If you have a large summer cottage, organizing proper watering is quite difficult. Today there is a large selection of irrigation systems, ranging from a standard watering can to complex automatic designs. If you still haven’t decided how you will water your dacha , familiarize yourself with the principles of operation of an automatic watering system. The purchase of this device greatly facilitates work on the site.
The main advantages of automatic watering:
- Correct installation of the equipment ensures many years of use of the automated system. When ordering, discuss with the specialists of the company that sells, installs and maintains the landscape of the site and problem areas.
- Automatic irrigation systems are equipped with special sensors that detect the level of precipitation and, if necessary, block the access of water to avoid overflow.
- Watering at the dacha takes place without much effort. There is no need to carry around a heavy, inconvenient hose, which becomes too long in some places and short in others. Irrigation is carried out simultaneously throughout the entire area, which significantly saves time.
- When using irrigation systems , water consumption is reduced, and the quality of irrigation, on the contrary, increases.
What types of automatic watering systems are there?
All automatic irrigation systems are divided into drip and sprinkler systems.
Why do you need automatic watering on your site?
Having a beautiful private garden with walking paths, a gazebo or a barbecue area near the house has become an indulgent pleasure for many today. After all, if previously almost 90% of a summer cottage plot was allocated for a vegetable garden, today it is the lawn and flowers that occupy most of it.
Also, many people complement the garden area with beautiful recreation areas on a soft green lawn: areas for gatherings, fire pits or simply gazebos with a built-in barbecue area, children's corners. Everyone, without exception, can create a beautiful garden on their site, but for some it will be a difficult process, but for professional landscape designers and artists it will be a pleasant pastime. After drawing up sketches and selecting plants, any experienced craftsman will say that without an automatic watering system it will be difficult to maintain such beauty on your own. And he will be absolutely right.
When landscaping a site, plants are usually purchased from nurseries. To ensure that your money is not wasted, after planting, the seedlings must take root quickly and well due to the adaptation of the root system. This can be achieved by regularly and evenly moistening the soil. As a result, planted plants quickly adapt to new growing conditions, and lawn grass forms a dense root system.
Not a single person can do this, since the static nature and correct location of the sprinklers gives the most uniform effect when watering. Using different types of irrigation equipment for different plants, the optimal type of watering is selected. In professional systems, trees, vegetable gardens, greenhouses, lawns and flowers are watered using different equipment. Any experienced landscaper knows this, as well as an organization that has been installing automatic irrigation in different areas for many years. This important rule allows you to avoid problems with plants and swampy areas in the future.
Disadvantages and difficulties of drip irrigation
- Absolutely not suitable as anti-frost irrigation.
- The key question when choosing an irrigation system is whether the investment in it is justified by the increased yield and water savings.
- Not acceptable in the case of technical auxiliary irrigation. Using the drip method is problematic for watering young trees, bushes, and other plants in dry areas with sandy soils and strong winds.
- In irrigation systems, it is necessary to use such methods and irrigation techniques that achieve the most economical and efficient use of water and ensure minimal production losses.
- The automatic watering system must be placed on the territory according to the technical plan in order to provide each plant with optimal watering. It is important to install the system so that irrigation of both general and individual areas is possible.
Economical dosed watering is not a luxury, but a necessity. A high-quality irrigation system is required to landscape and develop the site, maintain its beauty, and ensure timely and competent care of the plantings.
Features of installing automatic watering - how it’s done
Today, installing an automatic irrigation system is a basic component for any landscaped plot of land. Before laying the lawn, you need to lay pipes, electric control valves and nozzles in the trenches, and only then, after backfilling, lay or sow the lawn.
But what if the site is already landscaped? In this case, all communications for automatic watering can be laid in special trenches, which are carefully dug when removing strips of lawn. For the sake of future convenience, the owners will have to endure some inconvenience with excavation work for some time.
When designing automatic irrigation systems, it is also recommended to install water hydrants. They are not connected to automation and are started using a special tap after connecting the hose. These are convenient underground hatches with taps that can be used, for example, if manual watering is required so as not to stretch the hose over the entire area.
Water hydrants come in handy when you need to wash a garden path, fill a small container with water, or simply water your garden plants with warm water.
Therefore, the contractor should discuss the convenience of placing underground water outlets with the owner of the site personally.
Current types of automatic watering
A drip irrigation system supplies water directly to the roots. Stems and foliage remain dry. This is important when growing vegetables. Water consumption is minimal. The principle of operation is to lay polyethylene pipes along all the beds. Additionally, droppers are connected to them - thin hoses with holes at each planting bush. When using a large container as a water source, it becomes possible not only to water, but also to deliver micronutrients to plants. To do this, the required amount of fertilizer is introduced directly into the side and mixed in water. You won’t have to waste time processing the crops you grow.
How not to ruin your landscape design and plants with automatic watering
With all the conveniences and delights of using an automatic watering system for the owner, there are interesting points of view both from the gardener or landscape designer, and from the contractor who installs the automatic watering system on the site. In order for your garden to be most protected from both lack of moisture and waterlogging, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the basic rules that have successfully proven themselves not only in areas in the Moscow region, but throughout Russia.
Rule 1. Carefully select equipment for your automatic watering system
Most incompetent design firms, following the customer’s lead or based on the “cheaper-more-faster” principle, focus on reducing the total cost of the auto-irrigation system estimate due to incorrect selection of equipment. You can often see projects with a large number of dry areas, watering all parts of the site with the same type of sprinklers, or their incorrect location in relation to the plants.
