home Heating systems Installation of drip irrigation on your site. Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from scrap materials How to properly connect drip irrigation

Installation of drip irrigation on your site. Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from scrap materials How to properly connect drip irrigation

Simple homemade drip irrigation for a garden in the country: device, connection diagram, photo, video of making drip irrigation with your own hands.

In this article, we will look in detail at how to independently install a drip irrigation system, calculate the volume of the storage tank, the diameter of the pipes, select the right materials, and watch a video of drip irrigation in action.

Another interesting video: do-it-yourself drip irrigation.

But this method of irrigating a garden, in addition to its obvious advantages, also has its disadvantages.

The peculiarity of drip irrigation is that only a small area of land near the plant is irrigated, the roots receive moisture and grow, but when they get into an unirrigated area, the roots dry out and are inhibited. You can solve this problem in the following ways:

Periodically, 1 - 2 times a month, completely water the area manually with a hose.

Periodically increase the intensity of drip irrigation and the amount of water for irrigating the area.

We will not describe in detail all the varieties and advantages of drip irrigation; you can read them in another.

How does gravity-fed drip irrigation work?

Place the container with water on a stable base that is at least 1 meter higher than the planting beds, or better yet, even higher.

Assemble the components of drip irrigation with your own hands according to the recommendations and drawings given below in the text.

Fill the container with water. Open the tap. That's it, drip irrigation is already working for you and your plants.

Recommendations for maintenance and installation of a drip irrigation system

It is recommended to fill the container with as clean water as possible,
the entire system (pipes and drip tape) must be flushed with a stream of water before first use,
check and clean the filter as necessary, Irritec recommends once a week,
if it is necessary to add fertilizers to the water, use only special water-soluble liquid fertilizers, otherwise the emitters in the tape may become clogged,
After using fertilizers with watering, be sure to fill the system with clean water and let it run for a few minutes to wash away any remaining fertilizer from the drip tape and emitters and prevent sediment from accumulating in them,
at the end of the season, dismantle the elements of the drip irrigation system, rinse them with clean water, dry them and put them away until the next watering season,
When calculating the duration of watering, keep in mind that the flow rate of the drip tape emitters depends on the pressure in the system. Each meter of height when raising a barrel of water above the ground gives a pressure of 0.1 bar. For example, if the nominal flow rate of the emitter is 3.8 l/hour at a pressure of 1 bar, then at a pressure of 0.1 bar it will produce approximately 3 times less water, i.e. about 1.2l/hour.

For self-assembly of a drip irrigation system for 150 sq.m. you will need:

1. Water container, preferably plastic, because in metal, rust will form and clog the emitters = 1 pc.

2. with external thread 1″ or 3/4″ for insertion = 1 pc.

With connecting internal thread 3/4" or 1" = 1 pc.

With 3/4″ or 1” thread = 1 piece

plastic for connecting threaded components

6. Plastic polyethylene pipe with a diameter of 32mm or more - this is a highway

For assembly, turns and branches of HDPE pipes

D.16mm, emitter pitch 30cm or other as needed = 120m

(with an elastic band or a clamping nut, with or without a tap as needed) = 8pcs

15mm/11mm or others depending on the type of fittings used.

NOTE: the number and type of threaded fittings, compression fittings, start connectors for drip tape, the number of main pipes are purchased according to the situation.

The procedure for assembling a drip irrigation system

Place the container securely under the water.
Make a cut into the container, but not at the bottom level, but higher, so that debris accumulating at the bottom does not fall into the irrigation system.
Connect the tap to the container, then install the filter and adapter on a 32mm polyethylene (HDPE) pipe.
Next, place the HDPE pipe perpendicular to the planting beds.
Plug the HDPE pipe at the end; it’s even better to install a tap there for further flushing of the system.
Opposite each bed with plantings, drill a hole in the HDPE pipe to install a start connector for the drip tape.

Install all the start connectors and connect the drip tape to them.

