If a pump is installed, its location can be any, but when watering by gravity, the capacity is set closer to the plants.
Drip hoses or tapes are laid on the beds. They have built in special droppers to supply water to plants.
Before assembling the drip irrigation system, it is necessary that there are all accessories for irrigation. If you have experience, it is advisable to choose them yourself, since watering kits are more expensive.
- Water tank - barrel or tank.
- The main distribution manifold of the water supply, from which it is supplied to the branches.
- Drip hose or tape.
- Valves connecting drip tapes to the collector.
Metal containers are not recommended, as corrosion will clog the system. If this cannot be avoided, the drip irrigation device should contain high-quality filtration.
Drip hoses
Hoses are sold in bays. Their feature is the supply of the same amount of water throughout the length of the bed, even if the terrain is uneven. The maximum length of watering is selected from the calculation so that the unevenness at the beginning and end of the hose does not exceed 10-15%. For one season, drip irrigation of the garden is sufficient to use tapes with a wall thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm. They are laid only from above.
Thick-walled (up to 0.8 mm) will last 3-4 seasons. They can also be used for underground installation. The diameter of the tapes is 12-22 mm (common size is 16 mm). Rigid tubes last up to 10 seasons. Their diameter is 14-25 mm.
Through one dropper, the water flow is:
- hose - 0.6-8 l / h;
- thin-walled tape - 0.25-2.9 l / h;
- thick-walled tape - 2-8 l / h.
To control the flow, a drip irrigation valve is connected to a hose or drip tape.
On average, for 1 plant it is necessary to take 1 liter of water per day, for bushes - 5 liters, for a tree - 10 liters. The data are indicative, but suitable for determining the total flow. To be more precise, when drip irrigation is carried out, 1.5 l is required for 1 bush of tomatoes, 2 l for cucumbers, 2.5 l for potatoes and cabbage. 20-25% of the stock is added to the result and the desired tank volume is determined.
The distance between the droppers depends on the frequency of planting and can be from 10 to 100 cm. Each of them has one or two exits. The flow rate may remain the same, but in the latter case, the depth decreases and the irrigation area increases. On a bed in 4 rows, dropper spiders are installed with a distribution of up to 4 plants.
Droppers
Droppers can be installed on plastic pipes. They are produced in several types:
- with a fixed flow rate;
- adjustable - with manual adjustment of irrigation intensity;
- uncompensated - the intensity of water supply decreases towards the end of the bed;
- compensated - with a membrane and a special valve, creating a constant pressure head during pressure fluctuations in the water supply;
- type "spider" - with distribution to several plants.
External droppers are inserted into a plastic pipe in which holes are pierced with an awl.
Filtration
Special attention is paid to the treatment of irrigation water. Coarse filtration is done first, and then fine. Droppers get clogged up with dirty water.
Assignment of fittings
The system can simply be assembled if you use special fittings for drip irrigation.
- Start connectors for attaching a drip tape to a plastic water supply. They are made with a rubber band or compression nut. In the PND pipe, holes are drilled with a drill on a tree with a centering spike and start-connectors with or without taps are tightly inserted. Regulation of water flow is required if certain zones consume it less than others or for alternate irrigation of different sections.
- Angle or tee fittings for drip irrigation are used to connect tapes to a flexible garden hose. They are also used for its branching or for turns. Fittings seats are made in the form of ruffs, which ensures tight fastening of the tubes.
- A repair fitting is used in case of breakage or for lengthening a drip tape. With its help, its ends are connected.
- The cap is installed at the ends of the drip tape.
Installation of an irrigation system from thin-walled tapes
Distributing polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 4 cm are connected to the garden water supply. This diameter is best suited for installing a start connector - a special tap for drip irrigation, which serves to attach a perforated drip tape to the pipe.
It is made with a small thickness and is assembled using fittings. Holes are made at regular intervals. The drip tape is put on the tap with an interference fit, and then is additionally fixed with a plastic nut. At the ends, the sleeves are closed with caps, sealed or tucked.
The disadvantage is the low strength of the material of the tape, which is easily damaged by rodents and insects. According to other indicators, the system shows itself only on the positive side.
Mounting the system with tubes and integrated droppers
The system is characterized by high strength and significantly greater durability. It consists of a hose in which cylindrical droppers are integrated at regular intervals. The tube can be placed on the surface of the soil, mounted on supports, suspended on a wire or buried in the ground.
Water under pressure flows from the tank through the system and is smoothly distributed, coming from small holes. It is important that the tank is at a height of 1-1.5 m from the surface of the earth. The gardener only needs to fill it in a timely manner, after which the liquid enters the plants under the influence of gravity.
How to water cucumbers?
In industrial systems, drip irrigation of cucumbers is carried out with the supply of water to each plant. The depth of the location of the roots is 15-20 cm and tensiometers are installed there to control the humidity. For gardeners, improvised means made of plastic bottles are suitable. They are installed on the bottom or with a closed plug in the ground. The top should be open to fill with water.
- The first way. A dropper is made from a used rod from a ballpoint pen. It is washed with a solvent from the remnants of the paste and drown out from the end with a match. At the end, a puncture is made in half the thickness of the rod. A homemade dropper is inserted into the puncture made from the bottom of the bottle at a height of 15-20 cm. Then the containers are filled with water and set near the bushes so that moisture gets to the root.
- The second way. Holes are made in the bottle along the entire height, departing from the bottom by 3-5 cm. Then it is buried upside down to a depth of 20 cm. The cork is unscrewed and the container is filled with water through the upper part. The bottle can be buried with its neck down, having previously cut the bottom, through which it is subsequently convenient to fill it with water. To prevent holes from clogging the ground, the bottles are wrapped on the outside with needle-punched fabric used as a cover material for greenhouses.
- The third way. Bottles filled with water can be suspended above the ground, piercing the holes in the cap.
Bottle drip irrigation of cucumbers is convenient due to the economy, since there is no need to spend money on materials. The disadvantage is the complexity of installation in large areas. The process of filling with water is troublesome, and the holes are often clogged with soil. Despite this, you can see the benefits of the drip method. Reviews say that in small greenhouses it is quite effective.
It is more convenient to make a full-fledged watering of cucumbers in large greenhouses through a centralized system with branded droppers.
Drip Irrigation Devices: Automation
Autowatering requires funds for equipment, but as a result a lot of time will be saved and the crop will offset the costs. The most important component of the system is a controller or timer that does not require human intervention. The latter sets only the frequency and duration of irrigation. The timer can be electromechanical or electric. The controller can set the irrigation program, which takes into account the pressure in the system, sets the irrigation cycles by day and takes into account humidity and temperature.
For simple systems, the drip irrigation scheme provides for a single-channel device, and in a complex scheme, the number of channels may be required. Judging by the reviews, experienced gardeners prefer to use several simple timers that work on separate programs.
In order not to depend on the energy source, it is advisable to purchase devices that operate on several finger batteries.
Automatic drip irrigation from the water supply often requires a pump. Its power must match the consumption. The mechanism should be simple, not very noisy and resistant to chemical compounds, which are often used as fertilizers in the system.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that surface irrigation is the most common, the absence of sometimes favorable conditions for it, water scarcity and energy saving lead to the need to use one or another drip irrigation device. The choice in this case depends on the climate, landscape, types of cultivated crops and other factors.
It is important to correctly design and install the drip irrigation system in order to reduce the likelihood of failures and not waste time on repair and maintenance work.