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There are several types of irrigation that you can independently organize at your dacha: sprinkling, subsurface and drip irrigation. The most popular and effective for vegetable crops is the latter type of irrigation. It can be used in the garden and in greenhouses. We will talk further about how to make drip irrigation with your own hands and what materials are needed for this.
How the system works and what are its advantages
Every person can equip their plot with irrigation. To make a drip irrigation system for a summer residence, you will need a plastic or stainless steel water container, perforated tapes, PVC pipe, connecting fittings, ball valves and a filter. The barrel is mounted at a height of at least 1 m. The higher the container is located, the greater the water pressure in the pipeline system.
Drip irrigation works according to the following principle: water flowing by gravity from a container through a pipe, passing through a filter, is directed along all branches of the system, and flows out in portions through the holes in the drip tapes to the roots of the plants.
Drip irrigation has several advantages:
- the system can water the entire country garden and crops growing in the greenhouse;
- thanks to the ability to regulate the flow of water from the droppers, the system is suitable for simultaneous irrigation of small garden crops, as well as large garden trees and shrubs;
- batch watering saves water consumption, energy and time of the grower;
- An additional tank for filling fertilizers made on the pipeline allows you to automatically feed the plants during watering.
The main advantage of drip irrigation is its benefits for plants. Water regularly gets right under the root, while a certain portion of moisture prevents the soil from drying out and does not make it waterlogged.
Step-by-step instructions for making drip irrigation
So, we figured out the operating principle of irrigation and what materials are needed for it. It's time to learn how to make a drip irrigation system with your own hands using purchased materials. It is better to start the work by drawing a plan that will display a diagram of the entire area allocated for drip irrigation.
The structure of drip irrigation in a greenhouse is no different from its installation in an open area, so we carry out all further work following the instructions:
- To develop a drawing, you need to take a blank piece of paper, a pencil and a ruler. A diagram of the entire plot of land allocated for drip irrigation is drawn on paper. The width and length of the rows are measured with a tape measure and displayed on a diagram on a certain scale. This also includes all trees, shrubs and other plantings growing on the site. When the site plan is ready, a diagram of all communications is drawn.This includes everything: the central pipe, branches with perforated tapes, the location of the tank and the source of water intake. The drawing must be taken seriously. It will help you calculate the required amount of materials that will need to be purchased. The diagram must show all connecting nodes with taps, fittings and filter.
- The manufacture of a drip system begins with the installation of a water container. It is best to take a tank made of stainless steel or plastic. Under the container you will have to weld a metal cabinet with a height of 1 to 2.5 m. Such dimensions depend on the topography of the area. The tank with the cabinet is placed so that all branches of the drip system are located at approximately the same distance from it. This ensures equal water pressure in the pipeline. Plus, it is necessary to take into account the convenient supply to the pipeline tank for pumping water. If drip irrigation is done in a greenhouse, the barrel can be installed both outside and inside. The second method is more often used for heated greenhouses where vegetables are grown in winter.Attention! When using a PVC tank for a drip system, it is necessary to take into account that its walls should be opaque, preferably black. If the plastic allows sunlight to pass through, the water in the container will quickly bloom, and the filter and drippers will become clogged with these algae during watering.
- After installing the barrel, the installation of the pipeline begins. For the central branches, take a plastic pipe thicker than for the branches. Typically a diameter of 32-50mm will be sufficient. HDPE pipe, like a hose, is sold in coils. To make it easier to work with, the pipe is rolled out on site and given time to rest. Plastic softened in the sun will become more pliable.The leveled pipe is cut into pieces of the required size according to the drawing, and laid along the beds, but across the rows with growing plants. Opposite each row, fittings are installed to connect perforated tapes.
