How Can I Plan Drip Irrigation Systems for My Vegetable Garden?

What are drip irrigation systems? A drip system of irrigation is the method of dripping or trickling water at a slow and steady pace into the root source of a plant. The almost misting effect creates a moisture bubble or dew-like atmosphere that results in greener and healthier foliage.

It is a very desirable way to care for your lawn and requires little to no supervision. Also, it is the most efficient way of caring for your garden because of minimal water waste. But if you are a plant enthusiast using a traditional sprinkler system and wishing to make the big switch, where do you begin?

Plan For Your Drip Irrigation Systems In Your Garden

The first thing is to take stock of the needs of your individual garden. Not all plants have the same needs. They are as individual as people and seem to have their own personalities as well.

Once you’ve made a list of various plants within your garden, list the different watering requirements. Create a small diagram. It need not be too elaborate or fancy, but make a little drawing to outline where each plant is located in the garden.

Your drawing will prove useful in positioning your irrigation hose to achieve the most effect. Some guidelines that should be considered closely when deciding on a drip system include that vegetable gardens, sunflower beds, and plants in hanging baskets require the most water and frequent showers. In contrast, large shrubs and even trees and shaded plants require far less watering.

Many drip irrigation systems include the ability to program different irrigation levels to accommodate a variety of needs. Once you’ve mapped out your garden and prepared a visual layout, you are now ready to choose the starter kit that best suits your needs.

For Beginner

Starting kits are a good idea for the beginner because they contain all of the pieces you need to create a very comprehensive setup, including instructions on how to expand your system, if needed, later on. The kits will come with all valves, tubing, emitters, and fittings.

There are always experts on hand at the horticulture stores that will be more than happy to lend a hand in advising on how to set up your system. Utilize their expertise to ensure that your first experience with a drip irrigation system is a pleasant one.

Drip irrigation systems are far easier to set up and require less maintenance than the traditional sprinkler set. However, there are questions concerning whether you should submerge the tubing on the left above ground that only you can answer depending on your needs.

Whichever method you choose, a horticulturist can offer advice to help make your life easier as well. Once your drip irrigation systems are set up, you need to turn them on and enjoy them.

Proper and Professional Drip Irrigation System Design

Proper irrigation system design is essential for the success of your garden or lawn. Whether you are a professional landscaper or just a novice gardener planning a proper setup is important.

The design and planning phase is so important because there are so many options, and not every solution is right for your type of garden or lawn. It would be a costly mistake to think that you can stroll into a store and pick up the first watering system that you see and customize it for your needs.

Of course, not all systems are created equal, which further underscores the need to design a system that works for you.  We will discuss the steps necessary in designing your own drip irrigation system.

Drip Irrigation System Design

A drip irrigation system is a very efficient way to deliver water to the root source of your plants and vegetation. In fact, it is the most efficient way on the market today because not only does it help conserve water, but it delivers trickles of water right to the root source of your plants or vegetation and fruits producing more lush foliage.

This system is also the easiest to design, providing a tempting alternative for many busy individuals. The supplies needed are readily available at any home improvement store, and they are relatively inexpensive to obtain.

A drip irrigation system is 90% more efficient at irrigating your garden or lawn. It works by applying small trickles of water directly to the root source of the plant via the ventilated hose that is positioned directly on the soil.

The efficiency comes from the water being immediately absorbed by the soil before the sun can cause it to evaporate, and there is virtually no runoff at all. This spells less water waste.

Essential items for Irrigation System Design

The essential parts of a drip irrigation system include the valve, the backflow preventer, filter, tubing adapter, drip tubing, and pressure regulator. Drip irrigation systems are not so rigid. They easily allow for design customizations are do not require that you follow any method step by step.

You can easily adapt the system to your garden’s individual needs. Okay, so the first step in the design is deciding on the type of emitter and flow desired.

This part of the design will largely depend on the elevation of your piece of land. If the area you wish to irrigate has an elevation of over 5 feet, it would be prudent to go with a compensating emitter, for an area that is level turbulent flow emitters will do the trick.

