- Creating a drip irrigation system is simple
- A drip irrigation system is easy to use and will simplify your watering routine
- Drip irrigation is a very eco-friendly and efficient way to water
Creating a drip irrigation system:
To start your system, we recommend getting a drip irrigation kit, which can be found at home supply stores, and which usually includes 25 or 50 feet of black irrigation tubing, a variety of watering tips (also referred to as drip emitters or sprinkler tips), a small plastic tool to puncture your tubing and install your drip emitters, connectors (like tee fittings and 90-degree elbows), hole plugs, and a threaded connector that attaches to the valve on your rain barrel, much like the end of a garden hose.
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| Above is a picture of the black irrigation tubing with a tee fitting that connects three separate ends of the tubing. The tee fitting allows you to create a larger system by "branching out," your water flow, which makes it simple to to water multiple sites that may be spread out over some distance. |
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| Pictured here is one of the watering tips that was included in the drip irrigation kit we purchased. If you look closely, you can see the drops of water from the gentle stream that is emitted from this particular tip. As mentioned above, there are a variety of tips available, some producing very heavy streams of water and others whose output is much less. |
To begin, simply unroll your tubing and lay it on top of the ground next to the plants, trees, etc. that you intend to water. This is a great way to start, as you can get your first look at how much tubing you will need, how many tips you will need and where to insert the tips in the tubing. You will also get a feel for where, if anywhere, you will need a tee fitting or an elbow to change the direction of your water flow. Be sure to place one end of your tubing at your rain barrel, since this is where your water flow will originate.
Once you have decided on where you will need to water, and are happy with your layout of the tubing on the ground, all you need to do next is puncture your tubing at your plant sites with the tool provided in the kit.
Then, insert the sprinkler tips from the kit into the holes you just created.
TIP! Your kit is going to come with several different kinds of watering tips. We recommend trying all of the tips in the different holes. Some will inevitably work better with your system than others. Once you have placed the watering tips into the holes, connect one end of your irrigation tubing to the valve on your rainwater harvesting system. Then turn on/open the valve and let the water start flowing through the tubing and out of the tips, so you can see how each of the tips works. You may find you need to move the tips around, discontinue use of a particular tip, or purchase additional tips of one variety, depending on how much water the plants you are irrigating need and what type of output the tips you are experimenting with actually produce. Keep in mind that in many cases with harvested rainwater systems we are operating off gravity alone, and some of the watering tips are designed for use with pump-operated systems, so the output may be less than advertised.
Once you've used your drip irrigation system for a bit, you'll likely want to expand the system, especially (if you're like us) if you have a tendency to keep adding more and more plants and trees into your landscape. It's not unreasonable to have a drip irrigation system consisting of 100 feet or more of tubing connected to a single rain barrel.
Let's talk aesthetics. Once you have your system working, you might decide you don't want to look at the tubing laying all around your yard. To this end, you can simply lay mulch or other cover over the tubing. Or, you can create a narrow trench and actually bury the tubing underground. If you decide to bury the tubing, be sure it will be out of reach of lawn mowers and other equipment that may damage or sever the tubing. If you feel you might want to expand your system down the road, you might not want to bury your tubing right away, as this makes it a bit more work to expand, since you will need to dig up certain areas to attach tee fittings and elbows.
WHAT WE DID: When we created our drip irrigation system (which we are always expanding, by the way) we buried some of the tubing, while leaving some of it uncovered. Why you might ask? The part of the system we buried carries water to two trees, which we knew we were going to keep around for a long time, and which we knew we would not place other plants near. Therefore, we would have no need to dig up the tubing in this area of the landscape for any reason. However, on the other side of the yard, we have several in-ground garden beds which we are constantly adding plants to. When we add a new plant, we will need to puncture new holes so that the water from the drip irrigation system will reach them. Thus, it's much easier to simply leave the tubing on the ground and cover it with mulch, so that we can easily access the tubing to allow for the addition of plant sites to water.
If you are certain that you will not be adding additional plant sites (maybe you are replacing one plant with another in the same (or a nearby) location) burying the tubing works well. Just be sure to keep the watering tip a little above the surface.
What if you remove a plant or tree from a particular spot and don't want the water to be emitted there anymore? No problem! Most drip irrigation kits also come with "goof plugs" which you simply insert into the hole you originally created (after removing the watering tip of course) and your hole is now plugged.
A drip irrigation system is easy to use and will simplify your watering routine.
Once your drip irrigation system is up and running with your rain barrel or other rainwater harvesting system, we bet you will find that it is incredibly easy to use and will cut down the time and energy it takes to keep your landscape healthy and beautiful. Literally, all it takes is opening the valve on your rain barrel, and all of your plants and trees are watered simultaneously. Gone is the need to makes dozens of trips back and forth to your rain barrel with a watering can. No more unrolling the hose and dragging it around the yard, wasting water while you walk, snagging it on every tree, plant, and rock as you go. Hey, add a timer to your rain barrel and you've basically got a robot that waters for you!
