How to organize drip irrigation with your own hands for the vegetable garden and greenhouse in the country - stages of construction, photo ideas

Drip irrigation systems - the most versatile method of irrigation, thanks to which you can increase crop yields.

Active human activity on a global scale greatly affects the climatic conditions. All this does not reflect in the best way on people, not to mention the plants, which feel the burden of the weather. During the hot and dry months of summer, crops can simply dry out and die. In that case, watering is a must.

This method of watering was invented by an Israeli agronomist. He noticed that the point water supply to the roots of plants gives a higher yield. Today, this method of watering is widely adopted in the Middle East, Israel and other regions, where every drop of water is worth its weight in gold.

What is a drip irrigation system

It is a multi-purpose network of water pipes. It is used to supply water to the root zone of plants. The system works simply: first the water enters a tank from a well, then flows through the pipes, and then goes directly to the plants.

This irrigation system allows a certain amount of fertilizer and water at the right time and in the right proportion under the plants.

There is no rain, but there is drip irrigation...

The basis for watering is water. And the most correct way is to water from a container:

• It warms up the water and retains it between waterings, and this is good for the plants;
• there are always water savings;
• fertilizers are added directly into the tank to feed the plants;
• the tank under the water must be plastic: a small spot of rust can cause clogged holes;
• only fill the container with clean water or filter it.

Drip irrigation creates conditions for earlier ripening of fruits and increases the yield. And compared to traditional irrigation methods (hoses or spray sprinklers) it is more practical in terms of water consumption: water from drip heads goes directly under the root of the plant, that is, there is almost no evaporation of moisture.

Modern technology allows you to make the irrigation system fully automatic: once at the beginning of the season the controller is programmed (required parameters of time and frequency of water supply are entered) and that's all.

The main condition - the system must always have the required amount of water. However, the main disadvantage of this irrigation system - the financial side, the automation costs money.

Drip irrigation with your own hands - the main elements of the system

In stores they sell ready-made kits for drip irrigation. Or you can simply order the installation "turnkey". Or you can make everything yourself. There are different ways of making drip irrigation with your own hands from the available materials, but first you will have to do a little work.

Automation. Irrigation timers with solenoid valves.

Stop valves. Ball valves are attached to the central pipeline in front of each irrigation zone.

Filtration system. Depending on the water source, a coarse (fine) mesh filter or a fine (coarse) disc filter is installed. Filtration is probably the main factor that ensures proper operation of any drip system.

Improperly chosen level of filtration and water purification for drip irrigation, can lead to failure of all drip irrigation lines in the middle of the season.

Trunk piping. Modern plastic pipes, which are made of low pressure polyethylene (HDPE), connect the source of water supply and irrigation areas.

Accumulation tank. Each plant has its own norms of water consumption per day. On this basis, the minimum size of the tank is selected on the following calculation: the daily watering rate of the entire plot should be enough according to the number of trees, bushes and seedlings bushes.

If you use a tank without a pump, you will need to set it at a height of 1 - 2 m from the ground, to create natural pressure in the system by gravity.

Tube. Used mainly for perennial plants, shrubs and trees. Tube with thick walls, also with different distance between the built-in droppers with different water drainage. Such a tube will last for several years.

Tape. Mainly used for irrigation of annual plants. It has special emitters with a certain water outlet at a certain distance from each other. Such a tape is selected depending on the planting. Tape, as a rule, is laid out for 1 season. After harvesting, it is disposed of.

Drip tapes are external. They are of different types: compensated (a certain amount of water per hour is supplied through the irrigation hole) and uncompensated (water flow depends on the length of the line), collapsible and non collapsible, with a certain water outflow and adjustable. Such droppers are mounted in HDPE pipe at the required distance directly under each plant.

Pumping equipment. If the area is large enough or there is a difference in elevation and not enough pressure for normal operation, then a pump with automation is used.

Unit for sprinkler fertilizer irrigation. For the application of various fertilizers, you should provide a small tank for the solution of liquid preparations, as well as fix a nozzle with a suction unit, which will allow you to supply certain doses of fertilizer.

Fittings. For the installation of the main pipeline and connecting the elements are used plastic pipe clamp connectors HDPE of different diameters.

Free drip irrigation. Plastic bottles and medical drips are used. This method of watering, of course, is not ideal, but it still gives the plants a chance to grow better. After all, even two liters of water from the bottle can become paramount in the battle for the harvest.

The main pros and cons in a drip irrigation system

Irrigation systems have a lot of advantages that make these systems in great demand.

• Individual-root irrigation of each plant.
• Minimal water consumption.
• Full automation: no need to run with watering cans and hoses.
• Effective control of soil, leaf rodents and pests.
• Physical labor costs.
• Increased efficiency of applied fertilizers.
• As a consequence, yields are increased.

But there is also the flip side of the coin. The disadvantages of drip irrigation.

• Installation of the drip irrigation system will not be cheap.
• The complexity of installation.
• Exposure to mechanical damage.
• Drip heads clog very quickly.
• Lack of cooling effect.

It is immediately obvious that the advantages of drip irrigation system are much more than disadvantages, and it outweighs the financial costs.

Attention to drip irrigation is growing more and more every year. And what yesterday surprised us, today is not a novelty, and tomorrow it will be commonplace.

Today there is no other irrigation system, which would be compared to the system of drip irrigation. But there is an alternative - hydroponics!

Photo examples of drip irrigation