How to make a watering system in the country. Do-it-yourself autowatering in the country

Watering a garden for a summer resident is often a process that takes a lot of time and effort. In this regard, to date, a lot of ways have been invented to facilitate it, up to full automation. There are both folk methods for arranging irrigation and watering, as well as ready-made systems made in industrial conditions. We will deal with them in more detail, and also decide which of them are suitable for use in a summer cottage. Do-it-yourself irrigation system in the country house can be made according to one of the methods described by us.

Drip irrigation system for tomatoes - a practical solution

Irrigation system classification

To decide on the choice of a country sprinkler, you should know the strengths and weaknesses of each type of device. There are a wide variety of types of sprinklers, sprinklers and sprinklers on the market. We divided all modern irrigation systems that can be done by hand into three types:

1. Drip. Such a system supplies moisture to each plant in small portions, precisely maintaining the required level of moisture at the roots. It is one of the most economical, because it does not allow you to give out too much liquid, which also has a beneficial effect on plants. Its disadvantage is the need for regular prevention - cleaning droppers and the system as a whole.
2. Subsoil. This type of irrigation allows you to supply moisture directly to the roots of plants, which makes watering more efficient and economical.
3. splashing. Such a system is also called "sprinkling", which explains the principle of its operation. With the help of special devices, water is sprayed over the plants. In some types of watering systems, the water spray tip rotates around its axis, which allows for the most uniform watering. Used on lawns, large flower beds. It is rarely used on vegetable beds, because it waters not only plants, but also the gaps between rows, and can also touch the paths.

Before you organize an irrigation system, you should consider the location of the beds, the types of plants that need irrigation, as well as the location of the paths. Otherwise, soon you will have to dismantle and lay pipes again. It should be remembered that it is advisable to water the flowers and the lawn using sprinkling systems, vegetables - at the root, and for grapes, a drip system is optimal.

Do-it-yourself autowatering

Scheme of automatic watering in a greenhouse with the necessary materials

Irrigation systems are also classified according to the method of water supply. There are automatic and manual watering. The first one works according to a predetermined algorithm, which can be changed by the owner as needed. For example, water will start to be supplied at a certain time, or its flow will be subject to the readings of the soil moisture sensor. The second involves direct intervention from outside. If the owner decides that the garden needs watering, it is enough for him to open the valve.

However, automatic water supply is still more convenient to use, therefore, before installing an irrigation system, it is worth considering the possibility of using automation, especially since it is easy to build it yourself. The simplest way to automatically turn on the pump is a timer. There are sockets combined with a timer.

If you need to water the garden or flower beds daily, you can use the daily timer. That is, every day at the same time in the country the pump will turn on. If you need to run the irrigation system from time to time, it is better to use a weekly timer.

Also, an automatic irrigation scheme can be organized if there is a centralized water supply. Then additional equipment is required - a valve with a built-in timer. Typically, automatic watering is used to turn on the sprinkler. However, with some effort, it can be adapted for other irrigation systems. For example, watering grapes involves daily moistening of the roots, which is quite difficult to arrange with large volumes of vines, while the drip method is optimal.

Features of drip irrigation

You can arrange drip irrigation of plants in your dacha for little money, since this type of irrigation is quite budgetary. To begin with, it is worth deciding how water will be supplied to the irrigation system. The process can be carried out from a water supply system, or from a container in which irrigation liquid is stored. More details about drip irrigation:,.

If round-the-clock irrigation is required, it is advisable to use a container of water from which the liquid will flow uninterrupted. However, it is necessary to ensure that there is always water in the tank. If it is decided to use a water pipe to which water is supplied at certain hours, it will turn out that the plants will be irrigated only at these intervals. If the water supply system functions around the clock, it is worth putting a valve with a timer at the system inlet, which will shut off the water from time to time. Next, consider the methods of supplying water to the garden:

1. Drip tape. Extremely handy watering device, but it must be used correctly. The tape is laid in the garden along a row with vegetables so that the water from it comes directly to the plants. If there are several rows, you can use a splitter, which is mounted at the beginning of the garden. It will help to optimally distribute the parts of the tape.
2. Hose with holes. This is an analogue of a do-it-yourself watering tape. A hose made of rigid material is suitable for it, which will allow you to make holes in it. Further, it is used in the same way as the prototype - the tape.
3. Instead of a hose for irrigation, you can use PVC pipes of small diameter. It is convenient to make holes in them with a hot awl.

Underground irrigation device

Root irrigation has an undeniable advantage over other types - it is the most economical, that is, it reduces water costs by half compared to ground irrigation. However, it is more difficult to arrange it, besides, it is suitable for those areas where constant digging of the soil is not required. In this regard, it is used for watering shrubs, grapes, and fruit trees.

To install an underground irrigation system, you will need crushed stone, as well as a plastic pipe. All work is carried out when plants are planted in the country. The sequence is as follows:

• when digging a hole for a seedling, it should be made deeper and wider - each of these parameters must be increased by 30 cm;
• pour crushed stone into the pit to a height of 20 cm;
• install a pipe at the edge of the pit so that it enters the rubble by 10 cm, and its part (15-25 cm long) protrudes above the ground level;
• pour soil on the crushed stone to a height of 10 cm;
• plant the plant as required by planting conditions;
• plug the end of the pipe with a temporary stopper so that debris does not get into it.

The plant should be watered by directing the jet from the hose directly into the opening of the pipe. Savings are achieved due to the fact that water goes directly to the roots of the plant and does not moisten the ground on the surface.

Classic sprinkler

Such a sprayer covers a different area depending on the position of the faucet handle.

Sprinklers can be mounted for watering any plants. This type of irrigation is the least economical, but there are many options for its construction. Sprinklers successfully work on strawberry beds, in a vegetable garden, on a plot with fruit trees and shrubs. If a lawn is planted under a tree, the sprinkler will water the grass at the same time.

With your own hands on the site, you can make a stationary and portable sprinkler. Consider the differences between both types:

1. When using a stationary type of sprinklers, the pipes with which water is supplied are brought directly to the place of irrigation. They can be underground and located in the soil at a depth of 30-40 cm, or ground. In those places where sprinklers will be installed, pipe sections are installed vertically. At their end, sprinklers spraying water are fixed.
2. A portable sprinkler is constructed on the basis of a hose on which a sprinkler is mounted. These sprinklers simply lay out in the right places in the garden.

