Unlike the rotating sprinklers that water a large portion of your garden at one time, Drip Irrigation systems are strategically placed to water only the roots of the plants you intend to grow. In this way, water is conserved as is time and money.
Using a
network of tubing (flexible or hard PVC types), soaker hoses, and drippers,
each plant will slowly receive water thus reducing the amount of evaporation
that occurs with mass-application sprinklers. It also eliminates stress on
plants because of variations in the moisture in the soil.
I opted
for flexible tubing, which I buried around the perimeter of my raised
beds. I used t-shaped fittings on the
outside edges of each bed. This created
a way to add a line directly into each bed, plus continue the flow of water to
the next one.
From
each t-shaped fitting I added a hose that ran into the bed from which I could
insert barbed fittings to which I could attach solid hosing or soaker hoses. At
the end of the solid hoses, I used either pressure compensating drip emitters
which ran a continuous drip of 1 – 2 gallons per hour to a particular place or
a sprayer for under bushes or trees.
If you
are planting rows of vegetables, such as corn, carrots, or peas the alternative
is using PVC piping and drilling evenly spaced holes along the length of the
pipe.
Setting
up your irrigation system is not rocket science, and you can make it as easy or
as complex as you want. But, I suggest
you think through your plan first. Draw it out on a piece of paper before you purchase
a thing. Be prepared to be overwhelmed
with the amount of choices at your local hardware store—selections such as hose
diameter, sprinkler types, and variations of emitters. It took me studying my
layout and what was at the store several times before coming away with the best
solution for my garden.
The
other alternative, depending on the size of your garden are the pre-packaged
kits that include enough equipment for several beds. Review the contents carefully to assure they
will work into your plan, or you’ll find you’re spending more on top of the
cost of the kit.
Your turn: Have you ever used a drip system? What did you like about it . . . or not?
No comments:
Post a Comment