Drip irrigation: the device, the principle of operation, installation, reviews. Drip irrigation scheme

For plants in the garden, moisture is necessary. It will be better if it comes to the roots constantly and in metered quantities. For this, there is a drip irrigation device. Difficulties with the installation of the system in the future relieve of heavy and inefficient physical work. This can be seen from the numerous reviews of truck farmers. Many are satisfied with this exemption from heavy manual labor. In addition to watering, there are many other things at the dacha. It is tempting to replace difficult and painstaking work with rest.

There are many kinds of adaptations and irrigation systems. They can be manufactured or collected by themselves, as well as specialists.

Pros and cons of drip irrigation

Drip water supply has many advantages.

1. The flow of water directly under the stem, which allows you to make fertilizer at the same time as moisture.
2. Savings of working time and physical strength of the summer resident. Having mounted the system once, it is possible not to engage in manual watering during the whole season.
3. Elimination of the possibility of drying the soil. Its humidity is always sufficient for the necessary growth of plants.
4. The system is used for all plants, since it is universal.
5. Ability to choose the best option for irrigation beds.

Among the shortcomings can be noted the cost of components of the drip irrigation system: fittings, hoses, tapes, dosing water pump, filter, etc. The system must constantly monitor, periodically remove impurities, check the flow of water, the operation of valves, etc. The installation is volatile And requires constant availability of electricity.

Drip irrigation: the device and the principle of operation

The drip irrigation system delivers moisture directly to the roots, which saves water and prevents damage to plant parts above the ground. Water slowly enters certain periods or continuously, which allows maintaining a given level of soil moisture, which has a beneficial effect on garden crops.

Do drip irrigation yourself: where to start?

First, the drip irrigation scheme is drawn on paper, where all points of irrigation, the location of the source of water and capacity are indicated. The step between rows of plantings is measured. By the finished dimensions, you can easily calculate the number of communications.

If the pump is installed, the place of its placement can be any, but when watering by gravity the capacity is set closer to the plants.

On the beds are laid drip hoses or tapes. They have built-in special droppers for water supply to plants.

Before assembling the drip irrigation system, it is necessary that there are all components for irrigation. In the presence of experience, it is advisable to choose them yourself, as watering kits are more expensive.

1. A container with water is a barrel or a tank.
2. The main distribution manifold of the water supply from which it is fed to the branches.
3. Droplet hose or tape.
4. Gates connecting the drip tapes to the collector.

It is not recommended to use metal containers, as corrosion leads to clogging of the system. If this can not be avoided, the drip irrigation device must contain high-quality filtration.

Drip Hoses

Hoses are sold in bays. Their feature is the supply of the same amount of water throughout the bed, even if the terrain is uneven. The maximum length of irrigation is chosen from the calculation that the unevenness at the beginning and end of the hose does not exceed 10-15%. For one season, it is sufficient to apply tapes with a wall thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm for drip irrigation of the garden. They are paved only from above.

Thick-walled (up to 0.8 mm) will last 3-4 seasons. They can also be used for underground laying. The diameter of the tapes is 12-22 mm (the common size is 16 mm). Rigid tubes serve 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 regulate the flow to the hose or drip tape, a tap for drip irrigation is connected.

On average, one plant needs to take 1 liter of water per day, 5 liters per bushes, 10 liters per tree. The data are indicative, but to determine the total flow rate are appropriate. To be more precise, when drip irrigation is done, 1.5 liters are required for 1 tomato bush, 2 liters for cucumbers, 2.5 liters for potatoes and cabbage. To the result obtained, 20-25% of the stock is added and the required volume of the tank is determined.

The distance between droppers depends on the frequency of planting and can be from 10 to 100 cm. Each of them has one or two outputs. The flow rate can remain the same, but in the latter case the depth decreases and the irrigation area increases. On a bed in 4 rows are installed drip spiders with distribution of up to 4 plants.

Droppers

Droppers can be installed on plastic pipes. They produce several types:

• With a fixed water flow rate;
• Adjustable - with manual adjustment of the intensity of irrigation;
• Uncompensated - the intensity of the water supply decreases to the end of the bed;
• Compensated - with a membrane and a special valve, creating a constant head with fluctuations in pressure in the water supply;
• Type "spider" - with the distribution of several plants.

External droppers are inserted into the plastic tube, which is pierced with a screw hole.

Filtration

Cleaning of irrigation water is given special attention. First, rough filtration is performed, and then - fine. Dirty water droppers quickly clogged.