A filter for your drip irrigation system keeps your pipes clean longer

Beginners often make mistakes when organizing irrigation systems. We have compiled recommendations from experts that will help many to avoid disappointment:

1. Drip type. The drip irrigation system is quite demanding on water quality. In this regard, it is desirable to install a filter at its inlet. Otherwise, the holes through which water is supplied to the plants will regularly become clogged with scale and other debris. When installing a drip system, it is necessary to test it and select droppers with optimal flow. According to those who use this type of irrigation in the country, it is quite economical, and besides, it does not require large investments. It is possible to reduce the cost of the design even more due to self-assembly or the use of plastic bottles.
2. Radical. It is very important to know how much water is needed for each type of plant, for which you should study the norms for your region. For example, in a southern area, a five-year-old tree needs 4 buckets of water every 7 days. Automatic watering for root irrigation is rarely used. However, its installation will be justified if you need to take care of a large garden, where there are a lot of fruit trees and bushes.
3. Sprinkling. Sprinklers require careful installation. It is important that the ground under the sprinkler is moistened, however, an excess of moisture should not be allowed. Otherwise, the roots of the plants will rot, which will lead to their death. Note that this method of moisturizing is used much more widely than it might seem. For example, if you install a sprinkler under a tree, water jets will wash off dust and insects from its crown and water the lawn located there at the same time.

We have described the standard ways of organizing garden watering. If you wish, you can combine them, implement your own solutions into the system. The result of the efforts will certainly please - the plants in the garden will appreciate the care. At the same time, the owner will have more free time, which he can spend on a pleasant stay in the yard near his own house.

There is always plenty of work in the countryside. Especially a lot of time is taken by the three main concerns of the summer resident - watering, loosening and weeding. Installing an automatic garden watering system will significantly reduce labor costs, save energy and allocate time for more important activities - transplanting, pruning, harvesting and conservation.

Advantages and disadvantages of automatic watering

Installing such a system will not be difficult, and the gardener, in addition to saving time and effort, gets a lot of advantages. Automatic watering beds allows you to:

1. Carry out regular watering in your absence. The owner of the site can always leave for a long time and not worry that the plantings will dry out.
2. Apply moisture directly to plant roots. This saves water and does not disturb the topsoil, as after regular watering with a watering can, therefore, you will have to loosen the bed less often.
3. Add to the water for irrigation dissolved.
4. Do not worry about uneven watering, when parts of the plantations lack moisture, and some are flooded.
5. Water at night. This is extremely convenient for those crops that prefer sprinkler irrigation, but it is not recommended to do this in the sun to avoid burns on the leaves.

Any automation has its drawbacks, which must be taken into account when planning an automatic watering system for beds:

• with a long absence, it is difficult to establish a suitable automatic watering schedule, because periods of drought can be replaced by prolonged rains, and the weather forecast is far from always correct;
• in the event of an unplanned power outage, the automation stops working;
• installing automatic irrigation of beds will cost more if water is taken from an open reservoir, or the operating pressure in the water supply system does not match the parameters of the automatic irrigation system.

In the latter case, you will have to install cleaning filters or additional equipment that regulates the water pressure.

Types of automatic watering systems

You can set up automatic watering for any plantings, whether it be beds, lawns or indoor plants in pots. Only the scale of work and methods of water supply differ. There are three main irrigation systems.

Sprinklers

Through special devices, water is sprayed over the surface, irrigating a certain area. Such systems are usually installed on lawns.

Drip irrigation

In this case, moisture is supplied to the roots of plants and is not spent on the entire area of ​​the beds or greenhouses. This method has four big advantages:

• saves water;
• the top layer of the soil is not disturbed, and it is necessary to loosen much less often;
• weed growth is significantly reduced;
• the air stays dry.

Drip irrigation is necessary for greenhouses, as high humidity contributes to the spread of diseases in greenhouses.

Underground automatic irrigation

Such systems are installed where it is necessary to irrigate large areas, but sprinkling is difficult or impossible. Summer residents use underground irrigation extremely rarely due to complex installation and expensive equipment.

Lawn sprinkler irrigation

Such systems are most often installed by owners of extensive lawns. With their help, a lot of effort and time are saved, and the installation of the sprinkler system is the most cost-effective and does not require fine tuning. Lawn grass easily tolerates a slight excess or lack of moisture and high humidity. The minimum set of accessories for installing such a system includes only hoses, taps and sprinklers. When you open a tap in the water supply, water is supplied through hoses to sprinklers, and after some time it is turned off. This method belongs to semi-automatic, as it works only in the presence of the owner. To carry out without human intervention, the installation is supplemented with the following components:

• pumping station that provides constant pressure;
• water filters that purify water from foreign matter that can clog the holes of the sprinkler;
• solenoid valves that regulate the flow of water to individual sprinklers;
• controllers that control the entire system according to a given algorithm.

If the lawn is only planned, it is better to lay the hoses underground, leaving only sprinklers on the surface.

A drawing is first made, on which all elements of the system are transferred on a scale with reference to the terrain. Such a detailed drawing will allow you to quickly find a problem or lay additional underground communications without affecting the existing automatic watering system for the beds.

All components of the sprinkler system can be bought ready-made in specialized stores or assembled from individual parts yourself. Convenient and inexpensive sprinklers are famous firms "Gardena", "Hunter", "Rain Bird".

Drip irrigation device

used wherever sprinkling is undesirable. Most garden crops do not tolerate high humidity. So, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, onions, many flowers can get sick with fungal diseases. Therefore, the device of a drip irrigation system is preferable for them. The difficulty lies in the fact that almost all of these plants need to be watered only with warm water, which means that you will need a container of the appropriate volume. The barrel is installed at a height of at least 1 meter to create the desired pressure.
The simplest drip irrigation system consists of:

• containers;
• crane;
• water filter;
• start connector;
• ordinary hose;
• drip hose;
• end plug.

Start connectors are needed to regulate the water supply to individual sections of the drip hose. With their help, you can increase or decrease the time of watering individual beds without blocking the common tap.

The system of automatic drip irrigation of beds can be supplemented with a pump that will pump water into a barrel and controllers that control the water supply in automatic mode.

Automatic watering of the greenhouse with a minimum water pressure - video

Perhaps, it is possible to appreciate all the advantages of automatic watering only after its installation. Personally, it seemed to me that it was easy and pleasant to follow the water flowing from the hose. Probably, this is heredity: my great-grandfather carried water to the garden in buckets from the Aksai River and did not dream of anything else.

Lawn, garden (behind the trellis) and trees behind the fence, which we will water

Irrigation types and practical solutions

It just so happens that we all have different needs, preferences and opportunities in organizing irrigation on our own plot. So, it is necessary to consider various options so that everyone can choose their own. At the same time, it will not work to create automatic watering on the site with our own hands, if we do not get acquainted with the subject of automation, that is, with the design of ordinary irrigation. Then we will consider the organization of an automatic watering system for a garden, flower garden and lawn using a specific example.

Of course, you can draw dozens of options for schemes, but we will simplify the task and divide the irrigation system into three functional components, by combining which, you can create your own unique one. It's very simple, any plant moisture supply system consists of three parts, namely:

• water source;
• plumbing;
• elements of water supply to plants.

