Drip irrigation in the country from bottles. Do-it-yourself drip irrigation to give at no cost

Not each of us can take care of plants in our summer cottage throughout the season. Most city dwellers go to their dachas only for weekends. Throughout the week, the garden stands without watering, which can lead to the loss of the entire crop. Do-it-yourself drip irrigation systems from plastic bottles allow you to be absent from your site for several days. With the help of these devices, you do not have to postpone all your business and go to the country in the middle of the week.

• no need to spend money on the purchase of material - containers for soft drinks can be found in almost every summer cottage;
• ease of manufacture;
• saving time and effort;
• you can not pay attention to the garden for several days;
• moisture enters the roots, drops of water do not settle on the leaves;
• liquid through plastic bottles enters gradually and dosed;
• ideal choice for a greenhouse - the earth is not moistened, remains loose, weed seeds almost do not germinate;
• saves water, which is good for areas with central water supply and for those to which water needs to be imported;
• the liquid heats up quickly, which is good for plants;
• repairs and installation are very fast.

These devices, simple in terms of manufacturing principle, allow you to get rid of excess fumes in greenhouses and greenhouses. Excessive moisture can cause mold and fungus to grow on your plants. Being in a greenhouse with drier air will be more comfortable.

Disadvantages of drip devices

Drip watering with bottles is in most cases recognized as a useful invention. Especially for summer residents who have a main place of work. Before installing such an irrigation system on your site, you should familiarize yourself with several of its disadvantages:

• such watering is not suitable for large areas;
• it is not always advisable to install containers in open ground;
• the system cannot replace quality plant care;
• if there is a large amount of clay in the soil, the holes will clog up very quickly.

We recommend installing bottles on the beds temporarily. You should not use drip irrigation all the time, as the plants may not have enough moisture, especially on hot days. Watering in this way is suitable for open ground and greenhouses, it can be used for indoor plants and seedlings.

Dropping a bottle upside down

For tomato bushes planted in open ground or a greenhouse, an irrigation system using a buried bottle is excellent. With it, you do not need to remove the container from the soil every time. Using a funnel, you can add water, because the neck will rise above the soil surface.

Everything is ingenious - each container is prepared in a matter of minutes. First you need to find a container that will fit freely between two plants. At the same time, its volume should be sufficient to deliver moisture to the roots for several days. Most often, it is recommended to select containers that can hold more than a liter of liquid.

Step back from the bottom 3 centimeters and make several holes around the entire circumference. Use a thin carnation for this, which you heat over a flame. You will need to make 10 holes on each side, staggered. Along the edges of the greenhouse, you can place bottles that have holes on only one side. They will only moisten the outermost plants.

Use a small shovel to dig holes between plants. Their depth should be such that the container stands up to its full height, and only the neck part protrudes above the surface. Bury the resulting device. Instead of a cork, pull a mesh or flap from nylon tights over the bottles so that debris does not get into the water. The mesh should sag slightly, falling into the throat. The irrigation system is filled with a funnel. Each container is enough for watering 2-4 tomato bushes.

If after an hour you find that the soil is too wet, you will have to replace the bottles with new ones with fewer holes. If moisture is not enough, then it is worth making holes of a larger diameter or increasing their number. We recommend installing irrigation devices a few hours before you leave the site.

Suspended structures

A more complex system is suspended. It can be used for greenhouses and greenhouses. At the same time, drip irrigation from plastic bottles will be easy to maintain. Design advantages: the liquid can be added without a funnel, the soil at the roots will not erode, the water heats up perfectly, and the system will work regardless of the type of soil.

First of all, you will need to make a crossbar on which the bottles will be hung. From each bottle you will need to cut off the bottom. Using wire and two holes, make suspensions. After that, you just have to make holes for watering. To do this, you can make several holes in the lid and near it. The second option - to start watering, just slightly unscrew the plug.

To avoid sunburn on plant foliage, hang containers as close to the ground as possible. Otherwise, water will fall on the leaves and, after evaporation, will damage them.

Watering with harnesses

If you are leaving for the whole week, then you can place the simplest devices made from five-liter canisters on the beds. To do this, a window is cut in the side of each container, and the cork is tightly twisted. You can pour liquid using a watering can with a diffuser removed.