Assignment of fittings

The system can simply be assembled by using special fittings for drip irrigation.

1. Start-connectors for connecting the drop tape to the plastic water supply. They are manufactured with a rubber band or a clamping nut. In the HDPE pipe, holes are drilled in a wood drill with a centering spike and the start-connectors with or without cranes are firmly inserted. Regulation of water consumption is required if individual zones consume it less than others or alternately watering different areas.
2. Fittings for drip irrigation angular or in the form of tees are used to connect the tape to a flexible garden hose. They are also used for its branching or for turns. The fitting seats of the fittings are made in the form of ruffs, which ensures tight fixing of the tubes.
3. The repair fitting is used in case of breakage or for the extension of a drip strip. With its help, its ends are connected.
4. The plug is installed at the ends of the drip strip.

Installation of irrigation system of thin-walled tapes

To the garden water piping are connected dilution polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 4 cm. This diameter is best suited for the installation of the start-connector - a special tap for drip irrigation, which serves to connect the perforated drip strip to the pipe.

It is manufactured with a small thickness and is assembled with reinforcement. The holes are made at regular intervals. The drip tape is put on the tap with the tension, and then it is additionally fixed with a plastic nut. At the ends, the sleeves are closed with plugs, sealed or tucked.

The disadvantage is the low strength of the tape material, which is easily damaged by rodents and insects. For the rest of the indicators, the system shows itself only on the positive side.

Installation of the system with tubes and built-in droppers

The system is characterized by high strength and significantly longer durability. It consists of a hose in which cylindrical droppers are built at regular intervals. The tube can be placed on the surface of the soil, fastened on supports, suspended on a wire or buried in the ground.

Water under pressure diverges 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 ground. The gardener only needs to fill it in time, after which the liquid enters the plants under the influence of gravity.

How to water cucumbers?

In industrial systems, drip irrigation of cucumbers is done with the supply of water to each plant. The depth of the roots is 15-20 cm and tensiometers are installed there to control the humidity. For gardeners suitable tools, made of plastic bottles. They are installed on the bottom or with a closed stopper in the ground. The upper part should be open for filling with water.

1. 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 drowned from the butt by a match. At the end, a puncture is made at half the thickness of the rod. The 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 placed near the bushes so that moisture gets on the root.
2. The second way. In the bottle, make holes along the entire height, deviating from the bottom by 3-5 cm. Then it is instilled in the bottom down to a depth of 20 cm. The plug is unscrewed and the container is filled with water through the top. The bottle can be buried with a neck down, previously cutting off the bottom, through which it is then convenient to fill it with water. To ensure that the holes are not clogged with earth, the bottles are wound around the outside with a needle-piercing cloth used as a covering material for greenhouses.
3. The third way. Bottles filled with water can be hung above the ground, puncture holes in the lid.

Bottle drip irrigation of cucumbers is convenient in connection with economy, since there is no need to spend money on materials. The disadvantage is the complexity of mounting in large areas. The process of filling with water is troublesome, and the holes are often clogged with soil. Despite this, one can see the advantages of the drop method. Reviews say that in small greenhouses, it is quite effective.

Full watering of cucumbers in large greenhouses is more convenient to produce through a centralized system with branded droppers.

Devices for drip irrigation: automatics

Auto-watering requires funds for equipment, but as a result, a lot of time will be saved and the crop will compensate for the costs. The most important component of the system is a controller or timer that does not require human intervention. Only frequency and duration of irrigation are given last. The timer is electromechanical or electric. The controller can set the watering program, which takes into account the pressure in the system, sets the irrigation cycles by days and takes into account humidity and temperature.

For simple systems, the drip irrigation scheme provides for a single-channel device, and in a complex circuit the number of channels may be required more. Judging by the reviews, experienced truck farmers prefer to use several simple timers working on individual programs.

In order not to depend on the energy source, it is advisable to purchase devices operating from several finger batteries.

Automatic drip irrigation from the water pipe often requires the presence of a pump. Its power must match consumption. The mechanism should be simple, not very noisy and resistant to chemical compounds, which are often used in the system as fertilizers.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that surface irrigation is the most common, the absence of favorable conditions for it, water scarcity and energy saving lead to the need to apply this or that drip irrigation device. The choice in this case depends on the climate, the landscape, the types of cultivated crops and other factors.

It is important to properly design and mount a drip irrigation system to reduce the likelihood of failure and do not waste time on maintenance and repair work.