The flower garden in the yard is also subject to automatic watering

"Without water and neither here nor there"

So they sang in the Soviet film and it is impossible to refute it. Water sources can be:

• central water supply, in which there is always water (almost);
• water supply of a dacha society, in which water is supplied according to time;
• well or well;
• pond, lake, river, that is, a natural reservoir;
• a container with accumulations of rainfall, drainage water or filled from a water pipe.

Everyone likes clean and warm water

Water - it is water: it would seem, what's the difference? Differences in its purity, volume, temperature and pressure.

In the case when we are dealing with not quite clean water, that is, from a reservoir or container, and we use drip irrigation, we will have to install a special filter. Otherwise, the droppers will quickly become clogged.

The garden wants personal irrigation with warm water

Temperature is also important: many plants do not like cool water. The source of cold water is a well or a well. The problem is solved by natural heating of water in the storage tank. Note that when irrigating at night, the temperature difference between the liquid and plants is noticeably smaller, so this positive factor can be used. Also, when spraying water with small drops, it has time to warm up when in contact with air. This circumstance must be taken into account.

It is desirable to have more water and stronger pressure

Water pressure has ambiguous properties. For example, when using drip irrigation, it should not exceed two atmospheres. Too high pressure is compensated by installing a reducer. On the contrary, when using sprinklers (sprayers) with a retractable part, a water pressure in the system of the order of two atmospheres will be required. You can raise the pressure with an additional pump.

The amount of water supply is also ambiguous. So, when using drip irrigation from a container, the size of the latter determines the duration of irrigation. If the correct amount of liquid is prepared, the process will end at the right moment, and we will have the simplest automatic system. On the contrary, when installing sprayers, for their normal operation, it will be necessary to measure the water consumption and the number of the latter with the capabilities of the water supply. In the worst case, the sprinklers simply won't work or won't cover the given area.

This capacity will last for a long time, but you need a pump to supply water

Technical solutions for water supply

All options with no plumbing provide for the use of a pumping station or just a pump. A pumping station will provide constant water pressure to the system, but costs money and requires maintenance. It is cheaper to install an ordinary, for example, a drainage or submersible pump and pump water into a container. By the way, the water in the tank will warm up.

The process of turning the pump on and off can be automated with your own hands. To do this, a valve float from an ordinary toilet bowl is installed on the container. The float can control the limit switch. The pump is connected to the switch via a timer. Otherwise, the bounce of the switch contacts will disable the pump.

When filling the container from the country water supply, you can install the mentioned valve from the toilet bowl to the supply line. Thus, the container will be filled with water automatically to the required level during your absence.

Irrigation is connected to the home water supply through a separate tap with a HDPE 25 pipe

Plumbing is no longer the same

When organizing water supply in the country, plastic pipes gradually replaced metal ones. Probably, this event is comparable to the replacement of wired phones with mobile phones. Such pipes can be delivered to the site in the trunk of a car, mounted without welding or threading, that is, using plastic fittings. Now the plumbing does not rust and can withstand the freezing of water.

The most popular HDPE pipes. For a plot of 6-15 acres, pipes with a diameter of 25-40mm are sufficient. It is important to hide the pipes in the ground so as not to trip over them and not spoil the view of the site. The minimum laying depth is 0.3 m, so as not to damage it with a shovel. At a depth of 1m, they will be protected from freezing.

Variety of elements for delivering water to plants

Water reaches the plants with a hose, sprinkler, drip irrigation method or root watering method. All options have the right to life and are applied depending on specific conditions.

Hose with quick couplings - a handy tool for watering

Good old watering hoses

Popular economical drip irrigation

Option number 2 - drip irrigation. If the water source is a container, such a system will be automatic: water runs out - watering ends. When powered by a water supply, a pressure reducer is required. For automation, a timer with a valve is required. Of course, there is no getting away from plumbing, faucets and drip tape (or droppers). If water is supplied by a pump, then a pump is also needed. Drip irrigation is very popular and provides minimal water consumption. Good for irrigating vegetables and plants in greenhouses. With your own hands, you can make calibrated holes in the hose and get the simplest drip irrigation. Details about drip irrigation:,

Super Economic Root Irrigation

Option number 3 - subsurface irrigation. This type of irrigation is used in conditions of water austerity. Near the root system, sections of thick pipes with drainage are installed, where water is supplied. In this case, not a single drop of water will be wasted, and the soil will remain loose. This method is used to supply water to grapes and trees.

Such a sprayer covers a different area depending on the position of the faucet handle.

artificial rain

Master class on organizing automatic watering with your own hands

We now know enough about watering per se to automate it. Personally, I did not have a clear understanding of the need for such a system at the stage of building a house. However, laying the pipeline system before the arrangement of the paths was enough ingenuity. Since we cannot do without it, we will start with this.

Sketch of the area that we will provide with an irrigation system

Plumbing scheme for irrigation from hoses

The irrigation system consists of a large number of components, so it will be difficult to correctly place all the elements and calculate the necessary materials without a diagram. It is better to do this on a computer using a publicly available program. I worked in Microsoft Power Point. The sketch can also be done on paper. You will need a compass, pencil, eraser and ruler. Of course, it is necessary to take the dimensions of the site and transfer it to the sketch in scale.

Plumbing scheme for watering from a hose

Prior to the arrangement of paving stones, a water pipe was laid from HDPE pipes with a diameter of 25 mm, which is indicated in red on the diagram. The numbers in the drawing indicate the dimensions of the sides of the areas for irrigation. Circles with a radius of 10 m centered at the locations of the cranes demonstrate the possibility of irrigating all vegetation on the site and trees behind the fence.

All connections are made with plastic fittings. It is a pleasure to work with them: docking is fast, simple, reliable. The pipe was laid to a depth of more than 0.5 m, so as not to damage it with a shovel. I tried to carry out laying outside the tracks in order to ensure the possibility of repair and connection of additional lines, if necessary.

Plastic fittings provide fast and reliable connection of HDPE pipes

Three taps with fittings are installed at the end points of the water supply, this was done for a quick-connect hose connection. The site has a noticeable slope, which means that the pipe also lies with a slope. This makes it easy to remove water from the system in the fall. On a flat area, it is quite possible to lay water pipes with a gradual increase in depth from one side of the site to the other.

Hose connection point with tap and quick coupling

Needs and possibilities of automatic irrigation

Subsequently, along with the desire to go on vacation and forget about watering, there was an understanding that a flower garden, lawn, vegetable garden and trees - all of them must be provided with water in different modes.

It was decided that water would continue to be delivered to the trees by means of a hose, as this is rare, it is necessary to control the filling of the holes, and it is expensive to supply water to them.

