Drip irrigation is one of the best ways to save water and all the fertilizers, since it lets the water drip slowly in the roots of the plants. The water directly goes in the root area or the soil. This process of drip irrigation takes place through a set of emitters, pipes, tubing and valves. Drip irrigation is also known as micro-irrigation or trickle-irrigation. Currently the new trend in drip irrigation is the garden drip irrigation. These garden irrigations are used for irrigating flowerpots. There are many advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation as follows:
Advantages:
- It reduces the loss of fertilizers and helps in reducing the leaching process.
- Increases the water efficiency
- There is no necessity of leveling the field.
- Drip irrigation can easily irrigate shapeless fields.
- It helps in maintaining moisture in the root zone.
Disadvantages:
- The initial cost of drip irrigation is very high.
- The sun causes a bad effect on the tubes, which reduces the life of tubes.
- If one does not properly maintain the entire equipment, it results in clogging.
- If you do not install the drip irrigation properly, then it is a waste of harvest, water and time.
Drip irrigation is still very famous amongst people. Installing a drip irrigation system you might need a professional to do it. However, it is not very difficult to install it yourself. Here are some simple and easy steps on how to install drip irrigation.
Things Required:
- Plastic backflow prevention (one piece)
- Pressure regulating drip irrigation
- 1/4 inch tube
- 3/4 inch vinyl tube
- Emitters drip line
- End caps
- Optional timer
- Optional filter
Steps:
- Take a graph paper and draw the entire area on it. Carefully mark all the shapes in your garden. Use some color pencils to highlight different regions in your garden area; make some symbols to represent the large, medium and small size plants.
- Connect all these plants dots, which you have drawn on your graph paper. Figure out the shortest route to the tubing area and you must use the water lines efficiently.
- Make separate lines for all the bigger plants, which will require more amount of water and some special attachments for water delivery. All these plants should be marked in the same manner by color pencils, so that they easily stand out in the graph chart. Putting all the water pressure in one single line will decrease the pressure in the remaining lines of drip irrigation.
- Measure the approximate distance from the garden to the water source. You will have to use the 3/4 inch vinyl tube for reaching the water source in the garden area, from where you will be setting up the irrigation system. To make sure that theater is conducted properly, you will have to fix the controller, control piece, filter and pressure regulator in a systematic line.
- Try the follow your own sketch layout from the graph paper. In the main water line, you should be using the 3/4 inch tube. You will have to plug the emitters in the direct line of the vinyl tune, or you can plug it on the normal tube as a branch. If you want, you can also place the tube at the end of the tube.
- Now, you must check the gallons per hour (GPH) rate or the gallons per minute (GPM) rate on your emitter. If you have large plants then you will have the set the emitter on a higher volume. Use the sprinklers of drip irrigation to spread the water on the low ground area. The amount of water required at every water station will depend on the absorption speed of the soil.
- Turn the water on and see if there are any leaks in the entire system. Always have regular checks on the water lines, just to make sure that there is no leakage. Always remember, if not maintained properly the drip irrigation system can clog.
Related Content:
Drip irrigation is one such technology, which has assumed great importance in the recent times. In the present situation when the irrigated area is increasing, ground water table is dwindling and availability of surface water for irrigation is getting reduced, drip irrigation is the only answer to meet the growing demand of water.
Drip Irrigation is the most modern technique of applying water directly to the root zone of the plant in right quantity at the right time and at the right place.