- Having connected one end of the perforated tape to the mortise fitting, they begin to lay it out in a row as close as possible to the growing plant. It is necessary to pay attention that the drip holes are directed towards the stem of the plant, that is, to the side. If you lay the tape with the holes facing down, over time they will become clogged with damp soil. At the end of the row, the tape is cut off and its hole is closed with a plug. If the rows in the garden bed are located close to each other, you don’t have to cut the tape, but immediately wrap it on the second row. Then the second end of the tape, covering two rows, is connected to the adjacent fitting on the central pipe. The resulting ring of drip tape does not require the installation of plugs, plus it allows for more efficient use of the material.
- Making an irrigation system from drip hoses is quick and convenient, but they have a short service life, up to a maximum of 5 years. Some summer residents prefer to replace PVC tapes with pipes with self-embedded droppers. Now we will look at how to make drip irrigation yourself without perforated tapes. To work, you will need a coil of pipe with a diameter of 20 mm. Any thin-walled hose will do. It is easily cut with a hacksaw or special scissors.
- It is not very convenient to bend the pipe into a ring into two rows, as was done with drip tape, so it is cut into pieces. Each pipe section must correspond to the length of the row. Pieces of pipes are laid out in their place in rows and points are marked on them for drilling holes for droppers.Typically, crops are planted at a distance of 50 cm from each other, so you can apply the markings using a tape measure, following this step. To prevent the holes on the pipe from becoming zigzag-shaped, it is convenient to use a black hose with a longitudinal blue stripe. It will help you make holes strictly along one line.
- For drilling, you can use a screwdriver or electric drill. When all the holes are ready, the pipes are laid out in rows in their permanent place.
- The connection of the drip lines to the central pipe is made with tee fittings. The second end of the perforated pipe is closed with a plug. A simple version of the plug is a small wooden peg, rounded and adjusted to the diameter of the pipe.
- To ensure that water is supplied in portions, medical droppers are screwed into the holes. Thanks to the adjusting wheel on its body, the supply of a certain amount of water is individually set for each crop.
- Now it's time to return to the tank. The bottom of the container is drilled using an electric drill with a crown. The diameter of the cutting attachment must match the cross-section of the adapter fitting. Next, a chain of adapter fitting, ball valve and filter is assembled from the cut hole. If the system has a tank for applying fertilizer, a tee is cut under it. The entire assembled chain of fittings is connected to the central pipe and the supply of the feed water supply begins. From the central water supply system, you can simply extend a pipe into the tank. Water from a well or well will have to be supplied by a deep or surface pump. Alternatively, you can install a pumping station.Advice! To control the pumping of water, a float with a valve, used in plumbing, must be installed in the tank.
- When everything is ready, you can turn on the pump, pump up a full tank of water and check the system for functionality.
Drip irrigation can be improved by adding soil moisture sensors and an electric water shut-off valve. Their operation is controlled by a special electronic device - a controller. Such drip irrigation becomes fully automated, requiring rare human participation in its maintenance.
To help the gardener, here is a video of do-it-yourself drip irrigation at the dacha:
Drip irrigation from PET bottles
If a summer resident does not have the opportunity to build a pipe irrigation system, ordinary two-liter PET bottles will be the way out of the situation. These containers will help provide watering to a small garden bed for a couple of days while the owner is away. Let's look at two examples of how to make drip irrigation in a country house from old PET bottles.
The essence of the first method is to bury a bottle of honey with plant roots. But before that, you need to make holes in the side walls. Their number depends on the composition of the soil. For sandstone, 2 holes are enough, but for clay soil you need to make 4 or more. You can bury the bottle upside down. Then you will have to fill the water using a watering can. The second option is to screw the bottle with a cork and bury it with the neck down, and cut off the bottom. It is more convenient to pour water into a wide hole.
The second option for primitive drip irrigation involves hanging bottles, neck down, above each plant. One hole is drilled in the cork, and the bottom is cut off to fill the water.
The video shows an example of using PET bottles for watering:
Having made drip irrigation at the dacha with his own hands, the owner does not have to worry about garden crops during his absence. Plus, the plants will receive high-quality irrigation, saving the summer resident from everyday hassle.