The hose for watering the trees is connected to a faucet on the lawn that does not interfere with the lawn mower

Designing the actual irrigation system begins with an assessment of water consumption. That is, the possibilities of plumbing must meet the needs of sprayers. To this end, you need to put a bucket of 10 liters in the bath, fully open the tap and record the time of its filling. I got 25 seconds, which corresponds to the consumption of 1.4 m3 of water per hour. When installing the water supply in the house, it turned out that the pressure in the system was about 2.5 atmospheres.

Choosing nozzles for different irrigation zones

Now we choose sprayers. Informed people suggested that one should pay attention to Rain Bird products, as they are widely represented in Russia and have a good price-quality ratio. Complex atomizers are not cheap, so there is a desire to get by with a minimum amount. At the same time, the following parameters of sprinklers must meet the needs of the system: operating pressure, water flow, irrigation radius.

These sprinklers are selected for automatic irrigation

As a result, SXB-360-TS-SPYK micro-sprayers were chosen to irrigate the beds. They have a spray sector in the form of a circle with a maximum diameter of 5m. The size of the working area is easily adjusted by rotating the head of the device, which means that I can set it up for a bed 1.2m wide and a flower garden area 0.6m wide. The manufacturer does not specify the water flow rate, but the fact that it is connected with a distribution pipe for drip irrigation outlets means that I can install dozens of such sprayers in one irrigation zone.

Sprayers in the garden at work

A US-412 sprinkler was chosen to irrigate a 3m wide flower garden (near the fence). Its working pressure of 1.0-2.1 bar corresponds to the parameters of the existing water supply. (Note, 1bar corresponds to 1atm with a slight difference.) The device has a spray radius of 2.7-3.7m, which is consistent with the size of the flower garden. The US-412 water flow parameters are 0.1-1.21 m3/h, which means that I can include several of these sprayers at the same time in a system with a flow rate of 1.4 m3/h. The device has an adjustable irrigation sector, that is, I can set it up for irrigation in the corners with a 90 degree setting and on the side of the flower bed with an angle of 180 degrees. The sprayer has a retractable stem that hides up to the level of the soil from the feet of others.

Sprinkler is set to water the corner of the flower garden

On the example of a flower garden, it became clear that the water consumption of sprayers has a value comparable to the capabilities of a water supply system. That is, automatic watering of the lawn can only be provided by more complex and expensive rotary sprinklers. Devices of this kind do not pour out water in a sector, but in a jet, which sequentially irrigates a given sector when the spray head rotates. As a result, the range of spraying water increases, and the water consumption decreases. Of course, the irrigation time increases. The Rain Bird 3504 rotor has an irrigation radius of 4.6 - 10.7m, which matches the size of the green carpet. Water consumption of 0.12-1.04 m3/hour allows you to install up to 10 such devices. The working pressure of 1.7-3.8 bar also suits me. The retractable part of the device will hide in the grass after closing the solenoid valve. Creating a do-it-yourself lawn irrigation system, I settled on Rain Bird 3504 rotary sprayers.

The Rain Bird 3504 rotor goes out of its way and hits the tracks

Autowatering without a sketch is difficult to design

Now almost everything is clear, but again we need a drawing. So, we will repeat it, excluding the previously depicted elements for better readability.

The green circles in the diagram indicate the locations of the valves to control the inclusion of water. To implement an automatic irrigation system on the lawn, two valves are placed in a common box: for supplying water to the grass cover and for supplying water to beds with a flower bed near the trellis. To connect the valves to the controller, which is planned to be placed in the garage, a cable is provided, indicated in the diagram with a black dashed line. The blue color shows a pipeline made of HDPE pipe with a diameter of 25 mm, connecting the valves with the previously laid pipeline and sprinklers. Turquoise shows a 17mm diameter pipe connecting 14 SXB-360-TS-SPYK nozzles to the corresponding valve.

Scheme of automatic watering of the lawn, flower garden and vegetable garden

As a result, 6 US-412 sprinklers were placed in the flower bed area at the fence to cover the entire area. The automatic lawn irrigation system is provided by six Rain Bird 3504 rotors. They have a minimum irrigation radius of 5m, which guarantees coverage of the entire area of ​​​​the site with minimal water pressure. The drawing shows that the entire area of ​​lawn grass irrigation overlaps at least twice. This approach ensures that the entire area is irrigated when using rotary sprinklers.

Sprayers SXB-360-TS-SPYK have a different diameter of irrigation in the diagram, which provides for their adjustment. Two micro-irrigation taps allow you to additionally control the irrigation zones of 14 sprinklers.

Irrigation controller conveniently placed on the garage wall

Installation of an automatic watering system

Now that we have an irrigation scheme, we can completely determine the list and number of components needed for practical installation. The following list came up:

Name	Quantity	Purpose
STP6PL controller	1 PC.	For control of solenoid valves
Atomizer UniS-400 (With nozzle - UniS - 412)	6 pcs.	For watering a flower garden, complete with nozzle 12 VAN
Nozzle 12 VAN	6 pcs.	For watering a flower garden, complete with UniS-400 sprayer
Rotary Sprayer 3504	6 pcs.	For lawn watering
Spray gun SXB-360-TS-SPYK with self-piercing fitting included	14pcs	For watering beds and a narrow flower garden near the pergola
SPX-FLEX Elbow Pipe		For connecting lawn and flower garden sprayers using flexible bends (as an option)
Union threaded angle SBE-050 1/2"		For connection to 25mm HDPE pipe of UniS-412 atomizers and 3504 rotors
Solenoid valve 100-JTV 1"	2 pcs.	For supplying water to lawn and flower bed sprayers
Starter kit XCZ-075 PRF, 1"	1 PC.	Valve with filter for supplying water to bed sprayers
Drip irrigation hose 17mm	30m	For supplying water to bed sprayers
Rack holder 12-16 mm C12	15pcs	For fixing to the ground pipe 17mm
Distribution tube 4-6mm XQ1000	7m	For connecting SXB-360-TS-SPYK atomizers to a 17mm pipe
Union tee XFD TEE	1 PC.	For piping 17mm
Transition for drip hose 3/4BP	1 PC.	For connecting a 17mm pipe to a 25mm HDPE pipe
End cap 700-CF-22	3 pcs.	For pipe plug 17mm
BF92 micro-irrigation faucet	2 pcs.	To shut off irrigation zones with 17mm hose
Boxing double	1 PC.	For lawn and garden valve and starter kit
Boxing single	1 PC.	For flower bed valve
Fitting for sprinkler area - Saddle 25x1/2BP	7pcs	For connecting sprinklers to a 25mm passing pipe
Corner outlet 25Х1/2"НР	5 pieces.	For connecting sprinklers to a 25mm pipe end
Fitting for solenoid valve coupling 25X1 "HP	3 pcs.	For connecting valves to a 25mm pipe
Collector 2-position	1 PC.	For connection of 2 valves in one box
Tee 25*25*25	4 things..	For distributing HDPE pipes 25mm
PVA cable 2x0.75 sq.mm	60m	For connecting valves to the controller
HDPE pipe diameter 25mm	110m	For plumbing

By and large, guided by the above table, it is already possible to assemble the entire system. Of course, in your particular case there will be a different list. In any case, if you organize automatic watering of the site with your own hands, you can discuss the list of necessary items with the seller in the gardening store and make adjustments. Of course, for this you need to have a sketch of the project.

