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It will not be possible to grow a good crop on a summer cottage without proper irrigation. Not every summer is rainy, and if you have a greenhouse, you cannot do without artificial watering. However, performing this procedure manually every day is very difficult. The way out of the situation is an automatic watering system, which is quite easy to make with your own hands.
Relevance of automatic watering of summer cottages and greenhouses
To grow different crops in a garden, garden or greenhouse, it is necessary to organize an artificial irrigation system. The quantity and quality of the future harvest depends on the correctly chosen technology. There are 3 types of automatic watering available for making at the dacha with your own hands: subsoil, drip and sprinkling. Each of the presented options is suitable for irrigating open ground and greenhouse soil.
Automatic watering simplifies the daily labor-intensive process of caring for crops for the person himself.The system will automatically supply the required amount of water, distributing it evenly under the root of each plant. The most intelligent system is an automatic watering system with a programmable timer. This device, working together with sensors, is responsible for supplying a certain amount of water at a given time. Thanks to this work, the possibility of waterlogging of the soil is eliminated. For any of the selected automatic watering systems you will need a pump, a tank, a source of water intake and, of course, pipes, taps and filters.
You can buy the entire irrigation system ready-made in the store, and all you have to do at home is assemble it. However, as practice shows, cheap self-watering systems quickly break down, and not everyone can afford expensive ones. Many summer residents prefer to make their own self-watering system for a greenhouse or vegetable garden from purchased components. So, they say it’s cheaper and more reliable.
Three types of automatic watering with your own hands
Every owner can make automatic watering for a greenhouse or summer cottage. Probably the most difficult thing here will be connecting the electrical circuit, consisting of sensors and a controller. Typically, automatic equipment sold as a kit comes with a diagram for its installation. As a last resort, you can turn to a qualified electrician for help, but you can assemble the automatic watering pipe system yourself.
Drip irrigation system
When making automatic watering in a greenhouse, it is best to give preference to a drip system. This is also the best option for open beds with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage. In a drip irrigation system, a certain portion of water is supplied directly to the root of the plant. This method eliminates sunburn of the leaves, since the water drops act like a magnifying glass.There will be less growth on the site weed, plus water savings.
A drip auto-irrigation system can operate from a central water supply, but in this case, cold water will get under the root of the plant.
Many heat-loving crops slow down their growth as a result. The best option is a barrel or any plastic container. The water in it will heat up in the sun and be supplied warm to the roots of the plant. As the water decreases, a pumping station will pump the water into the barrel from the well, or the liquid will flow under pressure from the central water supply. A plumbing float with a built-in valve installed inside the barrel will help automate the process of pumping water.
The manufacturing process of drip irrigation consists of the following steps:
- If the greenhouse is heated and plants are grown in it even in winter, then the barrel must be installed inside, otherwise the water will freeze outside due to frost. For cold film greenhouses with spring cultivation of crops or open beds, outdoor installation of the container is suitable. In any case, the automatic watering barrel must rise above ground level at least 1 m to create gravity flow of water.
- At the lowest point of the water tank, a hole is cut into which a ball valve, filter and solenoid valve are successively attached. The latter is needed to automate the automatic watering process, and the filter will purify the water from impurities so that the droppers do not become clogged.
- A plastic pipe from the main branch of the irrigation system is connected to the solenoid valve using an adapter. The diameter of the pipe depends on the area being watered, but usually 32–40 mm is sufficient. Lay the main branch of automatic watering between all the beds perpendicular to the rows with growing plants.The end of the pipeline is closed with a plug.
- Opposite each row, the pipe is cut with a hacksaw, and then again it is connected with special fittings - tees. PVC pipes of a smaller cross-section are connected to the central hole of each tee, but holes are first drilled into them opposite each plant. If you wish, you can buy a perforated hose for automatic watering, however, its service life is slightly shorter.
- To prevent water from flowing out of the drilled holes without stopping, you will have to buy drippers. They are screwed into each hole and placed not down towards the soil, but on its side or up to avoid clogging. There is no need to insert a dropper into the factory perforated hose. A special capillary labyrinth is already provided inside it.
The automatic watering system is ready for operation. All that remains is to install the soil moisture sensors and connect them together with the solenoid valve to the controller.
