Automatic irrigation system - what does it consist of?

A beautiful, well-kept garden with minimal effort - this is the dream of many owners of plots. How to realize them? The automatic irrigation system will definitely help.

Automatic irrigation system

Automatic irrigation system

The irrigation system is, in simple terms, a suitable system of hoses and sprinklers, whose task is to supply the right amount of water to house vegetation. The irrigation system is managed by the irrigation controller - a device that allows you to program the time and frequency of watering. Drip lines or spraying nozzles ensure an even irrigation of the soil, and the water reaches the root system, which significantly reduces its losses. In addition, the irrigation system can be enriched by connecting to it a soil moisture sensor or a rain sensor.

Sprinkler

There are two types of sprinklers. Some are installed on the surface of the earth, the other - in the ground. On rectangular surfaces, pop-up sprinkler sprinklers work best. Their advantage is that after finished work they will hide themselves in the ground, remaining completely invisible. Static or circular sprinklers work well on small rectangular surfaces. In the case of irregularly shaped surfaces, it is worth choosing an extensive sprinkler, which allows programming the range of water ejection by defining the contour of the irrigation area. Turbine sprinklers can also be used in larger areas. They can irrigate areas covering the entire circle, and thanks to the ability to regulate the irrigation sector, they will also be useful when watering selected areas of the plot. If the lawn surface is varied, a good solution will be an irrigation system with pop-up sprinklers with a longer lance, thanks to which water will reach every corner. It also allows irrigation over tall plants. Sprinklers are placed in the remaining areas. Sprinklers with an angle of 90 ° and 270 ° are placed in the corner surfaces and the side surfaces are sprayed with 180 ° sprays. Inside the area of ​​the irrigated terrain, 360 ° sprinklers are placed.

Drip lines

The irrigation system is also based on drip lines. They will provide an even amount of water vegetation planted in rows, as well as for individual specimens greens. Large areas of greenery should be provided with underground drip lines (polyethylene pipes with a diameter of 16-20 mm ), a terrestrial line will perform well in a small area. Proper watering of greenery growing in rows will provide us with drip heads connected to the pipe near the root system, while final drip heads are selected for the spot irrigation of individual plants. The length of the line is even 200 m .

Irrigation system - controller

We have a choice of very simple devices, in which the system's working time is set with a knob, and more complex models with a multifunctional control panel. The easiest solution is the irrigation system with the controller mounted on the tap. Usually it supports one irrigation line. More expensive devices can be installed indoors or outdoors. They are adapted to control the operation of several lines and to store different irrigation cycles. Most devices of this type are battery-powered, thanks to which the irrigation installation can work even during power outages. If the plot has a well or rainwater collection tank, it is worth paying attention to the irrigation controllers that allow you to connect to them pumps that will draw water from these alternative sources. If we often stay away from home, it is worth asking the seller about the protection of the external controller against theft.

sensors

To be able to adjust the amount of water supplied to plants according to their requirements

If you need more, you can enrich the irrigation installation with special soil humidity sensors. They will start the irrigation system when it is too dry, and turn it off when the soil is sufficiently moist. We will also be able to save water by using a rain sensor that will stop irrigation as soon as it detects rainfall.