Using conventional watering methods, moisture is lost by run off, evaporation, blown away by the wind, and wasted on non-growth areas. The drip irrigation system is usually more than 90% efficient at allowing plants utilize all the water applied, where sprinklers are only 70% efficient.

It's wise to get a drip irrigation system for your home. Then you don’t need to concern yourself with getting the exact quantity of water delivered at the right moment, nor must you have to move sprinklers everywhere.

An irrigation system is not initially cheap, however it will pay for itself within a few years and most do it yourselfers can install it easily.

What Is It?

Drip irrigation actually refers to a combination of several types of low-pressure, low-volume water delivery methods. The exact term for such systems is "microirrigation". Each microirrigation system is characterized by a different style of emitter (the element that discharges the water).

Drip irrigation is the precise and slow application of low pressure water directly to the roots of the plants using emitters. A drip irrigation system is a series of connected flexible pvc tubing. The tubes have holes bored at specific intervals to match the placement of your plants. The entire system is either buried or placed atop the soil next to the plants.

Advantages

By keeping the plant's roots moist (but not saturated) you really use less water than with normal watering techniques. Maintaining a perfect moisture level in the soil at all times causes:

-deeper watering
-more efficient watering
-water conservation
-almost no evaporation loss
-water only where plants are
-no wind to carry the water away
-deeper roots
-healthier roots (due to reducing disease problems associated with high levels of moisture on plants)
-plants are hardier: more resistant to pests, drought, and disease
-more abundant foliage
-greater crop yields
-no uv degradation of plastic and other materials exposed to sunlight
-lessens water, fertilizer, and labor if managed properly.

Where To Place

Drip irrigation systems are most often placed around flowers, shrubs, and even trees. This targeting allows watering to be more effective and efficient. It ensures that each of your landscape’s individual elements are properly watered.

A drip irrigation system can be easily hidden with a layer of mulch, so that even an above ground system does not diminish the view of your property.

How To Install

Installing drip irrigation is easy using kits obtainable at almost all home improvement stores. Kits come with instructions that clearly explain all the steps. There are a few tools needed for the installation, but you probably already have them. The installation takes 1 day or less.

You can make maintenance even easier by adding a timer to your system. The timers can be obtained where you get your kit and are simple to install as well. Timers insure that your plants get watered at the appropriate time without you needing to remember to do so. They help your plants get precisely the right amount of water at the right time.

Your drip irrigation system can be used in conjunction with “irrigation zones” in your landscape. Plants with similar water needs should be grouped in the same area, so that they can be more efficiently watered. This prevents over watering some plants just because others nearby need additional water.

It's easy to modify the configuration of a drip system. Therefore, a system can evolve as your needs change.

All in all, drip irrigation systems are economical as well as a great way to keep your plants healthy and hardy. They can help to improve your garden ... the easy way.

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