How to install drip irrigation on a plot

One of the essential requirements if we want to keep our home garden in good condition is to have an irrigation system installed. Many people don't know how to install drip irrigation on a plot, this being one of the best options for it. Thanks to drip irrigation, others control the volume of water that each plant takes and adjust the amounts to the requirements of each species.

For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you how to install drip irrigation on a plot and what you should take into account for it.

How to install drip irrigation on a plot

Drip irrigation is a very effective option when you want to water your garden or different pots without wasting water. Water is provided automatically, drop by drop, to each plant. In addition, the irrigation circuit can be adapted to the dimensions of the space where the vegetation is located.

Each piece of land or plot may have its own irrigation needs: in this tutorial we give you some general instructions for installing a basic drip irrigation system recommended for fairly small spaces.

But although drip irrigation has to be adapted to each orchard or plot, in general the system has a set of very interesting advantages: Being a slow and localized irrigation, allows plants to live in more suitable conditions to grow, and it is more difficult for weeds to appear. It is also a little invasive system and does not drag nutrients from the soil, so the plants make better use of them.

Steps to learn how to install drip irrigation on a plot

Design the drip system

Take a pencil and paper and design a drip irrigation system for your garden or land. To better calculate the necessary material, it should be calculated in proportion: meters of hose or pipe, drippers, elbows and accessories, etc.

It must be remembered that irrigation lines with many meters of pipe are not recommended because the time between the water entering the system and reaching the last dripper is too long and the pressure is low.

It is important that The drip irrigation system you design is designed to be efficient. If the irrigation line is too long, the last plants will receive less water, which can affect their growth.

Place the time programmer for dripping

A circuit always starts with a garden faucet, and accessories can be added. This step is not always necessary, but it is usually recommended to install an irrigation programmer to make maintenance of the orchard or garden more comfortable.

irrigation programmers They are used to automate the frequency of watering the garden. In general, you can adjust the start frequency of the irrigation system on the one hand, and the duration of each irrigation on the other hand.

In general, it is recommended that drip irrigation systems be programmed to provide shorter but more frequent waterings. In this way a more constant humidity is achieved. Although, of course, the water needs of each plant must always be taken into account.

On the other hand, in addition to the irrigation programmer, other accessories can be added, such as stabilizers or pressure regulators (since sometimes it may be necessary to control the outlet water pressure) or filters (to prevent minerals or solid particles from entering the water and clogging the dripper).

Pipe layout

When installing a drip irrigation system, you can find pipes and tubes of different diameters (normally between 18mm and 4mm). Remember that the size of the pipe or hose will determine the amount of water that can circulate and the number of drippers that can be installed. One of the aspects that can help you choose the most suitable plumbing is the water pressure. This can be measured with a manometer.

In any case, the pipe network is connected to taps or water intakes (which can be connected after the irrigation program) and is distributed throughout the garden or orchard, so that the main pipes are larger and their pipes auxiliaries are used to transfer the water to the plants of each plant, they are smaller. Different types of connectors are used for this assignment (straight, tee, elbow, cross, etc.).

Add the droppers

To provide the equipment with a suitable dripper, it is necessary to take into account the type of plant or vegetation to be watered in each case (pots, hedges, orchards, etc.). Each plant has specific water needs.

In fact, the number of drippers that need to be placed and how far apart they need to be depends on the type of plant, the type of soil, and other specific concerns. For example, sometimes it is convenient to place the drippers along the tube, while in other cases it is better to place them at the end. To drill the pipe and attach the dripper, use a hole punch to make a hole, then drill and screw on the dripper.

Types of drippers

In fact, although we have given a general explanation of how an dripper is typically attached, there is not just one type of dripper. Not all devices are installed exactly the same way.

• Fixed Flow Drippers: It is the simplest type of dripper and is usually used for crops or garden areas where all plants always require the same amount of water.
• Adjustable drippers: They can adjust the irrigation flow so that they can be used with different plants.
• Self-compensating drippers: They allow to maintain a more or less constant flow throughout the pipe. This is useful in installations over long distances and at different heights.
• Integrated drippers: They are built into the pipe itself and are generally easy to install, although they are also more difficult to replace when they become clogged.

On the other hand, depending on how they are placed, punctured drippers, in-line drippers, etc. can be distinguished. And to irrigate larger areas, micro-sprinklers can be used.

close the system

Finally, place the cap on the end of the dispensing tube and the hole that will not be used. A closed circuit can also be created so that the ends of the system are reconnected to the electrical network. In this way, the water circulates continuously and a greater flow and pressure stability is obtained.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to install drip irrigation on a plot.