You can cut an old cotton T-shirt into bundles. Wet them and lay them so that one end of the tourniquet is in the liquid, and the other goes down to the plant. This method of watering is used for indoor flowers. In this case, a basin of water is placed on a stool, and pots with plants are placed under it. You can make harnesses from a piece of gauze, bandage or foam rubber seals for windows.

If you don't want to waste time making tows or want to water your beets, onions, or carrots, you can simply poke a few holes in the bottle. Lay the container between the bushes of vegetables or their rows. The disadvantage of this method is that moisturizing can be too intense.

Dropping a bottle upside down

Prepare the containers in the same way as for hanging: cut off the bottom and make a few holes around the neck. The only difference will be that hooks will not have to be made from wire. After the preparatory work, it will be enough for you to just dig the neck of the bottle into the ground so that the water begins to seep to the roots.

For dense soils and loams, you can slightly improve the design. Do not make holes at the neck. Instead, remove the cork and tightly plug the neck with foam rubber, water will evenly seep through it. This type of device will not work if the soil is loose or sandy - the liquid will pour out almost instantly.

To protect against moisture, the bottom can be left uncut - leave a small part of the plastic uncut. Water supplies for irrigation in this case can be replenished by slightly bending the bottom. An alternative option is to pull a nylon footprint or sock onto each bottle.

In gardening stores or one-stop supermarkets, you can find special devices for plastic bottles. They are put on instead of a cork and help turn the container into an irrigation system. From the side, such nozzles look like elongated cones. They are easy to pierce the soil to install a watering container. Using ready-made nozzles is a kind of neck-down installation method for those who are too lazy to make holes themselves.

The disadvantage of ready-made elements is the limitation on the volume of the bottle. Most often they are made for standard containers, up to 2.5 liters. For large options, for example, for 5 liter canisters, it is almost impossible to find nozzles. You can use them everywhere - at home, in a greenhouse or open ground.

Installation of drip irrigation systems is quite simple. Here are some tips to help you use these devices more efficiently:

Drip irrigation can be used for different types of plants: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Some gardeners install such systems between shrubs and flower beds. To prevent water from evaporating on a hot day, it is worth installing translucent bottles or shade them. Everything is ingenious and simple! Thanks to irrigation devices, you can pay less attention to your garden. They are popular with busy people and those who want to relax in the summer, and not just cultivate the beds.

In the spring, many gardeners are itching to plant as many crops as possible: they want to eat fresh vegetables, eat berries, and decorate their favorite dacha with flowers. Planting all this is not difficult, but regular care is required, one of the essential elements of which is watering. It is especially relevant in spring, during the initial growing season, and in summer, in hot weather. However, not all gardeners can often come to the site, and there are a lot of things to do over the weekend, but they cannot wait for planting. In this case, drip irrigation will be a good way out. It is not necessary to buy ready-made expensive systems - you can use plastic bottles.

What is drip irrigation

This is a system for delivering moisture to the roots, in which water is supplied in small portions, literally drop by drop (hence the name of the method). The advantages of such irrigation over the usual are obvious:

• only the plant itself receives moisture, not weeds;
• water is saved, because it does not spread throughout the garden;
• no crust is formed on the surface of the earth;
• the system works even when there are no people on the site;
• can be used in the greenhouse and in unprotected soil.

Many methods of drip irrigation from bottles have been invented, each gardener can choose the one that suits him

However, the method also has disadvantages:

• difficult to use in large areas;
• not suitable for heavy clay soils - holes will clog;
• in extreme heat, such watering is not enough, you still have to water it manually from a hose.

How to make a drip irrigation system from plastic bottles: different ways

Gardeners are resourceful people. In order not to waste money, they came up with several options for making drip irrigation from plastic bottles. The containers will not be needed small - from 1 to 5 liters (depending on how much land needs to be moistened). Many gardeners recommend mulching the ground in beds with drip irrigation - this way the moisture flowing from the bottles will remain in the soil longer.

Drip irrigation from two bottles

For this method, you will need one one and a half liter and one five-liter bottle. Make the system like this:

Water will evaporate from a small bottle, forming a condensate on the walls of a five-liter bottle, which, flowing down, will provide the plants with the necessary moisture. Using this method, you can not only water, but also feed the plantings with liquid fertilizers.

