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A
drip system produces healthy, fast-growing plants. In fact,
improved crop yields were the primary force behind the
development of drip irrigation for agriculture.
In
traditional watering methods there is an extreme fluctuation
in the water content, temperature, and aeration of the soil,
resulting in plant stress. Drip watering keeps the moisture
content of soil relatively constant and ensures that oxygen
remains available to the root system.
For
many gardeners, water conservation is the main reason for
installing a drip system. When you water your garden, your
purpose is to water plants rather than soil. Drip irrigation
gives you the ability to put water exactly where it’s needed
and keep paths and areas between plants dry. This reduces
both waste and weeding.
You
can regulate precisely the amount of water used during
irrigation so that nearly all of it remains in the root
zone. Water lost to evaporation is negligible compared to
overhead watering.
Traditional watering methods deliver water faster than most
soils can absorb. If water exceeds the soil’s percolation
rate, it can only run off the surface, taking valuable
topsoil and nutrients with it. On a slope, drip can be
designed for minimum runoff and is often the only means of
bringing a hillside into cultivation.
Another advantage of drip is that you can deliver equal
amounts of water to plants over a wide area. This is very
hard to accomplish with other methods of irrigation. It is
now so well established that drip irrigation saves water
that its use for narrow or sparse plantings is required by
California law in new commercial and larger residential
landscapes.
A
drip irrigation system is easy to install. Since no
trenching is needed, you can install a system in an existing
landscape with no damage to your plants’ root systems.
Tubing will be overgrown by ground cover, or it can be
quickly concealed with mulch. Drip irrigation also allows
you to water a large area from a small water source, since
it uses water more slowly than other methods.
If
you are installing drip to new plants, they will develop
deep roots which are more resistant to dry spells.
However, the greatest advantage for the home gardener is
time savings. The simple action of opening a valve replaces
all the time spent watering by hand. With the addition of an
automatic timer, you can go on vacation or cope with a busy
schedule while your garden flourishes without you.
Why Convert Sprinkler to Dripper?
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