The video talks about making your own drip irrigation in a greenhouse:
Production of automatic rain watering
Sprinkling is most often used in the garden for watering lawns or in large vegetable gardens. Sometimes such an irrigation system is justified in a greenhouse when growing crops that love a humid microclimate, for example, cucumbers. When sprinkling, the water dispersed by sprinklers gets not only under the root of the plant, but also on its above-ground part. You can make your own sprinkler system using the above-ground or air method.
If the automatic watering system operates from a barrel, as is provided for in drip irrigation, you will have to install a pump after the ball valve coming out of the tank at the bottom. The controller will also control its operation.
Above ground automatic watering
The process of making a subsurface sprinkler system is similar to drip irrigation, only the entire plastic pipeline must be buried in the ground. Sprinklers are installed on the branches instead of droppers. These are special nozzles designed to spray water. The final result should be the entire automatic watering system buried in the ground. Only the spray head is located on the soil surface.
Making an air sprinkler system in a greenhouse
An air irrigation system allows you to create the effect of rain inside the greenhouse. It is manufactured similarly to the above-ground or drip system, only all the pipes are on the surface. The main automatic watering line is laid under the ceiling of the greenhouse. From it, small descents of thin PVC tubes are made with sprayers installed at the end. The length of the descent depends on the height of the ceiling and ease of maintenance at the discretion of the owner.
If a sprinkler system is installed in the garden, air humidity sensors will prevent the system from being turned on unnecessarily when it rains.
Manufacturing of subsoil auto-irrigation
In-soil irrigation involves supplying water directly to the root of the plant. If with surface drip irrigation a wet spot forms around the plant, then with the subsoil method the entire bed is dry on top.This big plus eliminates the formation of a crust on the soil, which must constantly be loosened.
Subsoil auto-irrigation is manufactured in exactly the same way as a drip system. The only difference is the side branches. They are made from a porous hose buried in the ground. In terms of cost, the subsoil automatic watering system is cheaper, but its disadvantage is the frequent clogging of the holes in the porous hose.
Drawing up a diagram and procedure for arranging automatic watering at the dacha
Before you start making automatic irrigation, it is necessary to draw up an accurate diagram of all the components of the system and the passage of the pipeline through the site. When using several central branches, it is advisable to make such a distribution so that the water source is located in the middle. This will help create approximately the same pressure in all branches of the pipeline. One of the options for automatic watering schemes can be seen in the photo.
Digging a trench for laying pipes
The underground method of laying an automatic irrigation pipeline in open ground is convenient because there is no need to disassemble the entire system for the winter, plus the pipe lying underground will not interfere with weeding in the garden bed. A trench depth of 400–600 mm is sufficient. When backfilling, the plastic pipe is first sprinkled with a little sand or soft soil to prevent stones from getting in.
System installation
PVC pipes are connected using special fittings. This is a kind of clamping device made in the form of tees, turns and other elements. The pipe is cut into pieces according to the diagram, after which connections are made. Depending on the selected automatic watering system, sprayers or drippers are attached to the branches.
The last connection is made to the central branch of the pipeline to the pump. Backfilling of the trench is carried out only after a successful test of the automatic watering system for performance.
Important! Each pump is designed for a certain volume of water pumping. This figure should be several units greater than the total flow rate from all sprayers or drippers, otherwise there will be weak pressure at the end points of the automatic watering system.
Now it's time to connect the pump to the tank. Using adapters, the input of the unit is connected to a chain of a ball valve and a solenoid valve already assembled on the barrel. Water supply to the container is provided in a more convenient way. This could be a water supply, a well, or even pumped from a nearby reservoir. To regulate the water level, a float with a valve is installed inside the tank.
Finally, all that remains is to assemble the entire electrical circuit from sensors, controller, pump and solenoid valve.
The video talks about installing automatic watering at the dacha:
As you can see, you can make automatic watering at your dacha yourself without any problems. Of course, you will have to put in a little work, but the ease of use will be noticeable.
Reviews from summer residents about automatic watering
I acquired my first experience in making sprinklers while working. Last year I installed automatic watering in my garden and in the flower beds near the house. With the beginning of spring, I plan to extend drip irrigation to the beds in the garden. It's a hassle, but it's worth it.