Video: two-bottle drip irrigation device

Drip irrigation from a bottle dug into the ground

There are two options for digging: bottom and neck into the ground. For watering, you can use a bottle cap or a special nozzle.

Down to the ground

This option will give the best effect when combined with mulching. Procedure:

1. They take a plastic bottle with a capacity of 1–5 liters (depending on the size of the roots of the watered plant and what its need for water is).
2. In the middle of the bottle, 2 holes are pierced with a hot sewing needle (up to 4 holes can be made in a five-liter bottle) on both sides.
3. They dig in a bottle near the landings (at a distance of 15–20 cm) so that the neck sticks out.
4. Pour water into the container and twist it tightly to avoid evaporation of water. For ease of pouring, you can use a funnel.

A five-liter bottle dug into the ground with the bottom can provide several tomato bushes with water.

Water through the holes will flow in small portions to the roots.

Video: some tricks to improve the efficiency of watering from a plastic bottle

To prevent water from dripping very quickly, the following technique is used: only two holes are pierced in the bottle. One of them is loosely plugged with a toothpick. Then the outflow of water from the second one will slow down due to the reduction of air inflow into the bottle.

Neck into the ground

This method is more convenient for pouring - the bottom located on top is wider than the neck. However, in this case, water will only flow into the lower layers of the soil, while in the above case - from top to bottom. They act like this:

1. In the cap of a 1–5 liter bottle, 3–4 holes are made with a heated sewing needle.
2. The bottom is cut off.
3. Bury the bottle at a distance of 15–20 cm from the plants to a shallow depth (depending on how deep the roots are).
4. They pour water.

In a greenhouse, drip irrigation from bottles is especially relevant: the sun beats through the transparent walls and the soil dries out very quickly

It is important to determine the depth of instillation correctly: if it is too deep, the water will only moisten the lower part of the roots, and if it is too shallow, the bottle may fall.

When I tried to make drip watering from a bottle, I failed: small holes clogged with earth all the time. On the Internet, I read advice to pull old nylon tights over the bottle. The measure helped: the earth stopped falling into the holes and the water flowed out well.

With nozzle

If it is possible to purchase an elongated plastic nozzle with holes in the store, drip irrigation will be easier to organize. Such a nozzle is screwed onto a bottle with a volume of 0.5 to 1.5 liters instead of a cap and stuck into the ground. The bottom can be cut off or, when the water runs out, remove the bottle, unscrew the nozzle, pour water and stick it into the ground again.

Plastic nozzles for drip irrigation are suitable for bottles with a volume of no more than 1.5 liters

A variant of the above methods will be laying the bottle on the ground, and not burying it. This method is only suitable for mulched plantings, as the dripping water will hold onto the mulched soil longer. At the same time, holes are made on both sides for better water flow: from the top - 1, from the bottom - up to 4 pieces.

It is better to cover the bottle for drip irrigation with a cloth or put it so that it is in the shade, then the water will evaporate more slowly through the holes.

Drip irrigation from a bottle suspended on a frame

This method is good for low plants, but more time consuming, because you will need a frame for hanging bottles. Procedure:

1. A frame is made of wooden racks or thick metal rods in the shape of the letter G or P. Its height should be such that the hanging bottle is about 10 cm below the plants.
2. The frame is installed along the beds.
3. In prepared bottles with a capacity of 1–1.5 liters (according to the number of bushes), 2–4 holes are made in the caps with a thin needle. You can also hang five-liter bottles, but then the frame and fasteners must be made more solid.
4. The bottom of the bottles is cut off, and wider holes are pierced along the edges - for wire or strong rope (twine).
5. The bottles are placed on the frame so that the water does not flow directly onto the bushes, but near them.

Bottles can be hung with a strong wire so that water drips next to the plants

Bottles can be hung upside down, for this you will need to make 2 holes in the bottom.

One of the disadvantages of drip irrigation from plastic bottles on the frame is considered too rapid outflow of water. Inventive gardeners have figured out how to solve this problem - with the help of a conventional medical dropper. It is attached to the neck of the bottle and makes it possible to regulate watering.

