Plants Need Water to Live
It is essential that plants receive adequate water during all phases of their growth and blooming cycles. For some plants, watering every day or so just isn't enough, but for all plants, getting the right amount of water and in the right process can make the difference between success and failure of a crop or garden. Many gardeners choose to streamline the watering process and make it more efficient by installing an irrigation system. Depending on the water source, type of climate and type of plants being cared for, one of several systems should work for you. Does this Spark an idea?
Planning the Garden Appropriately for Your Climate
All gardens need water, but depending on the climate and what kind of plants you intend to water, the delivery system can be changed to accommodate several factors. In areas that are very hot and dry, or where water supplies may be limited, planning your garden with drought tolerant plants might help to keep your garden healthy over the long summers. Planting native plants is always a safe bet for ensuring the health and vitality of a garden. This allows the gardener to irrigate regularly without having to fight the elements quite as much as trying to deliver the amounts of water required for water-hungry plants that are planted in a desert.
Assessing the Water Supply
An irrigation system is only as good as its water source. If you are using rain barrels for your irrigation, be sure you have enough barrels to supply your garden with ample water or a back-up means of distributing water during dry seasons. the simplest way to design an irrigation system is to hook it up to an existing outside plumbed spigot or faucet. Many homeowners use this method of watering because of its convenience.
If you don't have an outdoor faucet already installed you can either hire a plumber or install one yourself, but be sure to use materials that are recommended for your living conditions and climate, such as appropriate fittings or insulation for cold weather situations. Some homeowners choose to hook up their irrigation systems to old well pumps that exist on their property after they have hooked up to city-supplied water systems. If you choose to do this, you may want to have a professional come out and check the pump to be sure it is ready to handle the water flow, especially if it has been sitting for a while, unused.
Drip Irrigation or Sprinklers
Drip irrigation systems are systems that pump water slowly through plastic tubing or hoses with tiny holes running through them, allowing the water to trickle out of them at these various points. There are also systems that incorporate sweating hoses that allow water to seep out and gently water the ground around them. These types of systems deliver water directly to the roots, where it is needed most and prevent the leaves from getting overly moist, which is very beneficial to plants such as squash, melons and cucumbers which are prone to debilitating mildew. These systems also have a convenience factor because they can be used at any time of the day and can be used even when the gardener is in the garden working.
Sprinkler systems run the water through garden hoses or permanent pipes into sprinkler heads, shooting it out into the air to allow it to gently fall on the plants. This is a simple to set up and can be a very inexpensive system to install. Portable sprinkler heads cost an average of five to twenty dollars and depending on the length of the garden hose, it will only cost a few dollars as well. These portable systems are very convenient for spot watering and can be utilized in several parts of a yard with the convenience of flexibility. Place the sprinkler in the middle of your garden, turn on the hose and let it run for 30 minutes a day. An added bonus for a sprinkler system is the entertainment factor for children on a hot summer day--simply set it up in a sunny part of the yard, and let the children run and jump through it. Try that with a drip irrigation system! The downside to sprinklers is that they tend to waste a lot of water through evaporation in the air before they even get to the plants, and when it sits on the leaves. Some water can be absorbed through plants leaves, but it does the most good when it is taken in by the roots.
Irrigation can also be done by digging trenches around each plant or row and filling them with water. In some sandy areas, this trenching system doesn't work well because the water drains off too fast to be useful and doesn't make it to the root system. This does work well in other soils, though and delivers the water to the deep roots where it is most effective. Trenches must be dug within 12 to 18 inches of the plants, though, for them to be effective.
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