What is drip irrigation and what are its benefits?

 

Unless you water your plants and vegetables regularly, or they get the water they need through precipitation, they will invariably die. But watering your garden by hand can be both time consuming and labour intensive. That’s why more and more people are investing in garden irrigation systems.

One of the most popular types of irrigation system is the drip irrigation system. It conserves both water and fertiliser by allowing them to drip slowly to the roots of plants and vegetables, either onto the surface of the soil or directly onto the plants’ root zones.

Here are a few advantages of using a drip irrigation system:

1. Saves water and fertiliser

The primary advantage of drip irrigation systems is that they conserve both water and fertiliser, which, in the case of water, is especially important in this day and age.

Even though the earth is covered in water, conserving it is vitally important. That’s because we are slowly depleting the global supply of fresh water, and that’s something that will have a huge impact if water shortages hit in the future.

2. Drip irrigation focuses on the plants

Sprinklers cover large areas with water and that means the weeds in your garden get their share too. With drip irrigation systems, however, the water is focused where it wants to be: on the roots of your plants and vegetables. This curbs the growth of weeds in your garden, meaning that you have to do less ongoing maintenance.

3. Water is kept off the leaves

Some plants can be susceptible to fungi, mildew and disease if too much water is left on their leaves. Drip irrigation systems prevent this from happening because in most applications, the magic happens underground.

4. You retain control

With drip irrigation systems, you remain in total control. They can be controlled manually or by a timer, and the amount of water being delivered can be adjusted whenever you like. Furthermore, certain areas of your garden can be isolated, which is perfect for when your plants/vegetables have different watering needs.

For more information about irrigation systems that are right for your garden, contact us today.