Video: watering from a bottle suspended from a fence using a dropper

Drip irrigation using a "wick"

This design is more difficult to make, and is usually made for watering domestic plants or seedlings in cases where the owners leave home for more than two days. Production order:

1. A 1.5 liter plastic bottle is cut in half.
2. A hole is made in the lid of such a width that it is possible to thread a woolen thread - a kind of "wick".
3. A thread 3-4 cm long, folded in half, is threaded into the lid and tied with a knot from the inside of it.
4. The upper part of a plastic bottle with a twisted cap and a thread sticking out of it is inserted into the lower part with the neck down.
5. Water is poured into the bottom half of the bottle so that it completely covers the "wick".
6. Earth is poured into the upper part of the bottle, well spilled and seeds are planted.

The liquid rises along the “wick” and provides the soil with moisture.

When the water runs out, add it only to the bottom half of the bottle.

Photo gallery: drip irrigation with woolen thread

Woolen thread is suitable for the wick, as it absorbs water well.
For greater stability, it is better to make the top of the bottle shorter than the bottom.
Moisture is retained for a long time in a device made of a plastic bottle and woolen thread

Comparison of different types of drip irrigation from plastic bottles

You can do drip irrigation in your garden in different ways, everyone will have their own way. To better navigate which one to choose, consider their advantages and disadvantages.

Table: comparison of drip irrigation methods from plastic bottles

Way	Advantages	disadvantages
From two bottles	Easy to make; do not need any additional devices; the water will evaporate for a long time, no need to add often	Too little water will fall into the ground with condensate
From a bottle dug upside down in the ground	Easy to make; can be used for plants with any root depth	The holes are clogged, it is necessary to periodically clean; water drains quickly
From a bottle dug upside down into the ground	Easy to add water	Not suitable for plants with a shallow root system
With nozzle	Fast manufacturing	Need to buy a nozzle; Not suitable for all bottle sizes
From a bottle suspended on a frame	You can water low plants; bottle holes do not clog	Harder to do than other methods
With the use of "wick"	Convenient for seedlings; acts for a long time	Harder to do compared to other methods; can only be used at home

If a the air in the greenhouse is dry and hot, then in order to organize watering with the help of dug plastic bottles, for each plant from the greenhouse you will need 1 liter and a half.

At moderate humidity and temperature soil is appropriate to use 1 bottle for 2-3 plants.

for irrigation moisture-loving or large greenhouse inhabitants use 3-5 liter containers.

1 way "down the neck"

1. Make a series of small holes with a needle in the narrow part of the bottle, located at the neck. The number of vertical rows of holes should correspond to the number of plants being irrigated.
2. Cut off the bottom.
3. Wrap the bottle in cotton cloth to keep soil particles from clogging the holes.
4. Dig a hole 10-15 cm deep between the roots of the plants.
5. Place a homemade sprinkler with a closed lid, neck down, turn the holes towards the root system.
6. Cover the bottle with earth, fill to the top with water for irrigation and cover the bottom with a plastic cap to reduce evaporation of the liquid.

Don't make big holes whose diameter exceeds the thickness of the needle. Through them, the water will leave the tank early, because of which the plant may suffer from dehydration.

Important. Do not use containers from under aggressive liquids(solvents, glass cleaners) and oils. The remains of these substances on the walls of the bottle pollute the soil and have a detrimental effect on plants.

2 way "upside down"

It differs from the above method in the absence of the need to cut off the bottom of the container. Holes are being made indented from the bottom by 2-3 cm.

If the water runs out in the bottle ahead of time, the liquid remaining at the bottom can compensate for the lack of moisture for some time.

Bury the bottle in the soil up to the neck. Cover your neck, but do not screw the plug so that the container does not shrink as it empties.

Interesting. The use of this method provides longer irrigation period due to the existing "reserve" of liquid at the bottom and a smaller area of ​​moisture evaporation through the neck.

How does the method work?

Irrigation with bottles dug into the ground is based on moving fluid from a wetter environment to a drier one, i.e. along the moisture gradient. Speeding up the process contributes to the gravity of the water.

When the earth is saturated with moisture, the flow of water from the bottle slows down due to the leveling of the gradient.

