Benefits of a Micro drip irrigation system

Micro Drip irrigation

What is a micro drip irrigation system?... In its most basic terms it is a small pipe that is connected to a water source, such as an outside tap.  Along this pipe you can add different spray nozzles, drip heads, and sprinklers. It enables you to supply individual plants with the correct amount of water and this reduces wastage of water and is also optimal for plant growth.

Below is a list of all the main benefits

• It is more efficient and therefore saves water and money
• Once installed you will save time as well
• You can water directly to the roots with drip heads
• You can also water under ground
• You can water at the leaf height with different spray nozzles
• Watering can take place while you are away
• You can water a specific times of day with a water computer 
• You can make your watering system smart with smart watering set.(allows the watering to be automatically adjusted depending on soil moisture, light and temperature.

There are many more benefits but I wanted to cover the ones considered to be most beneficial. The diagram below shows what is involved in setting up a micro drips system. 

How to set up a micro drip system and what's involved. 

Every micro drip system will start from a water source. In most cases this will be a garden tap but in some circumstances this could be a water butt, or other water storage.

From the tap you have the option of connecting a water computer and this will allow automation of watering times.  Without the water computer you will need to manually turn the water on and off.

A short 13mm hose pipe is required to connect from the water source to the micro drip system.

Hose connectors are also required and you will need a hose connector to connect the hose to the tap or water computer and water stop which will connect to the start of the micro drip system. 

The start of the system

 A master unit is required at the beginning of the micro drip system and this serves to reduce the initial pressure down to the micro drip operating pressure. Its also provides filtration.

The next step is to attach the 13mm connecting pipe. This specialist pipe is the main route for water in the system and is used to reach all areas you need to water. The first accessory you might want to add is the fertilizer dispenser, this very useful component is used for adding liquid fertilizer to the system.

After this you have a lot of choices to make and lots of different combinations.  First to consider are the drip heads, of which there are either end of line, or inline options. End of line drip heads are normally for flower pots or other similar containers, and inline drip heads are more suited to planters or beds. With both styles of drip heads you can get adjustable versions, these are very useful when you have plants with different watering needs.

To cover areas with a  fine spray you can also add spray nozzles  to your system.

When watering different pots you might need more flexibility to make sure drip heads are in the right location. To do this you can move from the 13mm pipe to the small more flexible 4.6mm pipe using a reducer. 4.6mm pipe and connectors 

You can easily add drip heads to the 13mm or the 4.6mm pipe. A simple method is to cut the pipe and insert a drip head/connector into the pipeline and push the pipe back onto the the push fit connectors .

Or, you can attach and fit the heads to the pipe is by using the installation tool.

You use this to puncture holes in the pipe so you can insert the drip heads.

So that's all of the basics. You can buy all of the components individually and make it completely bespoke to your garden, or you can choose one of the starter sets, to which you can add components to expand the system at a later date, if required.