Irrigation control valve for lawn and garden

Now consider the installation in more detail. First you need to dig trenches for laying pipes. Taking advantage of the fact that no one will dig next to the paths, I did not go deeper than 30 cm. Then I had to cut into the existing water supply with tees 25x25x25 to connect the valves. In a double box, I used a 2-position manifold and 25X1HP couplings to connect the valve and starter kit. For watering on the beds, a starter kit was chosen, that is, a valve with a filter, since the nozzles on the beds are afraid of pollution. The valves and sprayers of the lawn and flower garden are connected by a HDPE 25 pipe.

Irrigation control valve for a flower bed in a single box

When connecting the atomizer to a pipe passing by, I used a saddle 25X1 / 2BP, to connect to the end of the pipe - an angular outlet 25X1 / 2 ″HP. Where the pipe is located deeper than the bottom of the sprinkler, an optional elbow and SPX-FLEX tubing can be used. In this case, an SBE-050 1/2″ fitting-threaded angle is required.

Connecting the sprayer to the end of the pipe

To connect a 17mm garden watering pipe to the valve, I used an adapter for a 3/4VR drip hose. To route the 17mm pipe, an XFD TEE union tee was required. To ensure the possibility of turning off the beds and half of the flower garden, two BF92 micro-irrigation taps were installed at the trellis on a 17mm pipe.

Micro-irrigation taps allow you to turn off part of the irrigation

Then I installed self-piercing micro fittings into the 17mm pipe, which I connected with the XQ1000 transfer cabin to the sprayers on the beds. I did the same on the flower garden near the trellis. I fixed the 17mm tube to the ground with racks-holders 12-16-C12.

The sprinkler is connected with a self-piercing fitting and a pipe

I laid a double stranded double-insulated cable along the pipes and connected the valves to the controller. I had to cut a seam in the paving stones to lay the cable without disassembling the tracks, and then re-seal the gap with a mixture of sand and cement. A few tiles of the walkway still had to be temporarily removed when laying the cable to the garage.

A seam is cut along the red paving stone with a grinder, in which the cable is laid

Connection of power and control wires to the controller was performed according to the instructions. There is nothing complicated in electrical installation. Setting up the controller turned out to be easier than mastering a new mobile phone, although the instructions were only in English. During the test switching on of the equipment, I set the required angle of the irrigation sector for each sprinkler. After checking the entire system, the trenches with pipes were backfilled and the earth was compacted.

Some rules for the operation and maintenance of the automatic irrigation system.

First, let's set up the system for proper use. The watering start time was set at 4 o'clock in the morning. The water pressure at this time is maximum, and the earth has completely cooled down. To begin with, the automatic lawn watering time is set within 30 minutes, then the flower garden is irrigated for 20 minutes, then the vegetable garden - for 20 minutes. In the spring I set watering three times a week. In summer, the lawn has to be watered every day.

In the fall, I purge the system with air, since valves and sprinklers do not like ice. To do this, I made an adapter from a fitting for a quick-connect hose connection and a fitting for an automobile wheel. It turned out that a small compressor for painting works pays for itself in three seasons instead of inviting professional "blowers". First, I simply drain the water with a tap, then I pump the plumbing system up to 4 atmospheres with a compressor and turn on the “irrigation”. For several such cycles, all the water flies out through the sprayers. Rate the article:

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Owners of household plots or cottages know how important timely watering is for the vital activity and fruiting of plants. It is often very difficult to ensure such regularity, because not everyone has the opportunity to appear on the site at the right time, providing watering. And even if a person spends a sufficient amount of time on the site, manually watering the lawn, vegetable garden and garden plants is a very burdensome task. You can apply an alternative method of irrigation by making and installing automatic watering of the garden with your own hands. Thus, you will provide all your plantings with life-giving moisture, regardless of the depth of their roots and the regularity of your stay on the site.

An automatic irrigation system for a dacha or a private house is a set of necessary equipment through which automated irrigation of the entire plot or a certain territory is carried out. A well-planned system combines sprinkler and drip irrigation, therefore it is universal, suitable for all plants on the site. The operation of the irrigation system is controlled by a control device that commands the opening and closing of valves, depending on the settings made.

Often such systems are equipped with temperature and humidity sensors, which allows water to be supplied to pipelines based on actual weather conditions. The controller can be configured for various durations of system control without human intervention. The system of automatic watering of the lawn, vegetable garden and garden will automatically turn on at the specified time, supply the plants with the specified amount of water, and then turn off. And in rainy weather, the humidity sensor will not allow the controller to turn on the water supply. This is very important, since excess moisture can also harm plants as its lack.

Benefits of automated irrigation

We list the most significant advantages that the automatic watering system has:

• Due to the dosing of the amount of water and the optimal consumption of electricity, it is possible to significantly save the consumption of energy carriers and water;
• The site will always be watered as much as it needs to ensure the normal life of plants;
• You can not appear on the site for months. And all this time the system itself will take care of watering. She is not afraid of even temporary power outages;
• The location of all elements of the system underground ensures their safety from mechanical damage;
• Do-it-yourself automatic irrigation system can be laid at any stage of the territory development, both on a new area and on a fully built-up area;
• It is always possible to switch to manual irrigation control using shut-off valves;
• You can make adjustments to the operation of the system both on the site and remotely, via the Internet;
• Different watering programs can be set. For example, changing the intensity of irrigation in the morning or evening.

System design

Before you make automatic watering with your own hands, you need to think over and draft a future system. If your site is still new, not planted and not built up, then finding the elements of the system on it may be more free. In this case, it will be possible to plant plants in relation to the laid irrigation system.

If the project is drawn up on an already built-up site, then it is necessary to put on the diagram all the buildings available on its territory (house, garage, extensions, bathhouse, well, swimming pool, playground for children), and also indicate the location of all paths and recreation areas. Next, the locations of the irrigation elements are indicated. The point of water intake and the location of the pumping station are noted.

Tip: The best place for water to enter the irrigation system is the middle of the site. In this case, the uniformity of water pressure in all outlet lines is ensured.

The diagram shows the locations of trees, a vegetable garden, other plantings, as well as the passage of waterways and sprinklers (sprinklers). The number of sprinklers is determined depending on their radius of action. Knowing the area covered by operating sprinklers, the diagram outlines the boundaries of their action using a compass. Of course, areas, buildings and other places for which excess moisture can be harmful should not fall into the coverage area of ​​​​sprinklers.

