In practice, summer residents instead of relaxing in the garden have to do hard work - watering plants. Therefore, sooner or later, every gardener thinks about how to install an irrigation system in the country and make his life easier. What is the appropriate scheme to choose? What factors should be taken into account? The article will tell about this.
Things to Consider When Planning an Irrigation System
The most important agricultural technique that affects the yield and appearance of growing crops in the country is watering the plants. There are a lot of ways to "drink" them. This series begins with a banal watering can, the use of which involves hard manual labor, and ends with automated, PC-controlled irrigation systems.
To organize the irrigation system correctly in the country is a whole art. After all, each plant requires appropriate care. One needs a lot of moisture, the other needs a little less, and the third is better not to water at all. Factors such as the proximity of a reservoir or well to the site, the type of soil, whether the surface of the garden is flat or sloping should not be overlooked. Still, the gardener must realistically evaluate hisstrength. It is useful to think about the consumption of water and electricity when planning an irrigation system.
What are the types of irrigation systems
Once the only way to water was an ordinary watering can. But progress does not stand still, and today the market offers a wide range of various garden tools. These are sprinklers and sprayers, a lot of hoses with different characteristics, sprinklers. All of them are used by gardeners to make their work easier during the summer season.
But you can't rush to buy inventory. Before purchasing various tools and accessories for irrigation, you need to understand which irrigation system to install in the country will be optimal. For example, there is a surface system and sprinkling. With these types of irrigation, the garden is completely irrigated, which means that a lot of water is consumed, which is not always beneficial for the summer resident. There is a more profitable method - drip irrigation.
Drip irrigation system
The drip irrigation system in the country is the most economical way in terms of water consumption. It is fed little by little through droppers directly to the plant. This process occurs continuously, which allows horticultural crops to feed on moisture without interruption and in the right amount. This method of irrigation is used in cases where it is not necessary to water the entire area. For example, the drip type is suitable for a garden with fruit trees and shrubs.
If a drip irrigation system is to be installed in the country, the irrigation scheme will be simple. Drip tapes with holesattached to a pipe that runs along the edge of the ridge. The pipe, in turn, leads to a reservoir of water.
Along with standard equipment, gravel and screen filters are used in the drip system. They are necessary to filter the water supplied to the system. If the filters are not installed, then there is a high risk of clogging, which can lead to the failure of the entire system.
In addition to significant water savings, the advantages of this irrigation method include the low cost of system components. The approximate cost of such a drip plant will be from 1,500 rubles (for 1.5-2 acres of a garden).
What is an automatic irrigation system
Automatic watering system in the country is a complex technical design, which includes hundreds of different elements. The basis of the automatic system is a control panel connected to a computer. Watering programs are stored inside it. Various sensors, sprinklers, solenoid valves - all these elements of the system are controlled by a remote control. Such a system not only frees you from physical labor, but also allows you not to follow the weather forecast.
The automatic irrigation system in the country (photo below) is also divided into drip and sprinkling. The latter is more common among gardeners. Because, for example, it is better to equip a huge potato field with sprinkling than to install drip irrigation on it.
Organization of automaticwatering
Any automatic watering system consists of watering heads (sprinklers), a storage tank (not in all cases), a pump, electric valves and a controller. To organize an irrigation system in the country, the main thing is to ensure good water pressure, and it is also important to control the sufficiency of its volume.
To ensure the normal operation of the automatic system, reservoirs close to the land, centralized water supply or wells are used as water storage (an autonomous water supply device is being introduced).
The automatic irrigation system will not work without a pump. When choosing it, you need to pay attention to the frequency adjustment of the motor and the possibility of a soft start. The presence of these parameters will ensure the durability of the equipment. In most cases, a well acts as a source of water. In this case, you need to take a surface water-lifting station based on a self-priming pump.
What to choose
Initially, before choosing an irrigation system, you need to study the site. You also need to decide what will grow on the ground. If you want to grow just a beautiful lawn or plant the entire space with potatoes, then the choice should be stopped on the sprinkling method. If there are trees and shrubs as plantings, then it is better to choose the drip irrigation method.
Next, you need to evaluate your financial capabilities. The fact is that the automatic system is much more convenient, but ten times more expensive. Therefore, it is necessarydetermine whether the first option will be affordable or if the budget counterpart will have to do.