With this method minimizes the likelihood of overdrying or excessive moisture in the soil.

Benefits of Irrigation with Bottles

1. Undoubted cheapness thanks to the use of improvised material in the manufacture of the sprinkler.
2. Simple and fast design application.
3. Time saving. The need for frequent visits to the greenhouse to check soil moisture disappears.
4. Through the bottle, it can enter the ground not only water, but also fertilizers dissolved in it. They are dosed and directly to the root system bypassing the overlying soil layers.
5. Reliability: Now you don't have to worry about the condition of the plants during a short trip.
6. Prevention of fungal diseases root system due to excessive soil moisture.
7. The need disappears loosening and softening the earth.
8. Water, located in a container dug into the ground, reaches the ambient temperature and heated to the roots.

What crops can be watered?

The drip irrigation method is suitable for plants with aboveground shoots and fibrous root system:

• cucumbers;
• tomatoes;
• cabbage;
• pepper;
• eggplant.

Warning. The method is not suitable for root crops (carrots, beets, turnips). If you are using plastic watering bottles in your greenhouse, manual watering cannot be completely ruled out due to the fact that foliar irrigation procedures play an important role for many plants.

Useful and inexpensive

Many experienced summer residents use self-made irrigation systems and prefer them to factory ones. Do not rush to throw away old plastic bottles from under the water, because often modern methods have cheaper counterparts.

Useful video

You can learn more about how to organize watering in a greenhouse with plastic bottles in the video.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Have you noticed how dry and hot summer has become lately? The earth turns to dust, it may not rain for weeks. In such a situation, the owners of vegetable gardens, summer cottages and personal plots are the first to take up their heads. How to establish an irrigation system without a solid financial investment and prevent the plants from drying out? A simple and at the same time quite effective technique comes to the rescue - drip irrigation. We suggest you organize it with plastic bottles.

What is the purpose of drip irrigation?

What do you think, which watering will be more beneficial for the plant: immediately pour a bucket of water on it or stretch its flow in equal portions for several days? The second method of irrigation was called drip.

The most interesting thing is that only an ornamental plant receives water, and not weeds growing in the ground.

Do I need to buy a special device for such watering? No, it doesn `t need. You can organize drip irrigation from plastic bottles with your own hands for almost free. Every home has waste plastic bottles, which are most often thrown into a landfill. Now they can be used with maximum benefit for the garden.

The second life of plastic bottles - drip irrigation of plants

Pros and cons of drip irrigation

To finally convince you that watering through plastic bottles is really effective, we will list its strengths:

• Significant water savings, especially compared to watering from a watering can or hose. Water will not spread in different directions.
• There is no need for additional loosening. Remember what kind of crust forms on the surface after heavy watering! With drip irrigation, there is no such problem and cannot be.
• Watering is autonomous. You filled the tank with water over the weekend, arrived three days later, and the facility continues to work.
• If you add fertilizer to the water, you can regulate its supply. In addition, only the plant you need can get it.
• A significant advantage of such irrigation is the fact that its use is allowed both in greenhouse conditions and on open ground.

The method is convenient, but imperfect. And it would be unfair of us to name all the obvious advantages, but keep silent about the shortcomings. We will also list them:

• Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from plastic bottles is not suitable for a large area. Firstly, you will need to install really many devices, and secondly, their use will be irrational.
• For heavy soil, this type of irrigation is not suitable. This is due to the fact that when the bottle is in the ground, it quickly clogs and needs regular cleaning.
• Drip irrigation is not capable of completely replacing irrigation, especially if it is a hot summer outside. You can only maintain humidity, but from time to time you still need to water the area.

Four ways of drip irrigation

Since there are a great many varieties of watering cucumbers and other plants, we decided to tell you about the most effective and budget methods. Prepare in advance a knife or scissors that you will need to cut bottles, nails and an awl, a sewing needle, nylon tights or pieces of cotton fabric, a pen rod.

Bottle upside down

We take a plastic bottle and cut off the bottom (by 5-6 centimeters). In the lid or neck, make a couple of punctures with a diameter of 0.3 to 0.5 mm. The diameter may be larger, but then the water from the bottle will come out faster. After this simple procedure, bury the bottle next to the stem by about 3-4 centimeters. Put a fabric or part of tights inside. This is necessary so that debris does not clog the hole.