Plants in the garden require moisture. It will be better if it is supplied to the roots constantly and in measured quantities. For this purpose there is a drip irrigation device. Difficulties with installing the system in the future eliminate heavy and ineffective physical labor. This can be judged by numerous reviews from gardeners. Many people are happy with this kind of liberation from hard manual labor. In addition to watering, there are many other things to do at the dacha. It is tempting to replace difficult and painstaking work with relaxation.

There are many types of devices and irrigation systems. They can be made or assembled with your own hands, or you can involve specialists.

Pros and cons of drip irrigation

Drip water supply has many advantages.

The flow of water directly under the stem, which allows fertilizer to be applied simultaneously with moisture.
Saving working time and physical effort for the summer resident. Having installed the system once, you can avoid manual watering throughout the entire season.
Eliminating the possibility of soil drying out. Its humidity is always sufficient for the necessary plant growth.
The system can be used for any plant because it is universal.
Possibility of choosing the optimal option for irrigating beds.

Among the disadvantages, we can note the costs of the component parts of the drip irrigation device: fittings, hoses, tapes, dosing water pump, filter, etc. The system must be constantly monitored, dirt must be periodically removed, water flow checked, valve operation, etc. The installation is volatile and requires constant availability of electricity.

Drip irrigation: structure and principle of operation

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

Making drip irrigation with your own hands: where to start?

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

If a pump is installed, its location can be anywhere, but when watering by gravity, the container is installed closer to the plants.

Drip hoses or tapes are laid on the beds. They have built-in special droppers for supplying water to the plants.

Before assembling a drip irrigation system, it is necessary to have all the components for irrigation. If you have experience, it is advisable to choose them yourself, since watering kits are more expensive.

A container of water - a barrel or tank.
The main distribution manifold for water supply, from which it is supplied to the branches.
Drip hose or tape.
Valves connecting drip tapes to the collector.

Drip hoses

Hoses are sold in coils. Their feature is the supply of the same amount of water throughout the entire bed, even if the terrain is uneven. The maximum irrigation length is selected so that the unevenness at the beginning and end of the hose does not exceed 10-15%. For one season, it is enough to use tapes with a wall thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm for drip irrigation of the garden. They are laid only on top.

Thick-walled (up to 0.8 mm) will last 3-4 seasons. They can also be used for underground installation. The diameter of the tapes is 12-22 mm (common size is 16 mm). Hard tubes last up to 10 seasons. Their diameter is 14-25 mm.

Through one dropper the water consumption 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, a tap for drip irrigation is connected to the hose or drip tape.

On average, you need to take 1 liter of water per day per plant, 5 liters per bush, 10 liters per tree. The data is indicative, but is suitable for determining the total consumption. To be more precise, when drip irrigation is performed, 1 tomato bush requires 1.5 liters, cucumbers - 2 liters, potatoes and cabbage - 2.5 liters. 20-25% of the reserve is added to the result obtained and the required tank volume is determined.

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

Droppers

Droppers can be installed on plastic pipes. They are produced in several types:

with fixed water flow;
adjustable - with manual adjustment of irrigation intensity;
uncompensated - the intensity of water supply decreases towards the end of the bed;
compensated - with a membrane and a special valve, creating a constant pressure during pressure fluctuations in the water supply;
"spider" type - with distribution to several plants.

External droppers are inserted into a plastic pipe, in which holes are pierced with an awl.

Filtration

Special attention is paid to the purification of irrigation water. First, coarse filtration is performed, and then fine filtration. Dirty water quickly clogs the droppers.

Purpose of fittings

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

Start connectors for connecting drip tape to plastic water pipes. They are made with a rubber seal or a clamping nut. Holes are drilled in the HDPE pipe using a wood drill with a centering spike and start connectors are tightly inserted with or without taps. Regulation of water consumption is required if certain zones consume it less than others or for alternate watering of different areas.
Drip irrigation fittings, angled or in the form of tees, are used to connect the tape to a flexible garden hose. They are also used for branching or turning. The fitting seats are made in the form of ruffs, which ensures tight fastening of the tubes.
The repair fitting is used in case of a break or to extend the drip tape. With its help, its ends are connected.
The plug is installed at the ends of the drip tape.