Pictured is a drip automatic garden watering system

When the project is drawn up, it is transferred to the area. Without this, it will be incredibly difficult to build automatic watering in the country with your own hands. The site is marked with pegs and a cord.

Note: Keep in mind that the cord should run with a slight indent from the places of future highways so as not to interfere with the work.

Selection of the necessary equipment

At first, it may seem that the creation and installation of automatic irrigation of the garden with your own hands will require tremendous efforts. In fact, such work can be done without inviting specialists. It is enough to carefully study the installation instructions for such a system and choose the right equipment.

Such equipment includes:

In the photo, the scheme of automatic watering of the site

Mounting

When the project is ready and all the necessary materials have been purchased, you can proceed with the direct installation of the system in the following order:

1. A pumping station and other equipment is being installed to control the operation of the system.

2. Trenches are being dug for laying pipelines. When a do-it-yourself automatic irrigation system is installed in a country house, many professionals advise laying pipes at a depth of about 1 meter. This provides them with frost protection. In fact, such work is very laborious, therefore it is permissible to dig trenches 30-40 cm deep, ensuring that water is drained from pipelines in the fall. To do this, drain valves are installed at the lowest sections of the pipes.

Tip: If trenches are dug in the middle of the lawn, it is recommended to cover the lawn grass with a film. Soil that gets on the grass can lead to the death of the grass layer.

The upper part of the soil is cut off with squares in such a way that these squares can be returned to their places on top of the laid pipes.

3. An irrigation structure is assembled on the surface of the site. Separate sections of pipelines are connected by means of fittings. Sprinklers and drip hoses are connected to the common line.

4. The assembled system is tested by introducing water into it. If leaks are found, troubleshooting is carried out.

5. If the structure is airtight, it is laid in prepared trenches. Sprinklers are brought to the surface of the soil.

6. Trenches are laid with pieces of turf that have previously been cut.

Ready-made option for automatic watering with a timer for the greenhouse

If you do not have the desire to independently calculate the irrigation structure and buy consumables for its arrangement, you can purchase a ready-made system. The set of equipment includes a pumping station and all necessary automatic devices. Thanks to this design, it is possible, for example, to build automatic watering of a greenhouse with a timer on the site. A prerequisite for this, as well as for a home-made system, is the presence of electricity and running water.

Irrigation Care

To keep the irrigation system in working condition, it is enough to perform the simplest steps to care for it:

• periodically clean the filters at the inlet to the pumping station;
• clean the holes of sprinklers and drip hoses if they are clogged;
• after the end of the irrigation season, remove all sensors and move them to a warm place;
• when watering is no longer performed, it is necessary to drain the water from the pipelines;
• all batteries are removed, and new ones are installed at the beginning of the season;
• dismantle the solenoid valves at the end of the season. They can be left in place if the system is blown out with compressed air.

A properly assembled automatic watering system will provide your garden and garden with healthy plantings, and they will already delight you with a generous harvest.

In the dacha community, there are a variety of opinions about what should be the irrigation system in the country, how much water and at what time should be supplied to the beds, to the root zones of garden trees, greenhouse crops, flowers and ornamental plants. In all these cases, there are rules and recommendations about the time of watering, the average daily consumption and the method of water supply. The first two factors, as a rule, are selected based on agrotechnical practices, average daily temperatures, the number of sunny days and the severity of climatic realities. Another thing is the arrangement of the irrigation system, it is built according to their own capabilities and features of growing certain crops and plants.

How to choose the method of watering plants

The only thing that the vast majority of summer residents and lovers of organic products, vegetables and fruits agree on is that the garden irrigation system must correspond to the specifics of the plants grown. For example, it is impossible to use the irrigation system for fields and lawns for capricious and whimsical eggplants. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the availability of water reserves, the size of irrigated areas and even the geometric shape of the site.

To provide plants with a sufficient amount of water, several basic irrigation schemes are used:

• Sprinkler systems, both manual and mechanized or even automatic. In this case, the flow of water, cut into separate streams, is directed along a hinged path, so that drops of water fall on the plants like rain;
• Distribution of water in the beds using a system of pipelines, canals and ditches, a system of collectors and tanks. This is the most ancient and proven method in practice. The flow of water, as a rule, does not come into direct contact with the root system of plants, but saturates the soil layers adjacent to the roots with moisture;
• The most modern of the existing ones is the drip irrigation method. Spot irrigation provides for precise dosing of liquid that enters the root zone of plants.

Today, drip irrigation systems are used in hot arid climates with limited water resources.

Important! The average capital intensity of drip irrigation is about 3-4 times higher than other methods, therefore, point water supply is resorted to on lean and stony soils. In this case, in addition to water, it is possible to bring to the root system a precisely dosed amount of nutrients, salts and fertilizers.

Drip irrigation works ideally in conditions where water is either not enough or cannot be used in large quantities, for example, when the air is excessively humid and warm in greenhouse and greenhouse conditions.

How to water in greenhouses

A closed, and often isolated greenhouse room imposes its own characteristics on the way water is supplied to the plants. The greenhouse irrigation system is chosen depending on the purpose and method of growing plants:

• Dosed drip water supply is used for plants and crops grown and fruiting in greenhouse conditions. In this case, all irrigation equipment is controlled by automation or a self-watering mechanism. To a large extent, spot irrigation makes it possible to protect plants, for example, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, from possible damage by infectious diseases, acid rain, pests, including those present in the soil and in water;
• With the help of a streaming sprinkler method of water supply, a significant amount of moisture is produced in a relatively short period of time. Typically, large greenhouses are equipped with such irrigation systems, in which seedlings are grown, intended for planting in the ground;
• It is clear that sprinkler irrigation systems are used for growing seedlings of mass crops, for which point water supply is not applicable due to large areas of beds and structural features of crops. In this case, plant seedlings are deliberately accustomed to periodic moistening by vertical water flows. It is in this way that plants will be watered after planting in open ground.

In addition, seedlings are always grown in portable soil boxes, disposable pots, bags in very dense plantings, on which it is difficult and expensive to install a drip irrigation system, and this is useless if the plant goes to the beds in three to four weeks. Another thing is if vegetable crops go through a full cycle of growth, vegetation and fruiting in a greenhouse. In this case, there is practically no alternative to drip irrigation systems.

DIY greenhouse watering

You can assemble the simplest version of a do-it-yourself irrigation system for a greenhouse from a dozen polypropylene water pipes soldered into several longitudinal water pipes. Each thread is equipped with 3-5 centrifugal water sprayers similar to those used in backpack or balloon sprayers. Irrigation lines are installed under the ceiling of the greenhouse and connected to an underwater main with a low-power pump.

Here, in the greenhouse, a container is installed for several hundred liters of water. The electric timer is taken out of the greenhouse and installed at the point where the power cord of the pump is connected to the power supply line.