Now, what are you have a system that is challenged by gravity short-path emitters would be the best. An emitter regulates the flow of the water into the garden. The need to compensate by changing the type of emitter used depends on the elevation of your area, as previously discussed.

Irrigation System Design for Your Garden

Once you’ve deciphered the emitter type, you need the rule of thumb to use 1 or 2 emitters for every plant in the garden. Of course, if the plant is considerably large, you may need more than 2 emitters to distribute water effectively. The emitters should be placed at least 2 feet apart and under 80% of the plant’s canopy.

This is the optimal area for the pipette to be installed to reach the root bed. The backflow preventer is used in collaboration with the emitters, which prevents contaminated water from backing up into the tubing and clogging the system.

Next, you need to install the mainline to install the ventilated piping to carry water to the entire garden or area. As a rule, the mainline and lateral feed pipe shouldn’t be longer than 400 feet.

Don’t bury the piping unless it is hard piping to avoid it being destroyed by moles or gophers. Stake the pipes down securely and check to see that they are set up correctly. Install the air vents at the most elevated point at the end of your drip valve.

Flush the sprinkler valve to ensure that there is no blockage and begin using your system. Once you have everything set up, there is no waiting. Turn on your water and experience the satisfaction of knowing that you are irrigating in an environmentally friendly way.

By properly planning on your garden with an appropriate irrigation system design, you will have a fine working irrigation system that is hassle-free.

Types and Plans of Drip Irrigation Systems

Drip Irrigation Systems are a type of irrigation that uses many drippers or emitters, which release small amounts of water directly to the roots of crops and plants in the garden.

This watering system, garden, or field will save you a lot of effort and time over doing this manually with a hose. It will also save water, which is a great resource for the environment.

Drip Irrigation Systems consist of polyethylene or vinyl tubing installed between emitters, which distribute water to the needed areas. These emitters will be placed around your plant or crop in the garden to direct water to the root systems while minimizing water waste.

Features

A good feature of drip irrigation systems is that they are 90% efficient and more environmentally friendly than sprinkler systems, whose efficiency is 75%. The low installation cost and the efficiency of delivering water make it suitable for lawn drip irrigation systems.

The incidence of disease can also be reduced using drip irrigation systems. It is difficult for the plants to be affected by the disease because the sprinkled water does not settle on the leaves but directly on the root system.

There are several different garden watering systems to choose from. Making use of the appropriate watering system is very important to the cultivation of a successful garden.

The difference in the different types of garden watering systems lies in the method used in applying water. Water is equally important to a seed or a plant, just as it is to our bodies. If a seed is left dry, it will not germinate, and a plant will die off if it gets dry.

The different garden watering systems are:

• Garden Sprinkler System
• Drip System
• Furrow System
• Hand Watering

Subsurface drip irrigation system is a high-efficiency low-pressure irrigation system that uses buried drip tubes to provide crops’ water needs. Since 1960 this flexible irrigation system has been used for irrigated agriculture and has been developing fast since the last two decades providing frequent light irrigations. It is suitable for windy, arid, semi-arid, and hot areas with little supply of water.

Subsurface drip irrigation system improves yield and saves water by eliminating the evaporation of surface water and minimizing the occurrence of weeds and diseases. Water is not supplied to the soil surface but directly to the plant’s root, thereby reducing the germination of weeds and reducing weed pressure on crops.

The following steps should be followed while Installing garden drip irrigation systems:

1. Have a Plan of how you will direct water to each of the planting beds. Put into consideration the distance to the available water source, whether the beds are raised or not.

2. Keep expansion in mind and on time but start small. If the system needs to cover a large area, divide the job into manageable parts. If you are starting a new bed, consider adding the system before or during planting. This is easier than doing it afterward.

3. Organize the parts properly. The drip system has a lot of parts that need to be put in place. You can eliminate unwanted trips to the store by knowing how many drip hoses you have left or how much of each part you have. Get a plastic bin with a lid to put all the parts in so that when it is time to add or fix any part, all you need to follow you to the garden.