Installation from thin-walled tapes

Distributing polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 4 cm are connected to the garden water supply. This diameter is best suited for installing a start connector - a special tap for drip irrigation, which is used to connect a perforated drip tape to the pipe.

It is manufactured with a small thickness and assembled using reinforcement. The holes are made at equal intervals. The drip tape is put on the tap with tension, and then additionally secured with a plastic nut. The ends of 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. In terms of other indicators, the system shows itself only on the positive side.

Installation of a system with tubes and built-in droppers

The system is highly durable and significantly longer lasting. It consists of a hose in which cylindrical droppers are built at regular intervals. The tube can be placed on the soil surface, mounted on stands, suspended on a wire, or buried in the ground.

Water under pressure disperses from the container throughout the system and is smoothly distributed, coming from small holes. It is important that the tank is located at a height of 1-1.5 m from the ground surface. The gardener is only required to fill it in a timely manner, after which the liquid flows to the plants under the influence of gravity.

How to water cucumbers?

In industrial systems, drip irrigation of cucumbers is carried out with water supplied to each plant. The depth of the roots is 15-20 cm and tensiometers are installed there to control humidity. For gardeners, improvised means made from plastic bottles are suitable. They are installed on the bottom or with a closed plug in the ground. The top should be open to fill with water.

First way. The dropper is made from a used ballpoint pen refill. It is washed with a solvent to remove any remaining paste and plugged at the end with a match. A puncture is made at the end half the thickness of the rod. A homemade dropper is inserted into a 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 the moisture gets to the root.
Second way. Holes are made in the bottle along the entire height, departing 3-5 cm from the bottom. Then it is buried bottom down to a depth of 20 cm. The cork is unscrewed and the container is filled with water through the top. The bottle can be buried upside down, having previously cut off the bottom, through which it is convenient to fill it with water in the future. To prevent the holes from becoming clogged with soil, the outside of the bottles is wrapped with needle-punched fabric, which is used as a covering material for greenhouses.
Third way. Bottles filled with water can be suspended above the ground by punching holes in the lid.

Bottle drip irrigation of cucumbers is convenient due to its cost-effectiveness, since there is no need to spend money on materials. The disadvantage is the difficulty of installation over large areas. The process of filling with water is troublesome, and the holes are often clogged with soil. Despite this, you can be convinced of the advantages of the drip method. Reviews indicate that it is quite effective in small greenhouses.

It is more convenient to fully water cucumbers in large greenhouses through a centralized system with branded drippers.

Drip irrigation devices: automatic

Automatic watering requires funds for equipment, but as a result, a lot of time will be saved and the harvest will compensate for the costs. The most important component of the system is the controller or timer, which does not require human intervention. The latter sets only the frequency and duration, which can be electromechanical or electrical. The controller can set an irrigation program, which takes into account the pressure in the system, sets daily watering cycles and takes into account humidity and temperature.

For simple systems, the drip irrigation scheme requires a single-channel device, but in a complex scheme, the number of channels may be required. Judging by the reviews, experienced gardeners prefer to use several simple timers that work according to separate programs.

In order not to depend on the energy source, it is advisable to purchase devices that run on several AA batteries.

Automatic drip irrigation from a water supply often requires a pump. Its power must correspond to 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 lack of sometimes favorable conditions for it, water shortages and energy savings lead to the need to use one or another drip irrigation device. The choice depends on the climate, landscape, types of crops cultivated and other factors.

It is important to properly design and install a drip irrigation system to reduce the likelihood of failures and avoid wasting time on repair and maintenance work.

Evgeniy Sedov

When your hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Since ancient times, people have tried to use water as carefully as possible to irrigate cultivated crops. Improving irrigation methods, people gradually moved from using pots with holes buried in the ground to a drainage irrigation system, from clay conduits to perforated metal pipes. A real breakthrough in the issue of economical use of water for irrigation was the invention of plastic. Thanks to plastic pipes, a drip irrigation system has become a reality, which today any adult can assemble.

