Drip irrigation

[Chuck]

Is anyone out there using this besides me? This is my third year using it and I find it astounding. Any tips?

 

[Tradewinds]

I have a drip irrigation system running to most of my potted plants. It is a life saver.

 

[Chuck]

I am going to do something different this year. I am planting my bush beans and corn in clusters every 2 feet where I have an emmiter. This way I can fertilize and water more plants spaced the same than I can in a linear row. Same with squash and cucumbers. I think drip irrigation is going to change methods of growing plants in ways that we cannot imagine. Think of the water saving. I am going to invest in an injector so I can use diluted fertilizer every time I water. This should increase yield and lower costs dramatically. I started out with RainBird, then went to RainDrip and my last purchase was from DripWorks. I think, so far, that DripWorks is the best.

 

[gata montes]

I been using this method of watering for well over 10 years now and drip irrigation is something that I really couldn't live without - especially as I grow all my own fruit and vegetables and live in one of those drought prone areas where water is scarce
As for tips - I think the two main ones would be to regularly check the drippers for blockages and if you live in a strong sun area - to check the piping every now and again - as the sun can make it go brittle - which leads to cracked or split pipework.

 

[Chuck]

We have been in a bad drought here for years now. I have had to reduce the size of my garden by 50% because my well isn't strong enough,but with this drip system I use far less water and am now able to water the whole thing without running my well dry. The only problem I have had so far is that the emmiters get clogged up with calcium deposits from the well water. When that happens I just cut them out of the line and soak them in vinegar for a day or two and they are as good as new again.

 

[R.R.]

Since I just started gardening this year and I already have lots of things to learn, I am watering with a hose for now. I am very interested in learning about drip irrigation, though. Hopefully I'll be able to do it soon.

 

[Chuck]

Since I just started gardening this year and I already have lots of things to learn, I am watering with a hose for now. I am very interested in learning about drip irrigation, though. Hopefully I'll be able to do it soon.

In our climate it is the only way to go. I have used RainBird, RainDrip and Dripworks and so far DripWorks is the best and least expensive. I use the 1/4" and 1/2GPH line and emitters

 

[R.R.]

I'll look DripWorks up, thanks, Chuck.

 

[ChanellG]

@Chuck, @gata montes, @R.R., do any of you have photos of your drip system? I'm thinking of incorporating something into garden #3. It has these ineffective sprinklers buried around the yard that randomly splay water about, but I am redoing everything and putting in vertical planters. The system in place now, is a Rainbird one, I'd like to update it if possible, but I also want to catch rainwater to use wherever I can.

 

[R.R.]

I don't have a drip irrigation system yet, ChanellG. I want one pretty bad, but there's not enough money for everything, so I'll probably keep going with the hose for a while. I know you save water with it, but it's the initial expense I can't afford for now.

 

[ChanellG]

I don't have a drip irrigation system yet, ChanellG. I want one pretty bad, but there's not enough money for everything, so I'll probably keep going with the hose for a while. I know you save water with it, but it's the initial expense I can't afford for now.

Maybe you can. I'm looking into a few different systems, many are inexpensive DIY set ups you can create from materials you may already have on hand. A cheap garden hose can be turned into a soaker hose - they usually start leaking before long anyway. I'll post some of the stuff I'm looking at in a bit.

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck, @gata montes, @R.R., do any of you have photos of your drip system? I'm thinking of incorporating something into garden #3. It has these ineffective sprinklers buried around the yard that randomly splay water about, but I am redoing everything and putting in vertical planters. The system in place now, is a Rainbird one, I'd like to update it if possible, but I also want to catch rainwater to use wherever I can.

I don't have any pic of the "system". My drip irrigation is nothing more 1/4" black plastic tubing that attaches to the end of a water hose. There are things called emitters that you place however far apart you want in the tubing. I started out with a kit from RainBird. It was 50' long and had 10 emitters plus all the little connectors you need. It cost $12. I have found DripWorks to be the best and the least expensive.

 

[R.R.]

Thanks, ChanellG

 

[gata montes]

@Chuck, @gata montes, @R.R., do any of you have photos of your drip system?

I don't no - as to perfectly honest I've never felt any urge to photograph my irrigation systems but seriously - even if I did have some photos - I'm not altogether sure that they would be much help for what you are planning to do - mainly because mine are quite large scale and set up to cover quite an extensive area and fed by ground water which is pumped into 5000 liter storage tanks.

Unfortunately - as I put my systems together using various aspects taken from 2 or 3 different diagrams and didn't use a branded system I can't really recommend one of those either - in fact come to think of it - as this type of irrigation is extremely common where I live there aren't any branded systems - mainly because everyone tends to put together their own setups - which means that everything needed - lengths of piping, flow controls, pressure emitter drippers, t-pieces, connectors etc - can all be bought individually.

 

[ChanellG]

Unfortunately - as I put my systems together using various aspects taken from 2 or 3 different diagrams... mainly because everyone tends to put together their own setups - which means that everything needed - lengths of piping, flow controls, pressure emitter drippers, t-pieces, connectors etc - can all be bought individually.

That is exactly what I am in the process of doing, lol. I started at thread on gravity fed systems where I went into detail about the situation and posted a bunch of images. I saw a system yesterday where a little feeder hose went from the sprinkler head in the ground into an extra large pot next to a garden bed. I'll be looking into that for one area.