Installing a water-efficient drip irrigation system is very easy. A typical system consists of ½" plastic pipe that routes water from a hose spigot to trees, shrubs, and garden beds. The plastic tubing is fitted with small plastic nozzles, called emitters, at plant locations. Emitters are essentially mini-sprinklers, and they come in a variety of forms depending on the type of plant you need to water. If you're watering plant beds, assume you'll need 1 ft. of tubing with emitters for every square foot of plant bed space.
Your basic irrigation equipment come with only a few components, but can be augmented with pieces purchased "ala carte". You'll also need a punch for piercing the tubing and "goof plugs" for repairing errant punches. Tubing for drip irrigation is thin-wall flexible polyethylene or polyvinyl, typically ¼" or ½" in diameter. Internal diameters can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it's good idea to purchase pipe and fittings from a single source.
Let's start to do it ourselves,
1. Connect the system's supply tube to a water source, such as a hose spigot or a rainwater system. If you tap into your household water supply, use a pressure gauge to check water pressure. If pressure exceeds 50 pounds per square inch, install a pressure-reducing fitting before attaching the feeder tube. A filter should also be attached to the faucet before the feeder tube.
2. At garden bed location, begin installing drip emitters every 18". You can also purchase ½" PE tubing with emitters preinstalled. If you use this tubing, cut the feeder tube once it reaches the first bed, and attach the emitter tubing with a barbed coupling. Route the tubing among the plants so that emitters are over the roots.
3. For trees and shrubs, make a branch loop around the tree. Pierce the feed tube near the free and insert a T-fitting. Loop the branch around the tree and connect it to both outlets on the T-fitting. Use ¼" tubing for small trees, ½" for larger specimens. Insert emitters in the loop every 18".
4. Use micro sprayers for hard-to-reach plants. Sprayers can be connected directly to the main feeder line or positioned on short branch lines. Sprayers come in a variety of spray patterns and flow rates; choose one most appropriate for the plants to be watered.
5. Potted plants and raised beds can also be watered with sprayers. Place stake-mounted sprayers in the pots or beds. Connect a length of ¼" tubing to the feeder line with a coupler, and connect the ¼" line to the sprayer.
6. Once all branch lines and emitters are installed, flush the system by turning on the water and let it flow for a full minute. Then, close the ends of the feeder line and the branch line with figure-8 end crimps. Tubing can be left exposed or buried under mulch.
No comments:
Post a Comment