What is drip irrigation

The irrigation method of supplying water in small portions to the root zone of cultivated plants is called drip irrigation. This unique method was first proposed by the Israeli Simcha Blass. Since 1960, microirrigation has rapidly spread throughout the world. In addition to minimizing water consumption, drip irrigation has a positive effect on the development of crops, which increases crop yields. This method has gained particular popularity in arid climates.

Advantages over manual watering

The usual method of irrigating land in household plots is to spray water using various devices. The automatic drip irrigation system has clear advantages over traditional methods of soil moistening:

It can be used in open ground conditions of vegetable gardens, greenhouses, indoor plants, fully automating the watering process.
Water enters the root zone of the plant, providing uniform moisture to the required area of soil. At the same time, the top layer of earth is not eroded.
The jet pressure and time of water flow are adjustable. The root system of the plant organism does not become wet from excess moisture.
Through the micro-irrigation design, mineral fertilizers can be supplied directly to the roots, which contributes to the natural feeding of crops and increases yield.
The likelihood of diseases of cultivated plants associated with putrefactive infections that affect them in conditions of constant waterlogging of the soil is minimized.
There are fewer weeds, since water does not get into the aisle.
The soil does not require constant loosening to allow air to enter, because a dense crust does not form on the surface of the earth.
Water consumption is significantly reduced.
Productivity increases.

Operating principle and device of drip irrigation

The system operates on the basis of drip supply of water to the root system of plants in two ways: to the soil surface (with a perforated hose) or deep into the soil (using special drippers). The water flow is supplied from a storage tank or water supply system. The drip irrigation system is assembled from the following parts and assemblies:

Plastic or metal container for collecting water. Plastic is more practical because it does not rust. It is better to choose an opaque tank so that the liquid in it does not “bloom”.
Pump for pumping water from a well.
Water tap for regulating water flow.
Mechanical or electronic controller (timer) to automate the irrigation process.
Ball valve for emergency shut-off of water movement.
Water pressure reduction reducer.
A water filter to prevent pipe clogging.
Adapter for fastening the water conduit system.
Main plastic pipes with a cross-section of up to 40 mm.
Thinner water conduits: drip tapes and tubes, droppers.
Fittings (tees, adapters, plugs, etc.) for mounting and distributing system parts.

Water from the tank moves through the main pipes. Their location depends on the area of the irrigated area and branches out with drip lines to each plant. If the system provides for deep watering, the water pipes are equipped with branches with droppers at the end, which are inserted into the ground to each root. The water filter protects the pipes from clogging, and the reducer regulates the jet pressure to the required level that is safe for the operation of the irrigation system. The ends of the water conduits are closed with plugs.

Kinds

The operation of a drip irrigation system is based on gravity or forced water supply. The first type of irrigation is based on the gravity of the water flow. In order for the pressure to be sufficient and the liquid to flow to the root system of the plants, the storage tank is raised above the ground to a height of at least two meters. A forced irrigation system is provided with water due to its movement from the central water supply or pumped from a well.

The optimal pressure for drip irrigation is no more than 2 atmospheres, so it is advisable to provide the forced mechanism with a reducer to regulate the water pressure. In extreme cases, this function is performed by a water tap. With its help, you manually adjust the water jet, approximately determining the desired pressure. The owner of the cultivated plot independently chooses which irrigation system to use. His choice depends on many factors. Material costs, as a rule, play a decisive role.

How to make drip irrigation in an open area or greenhouse

The distance between the droppers must be at least 30 cm so that the soil is moistened evenly. In this case, a maximum of 20 liters per plant. For small cultivation areas, a gravity-based drip irrigation system is often used. In the case of equipping large areas with irrigation devices, the best option would be automated irrigation using an electronic controller. It will provide regular, high-quality watering.

Materials and equipment

A simple micro-irrigation system for garden beds can be built from scrap materials yourself. A two-hundred-liter plastic barrel raised to a height of 2 meters, a watering main hose and thinner water conduits are the main parts of a homemade irrigation structure. The most primitive method of drip irrigation is plastic bottles suspended on poles with medical droppers inserted into their caps. Their free ends with a non-needle tip are inserted into the ground near each plant being grown.