If you want, you can not bury the container in the ground, but simply hang it near the bush. For example, on a rail made of wood. This makes it easier to pour water.

The degree of watering is regulated by the number of holes

Holes drilled in the bottom

Perhaps the most simple and understandable option. You don't have to cut anything at all. Holes are made in the bottom, and the container itself is buried between the plants. By the way, you can make even more holes throughout the bottle. The lid is removed, all the same nylon tights will help to escape from small debris. It is convenient to pour water using a watering can.

Small holes throughout the bottle

Alternatively, watering from bottles is allowed in the following way. In the bottle, you need to make only one, but a large hole, so that the rod from the ballpoint pen enters it. The tip is removable, the remaining ink will help wash out the alcohol. Point the rod at the irrigation area and fix with plasticine.

The laziest way to drip irrigation (video)

In almost any hardware store you can find special tips with holes designed specifically for drip irrigation. Remove the cap from each bottle, replacing it with such a tip. After that, turn the bottle filled with water upside down and place it near each bush. Separately, I would like to note the process of replacing water, which looks very convenient. Yes, and small motes will definitely not get inside, and the watering structure itself looks very aesthetically pleasing.

Drip watering indoor plants

The fourth method that we would like to talk about concerns the care of plants that grow in flowerpots. Cut off the bottom from one bottle and make a hole in it, the diameter of which is equal to the lid of the second container. After that, make 2 cuts in the neck of vessel number two, screw on the lid, and thread the bottom of bottle number 1 from above. In the photo you can see that the irrigation structure is filled with water. It will need to be turned over onto a tray or oven tray. Pots with seedlings go there.

Watering indoor plants

The essence of the method is as follows. The liquid from the container begins to flow out gradually, nourishing the plants. But it is better to take small bottles. Otherwise, they may tip over under heavy weight.

You can improve watering from plastic bottles in a variety of ways. For example, to supplement the system with a reservoir that contains a supply of water, hoses, a dropper.

Drip irrigation and solar distillation

A very unusual method of irrigation can be considered, which is based on the principle of solar distillation. He has proven himself especially well in the dry season, when on a hot afternoon it is better not to go out at all. Near each bush, on a pre-mulched soil, it is necessary to install a segment of a bottle with a capacity of 1500 ml, and cover it with a five-liter eggplant without a bottom on top.

Drip irrigation

During heating, the moisture will turn into steam and water droplets. At first they will settle on the walls, and then they will begin to roll down. In simple words the hotter the sun, the better the hydration will occur.

Regardless of which watering method was chosen, you will always have the opportunity to apply any fertilizer to the soil. The assimilation process will be much faster and more efficient than if you just buried them in the ground.

Great watering solution for small areas

To improve the effectiveness of humidification, use the following recommendations:

• It is best to water cucumbers from containers with a capacity of two, and not one and a half liters. Five-liter containers are also suitable.
• Always make small holes in the plastic. Otherwise, the liquid will leave the container very quickly.
• How many bottles do you need for high-quality moisturizing? Much depends on the number of plants. If these are cucumbers, one bottle should be enough for 3-4 bushes.
• It is best to install plastic containers at the stage of planting seeds. This is a guarantee that you will definitely not be able to damage the roots.
• Usually the bottle is placed at a distance of 12-15 centimeters, the embedment depth is about ten centimeters. You don't need to go too deep. For example, in cucumbers, all roots are close enough to the surface.

How to arrange watering cucumbers

Conclusion

After reading the article, you learned what drip irrigation is, what advantages and disadvantages it has. You also learned how to independently create such an irrigation system in various ways. Now, even in the driest summer, your garden will turn green and will surely please its owner with a good, long-awaited harvest.

Drip irrigation is an irrigation method that delivers water to the roots of plants. Use this method of irrigation in order to achieve the best results of irrigation of plants with minimal fluid costs. Having made drip irrigation with his own hands, the gardener increases the rate of crop ripening and improves its quality, but at the same time saves money.

Experienced gardeners know how important it is to fertilize the root system of vegetation. A more economical option is to make drip irrigation from plastic bottles and do it yourself for the garden and greenhouse.