The operation of such systems on the site leads to problems with plants or lawns due to the wrong type of watering. Here are just some of the consequences you may face due to design and coordination errors:
- flowers are watered by sprinkling - the buds quickly bloom and wither;
- the lawn grass in the shady area “squishes” underfoot due to an excess of water when watering;
- A powerful stream of sprinkler directed into the crown of a tree causes fungal diseases and death of the trunk, etc.
Such systems, once put into operation, have to be redone and replaced with different types of equipment, made the correct settings, and installed additional irrigation zones. All of this entails additional costs that could have been avoided with smart initial irrigation system design.
By creating an automatic irrigation system, the price of which consists not only of the equipment, but also of the cost of assembly work, excavation work and delivery, you can always find solutions to reduce the cost of some items in the estimate. But not on saving materials and equipment for organizing irrigation on the site.
All garden plants should be divided into zones. And for each zone, the necessary equipment must be selected that meets the correct technical characteristics for a given area. Typically this is:
- water flow parameters;
- type of irrigation;
- principle of installation on site.
Therefore, the customer or landscape designer should pay attention to the project at an early stage and agree on all factors for the selection of equipment.
Rule 2. Don’t forget about monitoring and seasonal maintenance of equipment
Like any engineering system, automatic watering requires periodic maintenance. It is better to trust all these manipulations to specialists from a company that professionally installs automatic irrigation systems. Options for independent seasonal maintenance are also possible, but for this it is worth setting aside time and being prepared for emergency situations and “wet work.”
After all, if the autumn scheduled pipe purging implies the maximum elimination of water from the equipment, then the spring start-up is based not only on the water supply, but also on adjusting the sprinklers and checking their operation before the start of the season. In principle, all methods are good, but it is important to understand the consequences.
Simple visual control is also important. For example, make it a habit to periodically check to see if your lawn or soil under your plants is moist, if there are any dry spots in the irrigation area of your drip lines, if the water tank is full, and if the power light on your pump or controller is on.
We are not advocating doing this every day, but as a periodic process it is a necessary practice. After all, if a problem is quickly discovered, you can always call the company that installed the automatic watering and over the phone get a comprehensive answer on which button to press and what to do, or call a specialist to quickly fix the problem.
All these processes do not cause any inconvenience and do not spoil your holiday and stay in a country house. Enjoy the free time you have, do your favorite things and only occasionally pay attention to the quality of watering, which should be ideal in the summer season.
Rule 3. Ensure safe and correct installation of pumping equipment
Most holiday villages are small areas with houses located close to each other. Therefore, there are often cases when the “heart” of an automatic irrigation system, namely pumping equipment, is installed near a utility unit or building that is located next to the windows of your bedroom, or even worse, your neighbor’s bedroom. This is where the “charms of life” begin.
Since the first cycle of the watering program works early (at 5-6 am), the work of the pumping station is heard as if “this miracle” is working right under your bed.
Of course, if the equipment is new, this factor is not so noticeable, but if it wears out or malfunctions, inconvenience and problems may occur. The same thing happens in the evening.
Another problem is unexpected early frosts in the Moscow region. If your irrigation system is turned off and waiting for a scheduled purge, then incorrect installation of pumping equipment will play a fatal role in its operation. In the best case, the electronic board of the pump will need to be replaced, and in the worst case, the pumping equipment itself will need to be replaced.
All this leads to monetary expenses. To avoid this, choose contractors who have ready-made solutions for protection and selection of the right pumping equipment.
Benefits of Drip Irrigation
- With drip irrigation, yields can be higher, accompanied by savings in water and irrigation costs, and a reduction in production costs.
- Thanks to evaporation, much less moisture is lost than when irrigating or sprinkling the surface, since the surface of the irrigated area is smaller.
- Wind does not affect the distribution of moisture in any way.
- There is no need for careful planning of the irrigated area; surface runoff is eliminated even in difficult topographic conditions. Agricultural work can be carried out during watering.
- A complete supply of fertilizers directly to the root layer is achieved.
- There is no peripheral loss of moisture. With heavy rainfall and salinity, problems with soil waterlogging do not arise. If there is insufficient precipitation, an additional watering rate is required, which is often provided by sprinkling. You can water in small amounts and with short intervals between waterings.
- The total number of weeds is significantly less when compared with all other irrigation methods.
Advantages of an automatic watering system
In order for the owner to appreciate all the benefits of the automatic system, care must be taken to create a professional irrigation project. The design will take into account:
- size, shape and features of the site;
- type of soil and climatic characteristics of the region;
- diversity of plants by species, height and water needs;
- frequency and duration of watering;
- necessary equipment to create the system.
When automatic watering starts to work fully, the owners of the site will appreciate:
- rational water consumption - exactly as much as the plants need;
- physical freedom - no need to walk around the site with heavy buckets or a long hose;
- improvement in the condition of greenery - especially noticeable in flower beds, vegetables, berries, which bloom brighter and bear more fruit;
- ease of installation and maintenance - the system does not require frequent professional intervention, only during service and seasonal conservation;
- aesthetics of the site - no buckets, hoses, watering cans, or barrels of water.
Knowing how automatic watering works and what benefits it guarantees to owners allows you to make a decision about ordering a system. And enjoy a well-groomed area on your own without time expenditure and intense stress.
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