Tubes of medical droppers are used as taps and in more complex homemade micro-irrigation designs. To do this, attach the rubber tips of the droppers to the holes made in the main hose. There should be as many holes as the number of plants being watered. Automation of drip irrigation is possible through the use of the following mechanisms in the design:

float-type shut-off valve to control the filling of the tank with water;
reducer for regulating water pressure in the system;
micro-irrigation controller to eliminate excess water consumption and excess soil moisture.

Scheme development

To regularly provide cultivated plants with water, it is very important to correctly develop an irrigation scheme and calculate the parameters of the parts that need to be purchased. The size of the water intake tank is calculated by multiplying the irrigated surface area by 30 liters required to deeply moisten the soil. If a storage tank with a capacity of 1 cubic meter is raised to a height of 2 m, you can efficiently water an area with seedlings of 50 square meters.

It is not advisable to make drip lines longer than 100 m. Violation of this rule will lead to problems in the operation of the irrigation structure at any capacity of the main pipes. Modified types of water pipelines are more expensive, but are more resistant to changes in water and air temperatures and the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. The following parameters depend on the diameter of the pipes used:

Installation

If you correctly calculate the parameters and develop a drip irrigation scheme, you can significantly reduce the labor intensity of gardening and greenhouse work and almost double the yield of grown crops. When all the necessary parts have been purchased, you should begin installing the irrigation structure:

Make a support platform at a height of 2 meters and install the tank on it.
If the container is filled with water from the water supply network, it is advisable to equip it with a float-type shut-off valve. This will prevent liquid from overflowing.
Insert an adapter into the lower part of the water collection tank. Screw a water tap onto it using FUM sealing tape to manually regulate the water pressure.
Next, according to the diagram, install the controller (timer). By programming it in a certain way, you can achieve watering of the area without the presence of an observer. Irrigation of the land plot will begin at the specified time and end strictly at the appointed hour.
Install a ball valve to shut off the flow of water into the system if necessary.
To avoid surges in water pressure, a reduction gear is installed. If the pressure in the water supply network is less than 2 atm, install a pump that increases the water pressure.
A fine filter will prevent clogging of pipes. It is attached after the water pressure regulator.
Using fittings, the developed design of main pipes and branches with drip lines is mounted. It is connected to the main water pipeline through an adapter.
A thinner hose is connected to the main pipe through tees and adapters. The ends of the bends are bent and special clamps are put on them, which act as plugs.
3 mm holes are made on top of the thin hose at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Splitters are inserted into them. Rubber seals are used to prevent water from leaking out.
The splitters come in different designs; they have 2-4 outlets, onto which “antennae” (thin tubes) with droppers are attached.
Test the operation of the installation by adjusting the water pressure.

Operating a Drip Irrigation System

Correct operation of the automated system is the key to its uninterrupted operation. To prevent failure of the micro-irrigation structure, it is necessary to:

Clean the filter weekly.
In the fall, dismantle the drip irrigation system, drain all the water and store it until the next season.
After feeding the plants with a solution of mineral fertilizers through the micro-irrigation system, fill the tank with clean water, rinse the pipes and hoses with it for 10-15 minutes. This must be done to avoid the negative effects of chemicals on plastic water pipes.
To increase the service life of a drip irrigation system, it is advisable to lay its elements underground. Subsoil irrigation requires a lot of effort when installing the structure, but has a number of advantages. Firstly, water is saved because it does not evaporate from the surface of the earth. Secondly, the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays and weather conditions on pipes and hoses are reduced.

Drip irrigation system for indoor plants

If there is no one to entrust with watering indoor plants during the holidays, you can build gravity drip watering for green pets using improvised means. To do this, you will need a water container, the volume of which depends on the number of flower pots, and medical droppers. This method of micro-irrigation is good because it can be used to regulate the rate of moisture supply to the root of the plant.