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation in a greenhouse

Drip irrigation in a greenhouse is ideal for vegetables. For this reason, most gardeners organize drip irrigation in the greenhouse with their own hands and thus save money. It can be automatic or manual.

The composition of drip irrigation includes a central water supply, which is connected to a splitter, and drip tubes are already connected to it, providing plants with moisture.

Instruments

You will need some tools to install.

• Electric drill;
• Punch or hole punch;
• pliers;
• Puncher;
• Pipe cutter or scissors for pipes made of plastic;
• Open-end wrench set;
• Shovel.

Design features.

Now you can choose the type of construction, but for this you need to find out what they are. Do-it-yourself drip irrigation systems in greenhouses have different pros and cons.

Types suitable for greenhouses:

• Working in automatic mode. This type is equipped with separate droppers that fit each plant, branching off from a central node. The processing radius is small. The main components include small tubes through which water enters the root system of the plant. To install such irrigation, you need to use special valves, splitters and racks for fixing microtubes.
• Drip tape system. A similar species is used for processing garden vegetation. This system assumes parallel placement of drip tubes. But such systems have a shorter service life than automatic devices. In order for drip tapes to work in automatic mode, each must have connectors through which liquid flows. Thus, one edge is placed near the tank, and plugs are installed on the other. Thanks to the ribbons, each plant is watered.

Benefits of drip irrigation

An organized drip system in a greenhouse has its advantages:

• Improving the quality and yield of crops;
• Since water is distributed at a certain rate, fluid consumption is considered economical;
• Possibility of designing an automatic drip irrigation system;
• The soil layer is practically not eroded;
• In plants, the index of resistance to various natural influences increases;
• Possibility of watering a large area, even in case of low pressure in the system;
• Ease of system management.

These are not all the advantages of the system.

Assembly and installation of the system

To design drip irrigation with your own hands, you will need to purchase an automatic controller. It can be placed on the system and programmed to water at specific times of the day when needed.

Install this device immediately after the filter. When designing, you need to choose the right filter, for open areas, systems with a gravel-sand base, which are designed for rough cleaning, are more relevant.

If you take a filter with a disc base, then it is more suitable for fine cleaning. If your water for irrigation is in the well, then it is better to take a mesh one. And so there are all the necessary tools, now you can start designing drip irrigation.

The manufacturing process is carried out in the following order:

• Drawing up a diagram. To correctly draw up a diagram, you need to measure the length of the beds with vegetation using a tape measure, and, observing the scale, transfer all the data to paper. The diagram should indicate the location of the main source of water.
• Determining the number of pipes. After that, you need to buy material. It is recommended to install the system in a greenhouse to purchase PVC pipes with a diameter of at least 3.2 cm.
• Next, the main pipe is connected to the storage tank. To do this, you can use a regular garden hose. A filter is connected to it, but it is important not to confuse the direction, it indicates the direction in the form of a drawn arrow. And after that, we mark the place where the drip tape is installed on the pipeline with a marker.
• Next, holes are drilled with an electric drill that fit in diameter with sealing rubber bands. But it would be better if they enter the hole with effort. And set the connector to the start position.
• We muffle one end of the tape, and connect the opposite to the water supply. And we start the system.

Properly made drip irrigation with your own hands will last several seasons. At the end of the season, it can be removed, but first you need to clean it well. If it is no longer needed, then it is better to throw it away or send it for recycling.

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation for summer cottages from plastic bottles

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from plastic bottles is ideal for suburban areas. Such a system does not need to be connected to water and is much cheaper compared to purchased models. To make drip irrigation with their own hands, people use old plastic containers. Of course, the installation, which is not automatic and periodically, will require adding liquid.

Instruments

Manufacturing does not require a large list of tools, and every summer resident has all of them. The difference of this system is only in a small cost, and the efficiency is the same with purchased options.

The following tools are required for the design process:

• Plastic container. the volume depends entirely on the size of the plant and on the period of filling with moisture of the root system. But experts do not recommend taking half-liter bottles, better liter or 2 liter. It is this container that remains after drinks, so you do not need to purchase new ones.
• Device for creating connectors. As such a tool, you can use a small carnation or a thin needle.
• fabric material. It would be better if there is a piece of cotton material, you can use nylon tights. But we note that the wear resistance of kapron fabric is much higher, and it is stronger.