Use Drip Irrigation Systems On Traditional Sprinkler Systems

The technology of drip irrigation has proven to be the most effective and efficient way to water plants. Unlike sprinkler systems that prove to be between 75-85% efficient, drip irrigation systems are 90% efficient and result in less water waste than conventional systems.

Drip irrigation is technologically light years ahead of its time, employing a trickle functionality that applies water directly to the root source. Its high efficiency results from two main factors: water being applied directly to the root source prevents evaporation and runoff, and water is delivered only where it is needed.

Some other benefits of using a drip irrigation system are preventing disease to plants that can be caused by excess moisture. These systems are inexpensive, cost-effective, and much easier to install than the traditional sprinkler system.

Drip Irrigation Systems Vs. Traditional Sprinkler Systems

Traditional sprinkler systems do have their advantage. However, this is true with more and more people becoming conscious of their footprint on the planet. Utilizing methods that save water while encouraging healthy plant growth is apropos.

Although spray irrigation has been the consensus for many homeowners, these systems often distribute water indiscriminately over a broad area causing much waste and supersaturation of non-essential areas. In recent years drip irrigation systems have gained popularity as the most effective way to deliver slow but concentrated amounts of moisture directly to the roots creating lush foliage.

The mechanics of drip irrigation involves a hose vented with many tiny holes through which water is delivered in small sprays creating a misting or dew-like effect. The humidity around the plants is increased. There is less evaporation, virtually no oversaturation, and no risk of waste.

Drip Irrigation Systems Solution

When considering a solution for your lawn or garden, you must account for the square footage, type of plants, and the needs of each species.

Traditional sprinkler systems that utilize small mini-sprinkler heads capable of spraying a finer mist may be a good alternative for larger areas. The use of underground piping and strategically sprinkler heads may make more sense in larger lawn spaces.

On the other hand, if your lawn is less than an acre, the drip irrigation systems with their ventilated hose will prove a more cost-effective and efficient method of keeping your foliage lush and green.

Drip Irrigation System for Vegetable Garden

Generally, most vegetable gardens require approximately 1 inch of water (equivalent to 630 gallons per 1,000 square feet) each week either from the rain or vegetable garden irrigation systems throughout the rising months. However, if your garden is located in sandy soil, you may need to have about 2 inches of water to keep your garden moisture.

When coming to irrigation, you will be able to water your vegetable garden in many different approaches. Standard watering methods for vegetable gardens involve building simple basins and furrows. At the same time, vegetable watering systems will include tools like standard hoses, soaker hoses, or sprinklers.

If you want something that can ease your watering job, you will definitely think of installing a drip irrigation system for your vegetable garden.

Using Soaker Hoses for Your Garden Drip Irrigation System

As previously mentioned, you may use soaker hoses which are fibrous hoses that can work as a wire strainer. They enable water to seep out toward the whole area. These tools are mainly built from the ground up, reused car tires. They tend to work very well if you are gardening with the old-fashioned row method.

You may place a soaker hose roughly 4 inches from the bottom of the plants to make up the drip irrigation system for your vegetable garden. It is possible to hide them in thick mulch and then leave them in the garden throughout the entire growing season.

Place all or some of your soaker hoses in each vegetable garden row. After that, connect it to the next row by ensuring for keeping some spaces in between. You may use a hose coupler if you want to install multiple soaker hoses, as the hose coupler can help you to attach 2 soaker hoses to a spigot or faucet.

Study Your Garden

Water for vegetable gardens naturally comes from rain or underground sources. However, most of the time, we will need to do the extra watering job to keep the garden healthy with a sufficient water supply.

To ease your job, you should seriously consider vegetable irrigation systems. When your water is determined by how frequently it rains, the water evaporates speeds and the length of time your garden soil retains moisture.

To ensure your garden is always healthy, you need to analyze the soil and study the best watering system for your vegetable garden. Garden soil stores different levels of water based upon the proportion of sand, silt, and organic issues.