If we take, for example, a ten-liter plastic canister and several droppers as the basis for the design, then you need to proceed as follows:

1 cm above the bottom of the container, drill as many holes as there are flower pots that require watering during the absence of the owners. Their diameter should be slightly less than the lumen of the dropper tube.
Heat the tubes one by one in boiling water until they soften and insert into the holes of the canister. To avoid leaks, treat the joints with any sealant available in the house (silicone, waterproof glue).
Fill the container with water and place it 1 m above the level of the flower pots. Adjust the flow of liquid using the clamp-regulator (wheel) of the dropper.
Insert the injection unit without a needle into the soil of the flower pot closer to the plant stem.

How to choose automatic drip irrigation

To buy a drip irrigation system, you need to know what the fundamental difference between the models offered on the market is. By correlating the capacity of the structure, its price with your own goals and capabilities, you can make a purchase. Criterias of choice:

view:
1. Tubular. They are based on rigid hoses with built-in nozzles for attaching bends.
2. Tape. The branches of the system consist of elastic bands with capillary holes.
equipment:

The larger the irrigation area, the more components for drip irrigation and the higher the cost of the product.
Availability of a storage tank. Such models are more expensive.
With automatic regulators of water pressure and watering time or providing manual adjustment.
Availability of external dropper nozzles. Their design can be monoblock or collapsible. Monoblock ones cannot be repaired if they break. In collapsible models, you can regulate the speed of falling drops, regardless of the water pressure in the pipe.

Video

Found an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we will fix everything!

The garden and vegetable garden need timely watering, especially during the hot summer months. The drip irrigation system is a real salvation for summer residents who do not want to spend the lion’s share of the weekend dragging a watering hose around their site. Drip irrigation is the most rational way to supply plants with moisture; it does not allow the root system to dry out and lack nutrients, and also does not allow the formation of a hard crust on the soil surface or erosion of the fertile layer.

Drip irrigation system design

The principle of operation of drip irrigation is the drip supply of water directly to the root system of plants. Depending on the equipment used, moisture can be supplied both to the surface of the soil - using a drip tape or hose, and into the depths of the fertile layer - using droppers.

Depending on the type of water supply, the system can be gravitational or forced. In the first case, water comes under the influence of gravity from a pre-filled tank of the required capacity, in the second - from a water supply or from a pump connected to a well. Drip irrigation systems are designed for a pressure of no more than 2 atm, therefore, a pressure regulator - a reducer - must be installed in the forced system. To create the necessary pressure in the gravity system, the tank is raised to a height of at least 1.5-2 meters.

Water from a tank or water supply system is supplied to the irrigation site through main pipes with branches. Standard fittings for drip irrigation are usually used as branches; they are described below. The main pipes are laid along the fence, the walls of the greenhouse, or simply in a furrow, secured with holders.

Drip lines running along the rows of plants along the entire length of the bed are connected to the branches. For drip lines, you can use a flexible drip tape with holes or a regular plastic pipe, to which droppers are connected through splitters. The ends of the drip lines are closed with plugs or flush valves.

To avoid clogging of the system, a fine filter is installed at the outlet of the tank or at the point where it is connected to the water supply, as well as a valve tap or reducer, with the help of which the water supply is regulated.

Design of a drip irrigation system

For high-quality irrigation, the droppers should be located at a distance of 30 cm from each other, while the fertile layer is moistened in 1-2 hours. Further watering is undesirable, as it leads to waterlogging and rotting of the root system, as well as excessive water consumption. During this time, about 15-30 liters of water per square meter are consumed.

To achieve such an irrigation regime, you need to correctly calculate the total length of the system or its individual sectors, as well as the capacity of the storage tank in the gravity system. In a forced system, you cannot do without manual or automatic irrigation control. Manual control is suitable for gardeners living in the country: just open the tap and, while you are resting or harvesting, the system will moisten the soil to the desired depth. If you rarely visit the dacha, it is worth purchasing a controller that can be programmed for any period.

Example of calculating tank volume

The greenhouse has dimensions of 10x3.5 meters. The area of the greenhouse is: 10 · 3.2 = 32 m 2. We multiply the resulting value by 30 liters required for irrigation: 32 · 30 = 960 liters. Thus, a greenhouse requires a tank with a volume of 1 cubic meter.