Advantages

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from plastic bottles has many advantages. Such a system is needed to provide nutrient fluid to the roots of plants. This saves money, energy and time. This design is quite interesting to most gardeners. After all, it can be left unattended, as it works offline. Due to which the summer resident does not need to stand with a hose and water the plants for half an evening to harvest more crops or even carry heavy buckets of water.

By installing this, watering you will not waste time caring for the site. At this time, the gardener may well be doing other things.

Main advantages:

A similar design for irrigation is ideal for owners of suburban areas who come to the site according to their capabilities, for example, once a week. Arriving at the weekend, it is enough to fill the bottles with water before leaving. The collected container is quite enough to feed the root system for a week.

Manufacturing methods

There are many ways to make a drip irrigation system from plastic containers. To determine the options, you need to choose the appropriate and optimal option, taking into account your capabilities and conditions on the site. It is equally important to choose a suitable place for installing watering cans and the intensity of water distribution.

Using different design schemes, it must be borne in mind that they are suitable for a certain variety of plants and their location. The most optimal and easiest option is to pierce the holes in the bottle with a needle or a thin carnation. Using this method, there is no need to have any special skills and tools.

But it is necessary to take into account some nuances:

• All holes should be of small diameter, only in this way can water be regularly and slowly spent, compared to large holes through which it will quickly leave;
• If there are a little more holes, then in this way it turns out to create more moist soil;
• The location of the container should be at a minimum distance from the stem, so that water will directly enter the root system of the plant, and not moisten the environment;
• It is recommended to deepen the water bottles a little in the ground, due to which the water will not go in vain;
• The container can be placed above the seedlings, unless of course this irrigation technology does not harm the plant;
• If a container with a large displacement is used as a container, then it will last for a whole week and the plant will be provided with constant moisture.

The irrigation process itself takes place according to the most usual scheme, that is, due to direct contact of the liquid with the soil. Having installed the container, the liquid will slowly flow out through the holes made, and when the soil gains moisture, it closes the holes and the liquid does not flow. After drying, it again begins the process of seepage, since the dry earth does not block the holes. In this way, the drip irrigation system is considered autonomous and fluid is saved. When the bottle becomes empty, water is added to it, and the process of providing liquid to the root system is getting better.

Note that this system is not suitable for watering whimsical plants that have a thin root system.

Like other models, the system is made on the basis of plastic containers, has its drawbacks and positive aspects.

Among the advantages are the following:

• Ease of manufacture. Even an inexperienced gardener is capable of building a drip type of soil irrigation from a plastic bottle. After all, for designing it is not necessary to have special skills and abilities.
• Thrift. The creation of such irrigation does not require large expenditures. This is justified by the fact that this type uses material that is in almost every home, bottles often remain after buying and drinking drinks.
• Use of technology. By installing a similar design, excessive water consumption is practically eliminated. This factor is especially important for suburban areas where there is no central water supply system, and water has to be stored.
• Distribution uniformity. Since such a system only supplies water to the root system, water flows evenly into the plant and less is consumed.
• Rapid heating of water. The upper part is on the surface almost always in open areas. Thus, the sun constantly falls on it and quickly warms up a small volume of liquid. And warm water is considered necessary for some plants.
• Easy replacement. If some container has become unsuitable for further use, it can be replaced and it will take about 5 minutes.

Drip irrigation is often used during the cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers, but grapes, strawberries and fruit trees are no exception in this case.

This technology has some disadvantages, which include:

• For large areas, drip irrigation, which is made from a plastic bottle, is not suitable, it is not able to provide enough moisture to the plant;
• The system is not capable of replacing the standard version of irrigation from a hose, because it is used only to maintain moisture for a certain period;
• If this technology is used on heavy and loamy soils, it will clog very quickly and cease to perform its function.

According to experts, a drip irrigation system made of plastic containers is mainly an alternative, but in some cases it can completely replace the standard irrigation option. It is very easy to organize such watering for your garden or greenhouse, since almost any person has material and tools for this. At the same time, you can save finances, time and effort that you would spend on watering with a hose or buckets.