Once you've used your drip irrigation system for a bit, you'll likely want to expand the system, especially (if you're like us) if you have a tendency to keep adding more and more plants and trees into your landscape. It's not unreasonable to have a drip irrigation system consisting of 100 feet or more of tubing connected to a single rain barrel.
Let's talk aesthetics. Once you have your system working, you might decide you don't want to look at the tubing laying all around your yard. To this end, you can simply lay mulch or other cover over the tubing. Or, you can create a narrow trench and actually bury the tubing underground. If you decide to bury the tubing, be sure it will be out of reach of lawn mowers and other equipment that may damage or sever the tubing. If you feel you might want to expand your system down the road, you might not want to bury your tubing right away, as this makes it a bit more work to expand, since you will need to dig up certain areas to attach tee fittings and elbows.
WHAT WE DID: When we created our drip irrigation system (which we are always expanding, by the way) we buried some of the tubing, while leaving some of it uncovered. Why you might ask? The part of the system we buried carries water to two trees, which we knew we were going to keep around for a long time, and which we knew we would not place other plants near. Therefore, we would have no need to dig up the tubing in this area of the landscape for any reason. However, on the other side of the yard, we have several in-ground garden beds which we are constantly adding plants to. When we add a new plant, we will need to puncture new holes so that the water from the drip irrigation system will reach them. Thus, it's much easier to simply leave the tubing on the ground and cover it with mulch, so that we can easily access the tubing to allow for the addition of plant sites to water.
If you are certain that you will not be adding additional plant sites (maybe you are replacing one plant with another in the same (or a nearby) location) burying the tubing works well. Just be sure to keep the watering tip a little above the surface.
What if you remove a plant or tree from a particular spot and don't want the water to be emitted there anymore? No problem! Most drip irrigation kits also come with "goof plugs" which you simply insert into the hole you originally created (after removing the watering tip of course) and your hole is now plugged.
A drip irrigation system is easy to use and will simplify your watering routine.
Once your drip irrigation system is up and running with your rain barrel or other rainwater harvesting system, we bet you will find that it is incredibly easy to use and will cut down the time and energy it takes to keep your landscape healthy and beautiful. Literally, all it takes is opening the valve on your rain barrel, and all of your plants and trees are watered simultaneously. Gone is the need to makes dozens of trips back and forth to your rain barrel with a watering can. No more unrolling the hose and dragging it around the yard, wasting water while you walk, snagging it on every tree, plant, and rock as you go. Hey, add a timer to your rain barrel and you've basically got a robot that waters for you!
Drip irrigation is an eco-friendly and efficient way to water.
One of our favorite features of a drip irrigation system is its efficiency. With drip irrigation, you can direct your water to exactly where you want it, down to the smallest of areas. Try achieving that with a traditional sprinkler...we've all seen driveways and sidewalks being watered by sprinklers, but they never seem to grow! In addition, the design of the drip irrigation system is such that much smaller amounts of water are used in each irrigation cycle, which helps conserve your stored rainwater supply. Plus, by reducing how much water goes to each plant site, we can essentially prevent flooding our plants and help control erosion.
We hope this post has been helpful and demonstrates that adding drip irrigation to your rainwater harvesting system doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating, and can make irrigating easy, efficient, and hassle-free.
Check out our video below, which walks you through some of the basic steps to create a drip irrigation system.
We hope this post has been helpful and demonstrates that adding drip irrigation to your rainwater harvesting system doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating, and can make irrigating easy, efficient, and hassle-free.
Check out our video below, which walks you through some of the basic steps to create a drip irrigation system.
We would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment or ask a question if you feel so moved, and we will gladly respond. Help us spread the word and get the discussion going on water conservation. Every little bit helps!
Happy harvesting!
~Sarasota Rain Barrels
Happy harvesting!
~Sarasota Rain Barrels
I knew it long before that advances in rainwater harvesting system will start appearing. This one is a proof. I agree with how you described this: simple, efficient, and eco-friendly. Going back, this is a powerful combination. The rain harvesting system reduces the accumulation of salt in the soil, which we know could be harmful, while the drip irrigation takes accountability of the better distribution of the water.
ReplyDeleteTabatha Tidd
The use of a drip irrigation system is a great aid to agriculture and landscape industries. Irrigation becomes easier and less time consuming. You will no longer need to make dozens of trips back and forth to your rain barrel with a watering can. It is also ecologically friendly. The design of the drip irrigation system is so small that only little amount of water is being used in each irrigation cycle; it helps conserve the water you stored in a rain barrel.
ReplyDeleteLouisa Matsuura
Nice Article and Video of the rain water harvesting system. Which we know could be harmful, while the drip irrigation takes accountability of the better distribution of the water.
ReplyDeleteWaste Water Treatment
I like the drip irrigation system. it helps to save the water and provides the sufficient amount of water to the plants. we can control the supply of water in drip irrigation.thanks for sharing such a nice article with us.
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Thanks Ronald for your comments. Even i would like to share some experience about rain harvest with you in future. rooftop rainwater harvesting
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