The tank must be installed at such a height that the system maintains stable pressure. When the tank is raised to a height of 2 meters, the pressure in the system will be 0.2 atm, which is enough to irrigate approximately 50 m2. If the area of the site is larger, with the gravitational method of water supply, it is advisable to divide the irrigation system into sections and supply water to them one by one, or install a separate tank for each section. A pump that increases the pressure will also help solve the problem - in this case it must be maintained at about 2 atmospheres.

To ensure stable pressure in the system, factors such as the diameter of the main pipes and drip lines are also important. A pipe with a diameter of 16 mm passes 600 liters of water per hour, which is quite enough to water a 30 m2 area. If the area of the plot is larger, it is better to choose a pipe of larger diameter: a 25 mm pipe will allow you to pass 1800 liters per hour and water an area of about 100 square meters, a 32 mm pipe has a throughput capacity of about 3 cubic meters, which is enough for a plot of 5 acres, and a 40 mm pipe – 4.2 cubic meters, or 7 acres.

The length of each drip line should not exceed 100 meters at any capacity of the main pipes. Typically, drip lines are connected in parallel at a distance equal to the distance between rows of plantings. When watering fruit trees or bushes, drip lines are placed around them at a distance of 0.5-1 meter from the trunk.

Equipment and fittings

Before starting the installation of a drip irrigation system, it is necessary to draw a pipe layout plan and calculate the required amount of materials, connecting elements and equipment.

To install a water supply system you need:

A plastic or metal tank of the required volume or a pump that supplies water from a well;
Valve tap;
Controller – in case of installation of an automated system;
Ball valve;
Pressure reducer;
Fine filter;

Adapter for connecting to an irrigation system.

The irrigation system includes the following elements:

Plastic pipes with a cross-section from 16 to 40 mm for main pipes;
Drip tape or drip tubes complete with splitters and droppers;
Fittings: taps, tees, mini taps, start connectors, adapters for connecting drip tape, plugs.

Installation technology

Install the tank at a height of 1.5-2 meters or connect to the water supply system. An adapter is cut into the tank, onto which a valve tap is screwed using a FUM tape - it is necessary to regulate the water supply. If the water in the tank comes from the water supply network, it can be equipped with a float-type shut-off valve, as in a cistern.
After the tap, a programmable controller is installed that regulates the water supply depending on the specified program. You can set it to turn on every day or to water every few days, and you can also set the watering time. After the controller, a ball valve is installed to shut off the flow of water.
To regulate the pressure, a reduction reducer or a pump is installed in the supply system to increase the pressure. The working pressure is 1-2 atmospheres; if it increases, leaks may form at the junctions of the tubes and droppers; if it decreases, the water will flow unevenly. To purify water, the system is equipped with a fine filter - this will avoid blockages.
Plastic main pipes, cut into sections corresponding to the distance between the drip pipes, are connected to the supply system through splitters and adapters. The pipes are connected using tees. The last main pipe at the remote end is equipped with a flush tap - it will come in handy if the system is clogged.
Drip tapes or tubes are connected to the tees via adapters. Drip tape is a flexible hose with perforations through which drip irrigation is carried out. The tape is easily cut with a knife, its ends are bent and special clips are put on them, acting as a plug.
A drip tube is a plastic pipe, usually its diameter does not exceed 16 mm. In the top of the tube, at a distance of 30-60 cm, holes are made for a splitter with a diameter of 3 mm. Rubber seals and splitters are inserted into them, which can have from 2 to 4 branches. Dropper hoses - plastic tubes with holes - are inserted into the branches. Droppers are stuck into the ground next to the plants.
The system is tested and the required pressure is determined, which is adjusted using a reducer or valve on the tank.

Installing a drip irrigation system with your own hands is not difficult; if calculated correctly, drip irrigation can reduce the labor intensity of gardening work and increase the yield by 1.5-2 times. For the winter, the system is easily disassembled: the tubes and droppers are removed, the water is drained from the tank, and the control equipment is removed. If necessary, the system can be expanded or redesigned. Its use is not limited to the garden plot; it can be successfully used in flower beds, balconies, lawns and in the greenhouse.