Important! It is clear that it is necessary to correctly calculate the operating time of the irrigation system and the point of switching off the electric pump by the timer before the water tank is completely empty.

The use of centrifugal atomizers will allow you to get a mist from fine water droplets that will settle on plants and perfectly moisten the surface without any negative consequences. Such an irrigation system for a greenhouse will provide the most effective irrigation with microdroplets of water, regardless of what exactly will be grown - seedlings or fruit-bearing plants.

Of course, if it is planned to grow vegetables, for example, tomatoes or early cucumbers, in addition to the irrigation system, it will be necessary to make larger products to ensure normal air flow and removal of excess water. In early spring, irrigation with drops of warm water will protect the greenhouse from severe frosts, and in the period of July-August from acid rain and pest invasion.

What to choose for a summer residence

Oddly enough, but the organization of watering beds, shrubs, plants and trees in a summer cottage has always been and remains one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks. It takes a lot of effort to ensure that water is supplied to the plants at the right time of the day and in the required amount. At the same time, for shrubs, mature trees and beds, water must be supplied in completely different modes. Therefore, you have to combine and assemble an individual irrigation system with your own hands:

• For trees, drip or channel irrigation is used, the system is designed to supply water for 2-4 hours in the evening;
• For shrubs, seedlings and young trees, the use of channel irrigation systems is recommended;
• Seedlings, strawberries, lingonberries, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, carrots are watered in a canal way. For tomatoes, young shrubs, it is recommended to use drip irrigation systems;
• Perennial grasses, potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, any plantations with dense plant mass can be flooded with water by sprinkler systems, provided that the dissecting nozzles are correctly selected.

It is often necessary to resort to drip irrigation because of the high sensitivity of plants to various bacterial and viral forms of diseases. In this case, the irrigation system allows you to avoid getting water on the leaves, respectively, reduce the risk of disease. No matter how carefully the water is prepared and filtered, excessive wetting of the leaves always causes the appearance of powdery mildew or phytophthora.

Open watering systems for plants

The choice of a specific irrigation system for your own plot in 90% of cases depends on the growing conditions of plants. For the proper organization of water supply and plant nutrition, three main factors must be taken into account:

Farmers, seasoned gardeners, and seasoned gardeners with tens to hundreds of acres often use towed systems to irrigate their fields. It is possible to provide water for seedlings, vegetable crops, onions, peas, beans in an area of ​​800-1000 m 2 only with the help of a special mobile sprinkler system.

Structurally, such a system is a trailer for a mini-tractor, on which a frame with installed sprinklers is fixed. The water flow is supplied by a flexible hose laid along the track. During the movement, irrigation is carried out with a strip of at least 10 m wide. The water pump is driven by the tractor engine.

Note! The inconvenience and complexity of using such structures lies in the fact that a person has to directly participate in the irrigation process. On average, one watering of 100 m2 requires at least one hour of time.

Despite the primitiveness and extreme simplicity, in fact, this is the most effective way of watering in such conditions, especially if, in addition to irrigation, it is necessary to perform top dressing, protection from weeds and pests, plowing beds and annual plowing of the land. It is clear that such irrigation systems are used only in conditions of unlimited water supplies, for example, from the nearest river or pond.

Sprinkler installations for summer residents

Most summer cottages, due to their location, size and layout, are not suitable for irrigation with towed installations; on 6-10 hundredths of the land it is easier and more reliable to install several portable water spraying and spraying installations. The efficiency of such irrigation systems is lower than that of drip structures, but the simplicity and reliability of irrigation equipment made raincoats and sprinklers, or, as they are also called, sprinklers, the most popular with an ordinary summer resident or gardener.

Irrigation system options:

More powerful pivots are a design that resembles a fire hose mounted on a steel support with a circular hinge. An aluminum cheek or blade with a counterweight is installed on the side surface of the metal barrel. Under the action of the counterweight, the blade rotates, falls under the pressure of the water jet and is thrown to the side. As a result, the irrigation trunk rotates through a small angle of 1-2 degrees. For 12 hours of continuous irrigation, the irrigation system turns to 180-270 o and covers an area of ​​150-200 m 2 .

The operation of the irrigation system does not require constant human intervention. It is enough to set the automatic shutdown of the electric pump and ensure the proper functioning of the water intake in the well or the nearest water source.

An example of an effective scheme for country watering

An example of the most sophisticated and fully functional sprinkler system is the Gardena irrigation system. Today, the installation includes more than a dozen special devices and mechanisms that ensure efficient water supply, both by sprinkling and dripping.

What is her secret? In versatility and high adaptability of water supply to any conditions. The irrigation system includes:

1. Powerful and at the same time light vortex pump capable of taking water from a depth of up to 5 m without immersion in a well;
2. A set of hoses of various diameters and lengths with connectors, splitters and adapters. In 15-20 minutes, a system up to 100 m long can be assembled from hoses;
3. System of tips and sprays of water;
4. Electronic devices for dosing water and fixing the irrigation time;
5. Water tapes and drippers - tips for organizing spot irrigation.

In fact, this is a kind of constructor for adults, which allows you to assemble an irrigation system of any complexity and power.

Channel irrigation systems

Somewhat forgotten channel irrigation systems are now getting a chance to regain popularity. This scheme uses the features of the terrain, the flow of rainwater flowing down from the territories and areas located higher up the slope is collected in a long and wide mini-pool. From there, along channels dug in the ground and lined with concrete, the flow of water is directed to beds, shrubs, and trees.

As a watering timer for gravity systems, a simple device is used from a pair of plastic bottles mounted on a swinging chute. As the water is used up, the float lowers and the chute, through which the excess water from the pool overflows, stops the supply of moisture to the channel system.

To reduce water loss, in the hot season, the channels are covered with gratings knocked down from a slab or a wooden plank. A simple system of aqueducts in the manner of Roman water pipelines is now wildly popular in suburban and suburban areas. Although, in addition to the fashion for a new landscape element, the aqueduct has very real advantages:

• Absolute independence of the irrigation system from the presence of electricity on the site and the proper operation of automation;
• A very simple scheme for regulating the water supply using scraper dampers. In the same way, excess water in the pool during rain is switched to rain drainage channels;
• Efficient use of water that rivals drip irrigation, without the risk of increasing weeds in the beds due to thoughtless spilling of water, as is the case with sprinklers;
• The service life of a canal irrigation system built according to all the rules will easily exceed 40-50 years, and when lining aqueducts with sandstone, the service life can be doubled or tripled. Some villages still have a garden watering system built over 150 years ago from fired tiles.

The channel irrigation system has one drawback - for the efficient use of water, the gardener has to directly participate in the distribution of water flowing from the channel along the beds. As a rule, due to the skillful overlap and redirection of the flow, it is possible to water beds and trees without interference even in the most hellish heat.

