Drip Irrigation Why Do We Water?

Transcription

1 Drip Irrigation 1 Why Do We Water? We like to play in the mud. It doesn t rain enough in Idaho. The weeds need all the help they can get.. 2

2 Why Do We Water? Our plants get thirsty.and all the little microbes that keep our soil healthy get thirsty too. 3 Where Do We Want the Water? 4

3 Where Do We Want the Water? Drip irrigation puts the water only where it s needed for your plants. 5 Where Don t We Want the Water? On the leaves. Late blight The dense canopy of tomatoes, potatoes etc can become an incubator for fungus and other diseases when it is kept moist by overhead watering. 6

4 Where Don t We Want the Water? On the pathways. 7 Where Don t We Want the Water? On the fence. On the wall. On the patio. 8

5 Advantages of Drip Irrigation Reduces water use (33 to 50%). Cuts down on weed germination and growth. Minimizes problems with fungus and other diseases that like high humidity environments. 9 Advantages of Drip Irrigation No moving hoses or adjusting sprinklers to compensate for wind (in Idaho?). Easy to adjust the amount delivered to individual plant needs. 10

6 11 So, Let s Get Started 12

7 Several Options T-tape Drip tubing Soaker hose Individual emitters 13 T-tape 14

8 Drip Tubing 15 Soaker Hose 16

9 Individual Emitters 17 T-tape Thin wall plastic tubing with built-in emitters spaced every 8-12 inches. Lays flat when the water is off easy installation. When water is on water drips out of each emitter. Water spreads out wetting a width of about 10 inches. Can be buried or lay on top of soil. Even water distribution along entire length. 18

10 T-tape 19 20

11 Easy to install T tape advantages Can be buried or lay on top of soil No emitter clogging due to hard water deposits Easy to repair Lasts for years we have tape that has been in more than 5 years Inexpensive: ~15 cents per foot 21 Example 10 x 20 plot Connect to faucet via garden hose with shutoff valve. Timer, filter, pressure regulator are options. ½ inch poly pipe or inexpensive garden hose for header. ¼ inch spaghetti tubing to connect header to individual T- tapes. Four 16 lengths of T-tape. 22

12 Typical System - Supply Connect to garden hose or faucet. Timer Filter Regulator (if water pressure > 50psi) 23 Typical System - header ½ inch poly pipe Inexpensive garden hose 24

13 Typical System Feeder Tubes 1/4 inch poly pipe spaghetti tubing - connects each piece of T-tape to the header. Also used for splicing and repair. 25 Typical System Drip Tape 10 mil, emitters every 8 inches At 10 PSI delivers ~40 GPH per 100'. 26

14 27 28

15 Assembly Lay out header hose. Lay out T-tape rows. Cut spaghetti tubing to connect header to T-tape. Punch holes in header and insert spaghetti tubes. Punch holes in T-tape and slide in spaghetti tubes. Pinch off top ends of T-tape. Run water through T-tape to flush. Pinch off bottom ends of T-tape. Hoe trench and bury T-tape (optional)

16 Sharpened Phillips screwdriver or a pencil Poke hole in tubing Slide spaghetti tubing Into hole it self-seals 31 Installation for Tomato Bed 32

17 33 Removal and Storage 34

18 5 Zone Setup 35 Distribution Manifold Metering valves 36

19 Repair and Modification Repair: cut out damaged section. Tie off each end. Punch hole for spaghetti tube in each end. Insert spaghetti tube. Done 37 38

20 Repair and Modification Option: buy special T- tape hose connectors

21 Cost 10 x 20 plot Header hose - $5 Spaghetti hose - $5 T-tape 100 ft - $15 Filter - $6 Shut off valve - $2 Regulator - $8 Total: $41 41 Kits Available ~ $80 Dripworks.com Contains drip tubing and individual emitters ~ $60 Dripdepot.com 42

22 Drip Tubing Other Drip Options ½ and 1/4 inch with same type emitters as T-tape Not all are pressure compensating (limited length) Easier to run in circles around trees, in pots More expensive 43 Other Drip Options Soaker hose ½ inch hose made from recycled rubber Water seeps from whole length of hose Water delivery is uneven in longer runs, not a pressure-compensating design With our well water it plugged up with mineral deposits after a couple of years Twice as expensive as T-tape 44

23 Individual Emitters 45 Summary Drip irrigation puts the water only where it s needed for your plants. Reduces water use by 33% to 50%. Cuts down on weed germination and growth. Minimizes problems with fungus and other diseases that like high humidity environments. Makes watering easier. Makes it easy to automate your watering. 46

24 Resources Peaceful Valley Farm Supply - has all the drip irrigation supplies for t-tape installation. DripWorks - Very comprehensive website with helpful pages including Getting Started with Drip. DripDepot Comprehensive website, how-to videos PipeCo Pancheri Dr. Idaho Falls Rain for Rent E. Ririe Hwy Idaho Falls Home Depot Lowes 47