Soils with a more significant level of silt and clay tend to possess a greater texture and store additional water. You need to pay extra attention when watering clay soils as water is soaked up rather slow through clay soils; therefore, you should slowly do your watering on clay soils.

In contrast, sandy soils could absorb water very quickly; thus, to let sandy soils hold more water, you should add organic content into them.

You search online for vegetable watering systems, and you will find the ideal system that you can use to store both rainwater and well water.

Some watering systems are featured with a powerful pump that can distribute water to the whole garden through a good pipes connection. For a good join, the pipes should connect with the main supply hose, and jets need to be fitted onto the top of the stakes.

You should have various choices for different jets to be installed with the vegetable watering system that can ensure that you receive total coverage of your vegetable and crops.

When is the Best Time for Watering A Vegetable Garden?

Generally, the best time to water your crops happens to be in the early morning hours. This is the most productive period for your plant’s maximum growth.

Besides, it allows enough time for the roots and soil to absorb the water right before the sun’s heat evaporates the water. You need to make sure that your vegetable watering system can water do the watering job deeply and thoroughly.

Otherwise, a shallow sprinkling may get the roots of the plants up, and a shallow root system will require you to do even more watering but still risk the plants being blow away by the wind.

Essential Vegetable Garden Kits that You Need

Besides having a good watering system, having all the necessary vegetable garden kits is crucial for you to upkeep your garden. Using appropriate tools can ease your watering job and make the whole process fast, simple, and make the vegetables and crops grown healthily.

You can refer to the below-recommended list of important vegetable garden kits that you should have to help you do your gardening job:

• Hoe
• Spade
• Pitchfork
• Shovel
• Grass Shears
• Plow
• Rake
• Fork
• Hose
• Pruning Shears

Vegetable garden kits unquestionably need you to check them out, so you need to ensure that you know all the right routine maintenance processes and make a commitment to have the right vegetable garden kits in place along with the appropriate vegetable garden watering system that keeps your garden in good shape always.

Modern Drip Irrigation Systems Set You Free

Drip water irrigation systems and water irrigation kits are ideal for home gardens, row crops in small farms, raised beds, greenhouses, etc. This is because they are very convenient and easy to install. The capability of drip irrigation systems for conserving water is going to help you save money over time.

However, even today, there are still many people having no idea what are drip irrigation systems? To put it simply, they are generally arrangements involved with multiple thin tubing & tape, which hold single water droplets directly to the plants’ roots that require nourishing.

This looks very good in the first place. However, how can a single water droplet do the maximum amount of work where the 4 gallons before this are distributed using watering and hose pipes cans? This is when drip irrigation systems come into play.

Drip irrigation systems deliver the results by simply dripping water straight away onto the roots of the plants, which will be very effective in helping in saving both fertilizer and water with intelligent use of water.

With the use of a 360-degree adjustable spray jet, there will be no water being squandered because the drip system is not going to spray the water.

These kinds of irrigation systems will certainly tremendously reap many benefits for the health of your garden or small farm by going to supply water deep to the plants’ roots and by doing it can be very effectively preventing disease spread out through flowing water.

Recently, agriculture has found significant changes in the way they do water irrigation. Most of the people involved in this field have experienced completely revolutionized techniques in undertaking tasks in the agriculture and irrigation kit for vegetables.

Modern gardening practices happen to be significantly supported by modern technology and innovations, which have to strike the world of science. Besides, the implementation and usage of innovative equipment and tools have amassed significant interests of farmers, vegetable growers, and gardeners.

The invention of the modern drip irrigation system has encouraged them to develop in-depth farming and gardening without much effort and hard work. The even better advantage would be they can save more money by only needing to invest an affordable amount of money in installing this irrigation system.

Components for Drip Irrigation Systems

The components used for drip irrigation systems range from small items such as small hoses or tubes to bulk items like large reservoirs. Some people will use the micro-sprinkler kit for landscapes, a complete and self-contained drip irrigation kit that has all the necessary things for making a working irrigation system.