Most of the water enters the underground layers of the soil along the periphery of the root system of plants, the upper loosened layer remains almost dry. When mulching, the material remains in working condition for almost the entire season. In the same way, you can water gooseberries, currants, seedlings and even mature trees without creating swamps and weeds on the site.

There is a more modern channel irrigation system, in which, instead of channels, perforated polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 50 mm are laid in the ground. Such a gravity irrigation system no longer requires the presence of a person, but is sensitive to clogging of holes in the walls. Sometimes the pipes are wrapped with plaster plastic mesh and geotextiles, but still regularly, once a season, the irrigation system has to be flushed with a high-pressure water stream.

The most beautiful option is to use a gravity-flow canal irrigation system with water intake from a windmill-based well. To fill the pool with a daily supply of water, a tower 4 m high with a paddle wheel span of up to 2 m is sufficient. A gentle wind of 4-5 m/s allows you to raise water from a depth of up to 4 m with a flow rate of 150-200 l/h. This is enough to water the beds on 2-3 acres of the garden.

Drip or spot irrigation systems

The organization of drip irrigation at their summer cottage allows, as they say, to get by with "little blood". For example, if the spring-summer was not too dry, then it is quite possible to use the stored rainwater for the drip system, but this will require building a whole plantation from a film to collect precipitation.

Typical device for spot irrigation of a summer cottage

A point or drip water supply makes it possible to manage by an order of magnitude less moisture, only due to its correct supply to the roots of plants. It is clear that the best results can be obtained by using branded components and assemblies.

In the simplest case, a domestic Zhuk irrigation system is bought for $120-160, which is customized according to the size and characteristics of your site. The “dropper” includes a set of tape hoses, a main conduit, a lot of tees and 20 pieces of droppers. This is enough to water and feed one tomato plantation of 20 bushes.

From several sets of Zhuk, you can power the entire summer cottage, but you will need to additionally acquire an automation system, a pump and a water tank, since they are not included in the kit.

For country houses with a large lawn, a huge vineyard, a garden and a vegetable garden, you can buy an American Hunter irrigation system. This design of automation is abundant, there are humidity sensors, there is a timer and an automatic irrigation control, and even systems that monitor air humidity, solar radiation and evaporation.

All parts of Hunter, from containers to dividers and solenoid valves, are made of impact-resistant polypropylene. He is not afraid of temperature changes, frost, clogging. Hunter's service life is almost two decades. The cost of an irrigation system depends on the area to be irrigated. For an irrigated area of ​​1 hundredth, you will have to pay almost 700 dollars, for 11 hundredths - only 1,500 dollars. The larger the cottage, the lower the cost of irrigation with a one-hundredth system.

The advantages of the system include its high autonomy. For example, you can leave the garden in the country for a week and not worry that the vegetation will die due to lack of water in the irrigation system.

Hunter is ideal for very large plantations where automated control of watering and plant nutrition is required, in small gardens it is easiest to water manually or using the Zhuk system.

What is better from droppers

Despite the obvious technological gap between the Zhuk and Hunter, the demand for the simplest drip irrigation systems is much higher than for the automated version. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. During the vegetable garden season, it is not so much an automated, but a reliable water supply that is required. Any drip irrigation system is unusually sensitive to water quality.

The more suspension and clay particles, the stronger and more often the thin holes of the arrows in the system are clogged. Water has to be defended and passed through sand filters, but all the same, salts and clay microparticles clog irrigation equipment.

Despite some distrust on the part of gardeners, drip irrigation systems are ideal for watering shrubs and garden trees. In the summer, the roots need water in small quantities, but constantly. This allows, in addition to the influx of nutrients to the root zones, to provide increased humidity in the crown of a tree or shrub. As a result, plantings easily survive even the hottest weather and drought. Sprinkler irrigation systems in this regard are much less effective.

For spot irrigation, a small overpressure of 1.5-2 atm at the inlet and 0.5 atm in the working line is sufficient. In some cases, the point irrigation system works successfully without any pump, it is enough to raise the water supply tank to a height of 4-5 m above the ground level.

Individual plant watering options

Droppers have several small but significant drawbacks, namely, moisture is supplied to the roots of plants at almost one point. For the system itself, this does not matter, since capillary forces "stretch" irrigation moisture over an area of ​​4-6 cm. Plants suffer first of all - a wet spot on the roots becomes the main source of disease.

For example, after the work of the sprinkling irrigation system, the upper leaves of tomatoes, eggplants, strawberries, cucumbers, shrubs remain wet for a maximum of 30-50 minutes. Even if some microflora is present in the water droplets, the sun and wind remove and destroy most of the pathogens. In spot irrigation, everything is different - wet soil and shading create conditions for decay of the upper part of the root mass.

Therefore, spot irrigation is often supplemented with individual irrigation systems. What it is? Structurally, these are individual containers mounted on racks or wooden planks next to the plant. Usually it is a plastic bottle with a cut off bottom and a hole in the cork. A solution with top dressing or fertilizers that the crop needs is poured into the liter capacity of the irrigation system.

The most advanced and sophisticated irrigation systems provide water supply to the root system using an underground tank with perforated walls. Usually, when planting seedlings, an empty plastic bottle with holes in the side wall is buried in an upright position next to the plant. It is enough to make 2-3 rows of holes from the side of the plant with a nail. So that the irrigation system is not contaminated with liquid soil, sometimes the bottle is put on an old nylon stocking or sock. This is not difficult to do, especially since there is always plenty of material for a home-made irrigation system.

At the first stages, while the seedlings take root in the garden, a small amount of water is added to the bottle every two days, but without fertilizers. After the seedlings begin to grow, they add top dressing and after a couple of weeks they transfer to a drip irrigation system. The cap is removed from the bottle and left open. Such an irrigation system begins to work as a ventilation pipe, providing a constant flow of air and removing excess moisture.

At the fruiting stage of tomatoes and eggplants, the dug-in bottles are simply connected through a cork to an additional tape conduit from drip irrigation. This is easiest done with a needle from a blood transfusion system. As a result of a modified watering system, plants receive sufficient moisture even in the driest periods of summer.

In approximately the same way, you can organize the watering of shrubs and garden trees. To do this, 3-5 bottles are buried in the root system, through which most of the water gets under the rhizomes. But it is worth remembering that in the summer, shrubs and trees receive most of the moisture through the crown, therefore, such a design is not able to completely replace the sprinkling or drip-point irrigation system.

Conclusion

Watering garden and horticultural crops has always been and remains a difficult task that requires accuracy and patience, so it makes sense to shift most of the work to sprinkler and drip installations. A complete transition to automatic irrigation systems today is possible only in greenhouses and greenhouses, where it is critical. For the entire suburban area, the use of fully automated irrigation systems has so far turned out to be quite expensive. And most importantly, water supply systems do not provide adequate reliability. One accident in the summer heat can cause the death of the entire crop.