The other components, parts, and accessories that are needed will include drip emitter, 1/2 Perma-loc fittings, barbed fittings, valves, greenhouse drip tubing, retrofit kits, sprinkler, sprinkler head assembly, etc.

The planning and design of the water channel can be a fairly crucial factor that a person needs to think about all aspects comprehensively. Furthermore, the condition of the soil also needs to be examined and analyzed so that you can have adequate thought for the watering amount required to cover all the plants and soil.

If the soil does not have enough fertilizer, you may need to apply organic soil conditioners and take the necessary steps to prevent organic insects from being detrimental to the plant. You need to take good plant care with this to ensure the plants are free from being threatened by organic insects.

Highly effective water filtering systems are required to eliminate dirt and grime, and other pollutants found in water. The water supply channels need to be specially designed to steer clear of just about any backflow that may happen. Implementing backflow prevention valves all the way through the water lines could make this possible.

Even though you may find the initial cost of the money that you invest in the drip irrigation systems can be high, if you choose to go with a sophisticated one, you will enjoy a lot of advancements in the long run.

Gravity Feed Drip Irrigation Systems

Gravity feed drip irrigation systems usually work at really low pressures, yet just about all drip irrigation systems will need minimum pressure to operate properly.

Generally, dripline and drippers will work under 10 PSI, but 15 to 30 PSI would be the best. This is due to the lower the pressure, the greater the effect of rubbing losses in the tubing that will cause a slow flow of water. When the water pressure is not enough, the drippers at the end of the circuit would possibly completely stop the flow.

Drip irrigation systems are the modern farming and garden drip kits that are available in today’s world. It is the best solution for those areas experienced with resource scarcity and those who care about making a bad impact on the environment.

And if you only need a simple irrigation system, you may only need to spend for very low cost to make it done. Thus, now is the most suitable time for you to change your traditional way of watering by opting for drip irrigation systems.

Where To Get the Best Deal on Drip Irrigation Supplies?

What is drip irrigation? It is the slow and systematic application of water to a plant’s root. The delivery system utilizes a prong that is inserted directly within the root zone so that water is not wasted by being dispensed to non-essential areas in the soil.

It helps the roots maintain the proper moisture balance resulting in more lush foliage. Drip irrigation also eliminates the need for manual watering, which provides convenience for busy plant lovers.

There Are Differences in Drip Irrigation Systems

As with anything else, not all drip irrigation systems are created equal. Much depends on your individual needs, user-friendliness, and cost when choosing the right drip irrigation supplies. If you are a busy professional or someone that frequently travels, of course, you don’t want to purchase a system that requires constant babysitting.

Convenience generally means set it and forget it. Deciding on the best system for you may require some investigation, and the best site out there to provide the most options are Irrigation Direct and Drip Irrigation.

Irrigation Direct is a company committed to keeping the planet green and providing quality irrigation supplies. They offer a wide range of products, from indoor single plant drip irrigation supplies to multi-plant solutions and outdoor lawn irrigation systems. Drip irrigation supplies encompass water source connectors, drip emitters, tubing, sprayers, fittings, and hole punches.

The site provides starter kits for beginners and provides blogs and expert advice on connecting water supplies and saving resources. The site is very comprehensive and user-friendly and provides product choices to fit every circumstance and budget.

Drip Irrigation is an online source for professional lawn care help. They provide competitive prices on drip irrigation supplies and expert advice on planning and maintaining your irrigation system.

Like Irrigation Direct, they provide an impressive array of products ranging from drip irrigation kits to tape, tubing, line, hose, and valves. The site is equally as comprehensive and user-friendly, and the prices offer something that fits into all budgets.

Drip Irrigation Supplies

If you’re looking for a great deal on irrigation supplies and kits, these two sites are an excellent place to start. They offer a great selection and an even better deal on pricing; instead of scouring the web to find the supplies you need, these sites offer one-stop shopping solutions that are budget conscious.

So whether you need help planning an outdoor irrigation system or you want an automatic watering solution for your indoor plants, both of these sites can provide you with what you’re looking for, including drip irrigation.