How Installing Drip Irrigation Can Improve Your Backyard

Watering a yard or garden by hand can be a hassle and very time-consuming. You have to drag hoses around, move sprinklers or take the time to water each plant.  That’s why installing drip irrigation in your garden can be a great investment.

Why install drip irrigation is a great idea

Installing drip irrigation can save you money in the long term.  As well it also allows you to spend your time elsewhere, like on a relaxing holiday.

What does drip irrigation do?

The irrigation system allows the water to penetrate directly into the root of the grass and plants. This method eliminates water dribbling over the actual plants.

If you have a rainwater tank in your yard then attaching a watering system to it will be excellent for the plants.  Rainwater will be more natural than the town supply which has chemicals in it,

Irrigation drip lines

Many people believe that drip lines are the way to water the garden. These are set up by running some polyline from the faucet through the garden. Adding drip feeders along the way near each plant.

Add a timer to it to set the watering time to a suitable time of the day. Just be sure not to set it for when it’s the hottest time of the day. It’s a useless exercise to water in the heat of the day.

Benefits of installing drip irrigation

The use of drip irrigation is an excellent way to:

• Save water
• Keep the moisture off the foliage
• Helps to control weeds
• It will save you time
• Better watering technique

Saving water is paramount for any gardener.

The majority of the water is actually directed to your plants. Using sprinklers tends to waste a lot of water. Because quite a lot of it is lost to evaporation and wind and tends to run off in a different direction to where it was meant to go.

Keeping the moisture off the foliage is important as many plants are more susceptible to certain pests and diseases when their foliage is wet.

That tends to happen when a sprinkler or hand hose is used. Tomato plants are one that tends to succumb to blight if their leaves are wet. The moisture helps the blight spores thrive and spread.

Controlling the weeds will be helped by using drip irrigation.

When the soaker hoses are in use they are only watering right along each row of plants and the weeds that are trying to grow will suffer through lack of water. Also, the use of mulch around the plants will also help control the weeds.

It will save you time if you have installed drip irrigation as it is as simple as turning on the water in a central location that has a timer attached.

Automatic timers are able to be installed to make it a lot easier.

Better watering techniques are established with drip irrigation. By using a sprinkler the water tends to form a crust around the plant, then as more water is applied it will most likely run off rather than seeping down to where it is needed.

The technology of irrigation systems

There is a fair amount of technology on the market to assist in installing the right irrigation system for your backyard. Sensors can be installed to readjust when your garden requires watering, then they will start the system to the water where it is needed.

With the climatic changes, drought has been in the news lately so the more we can conserve the precious commodity that we have the longer we will have it.

There are various systems on the market, so research the one that will suit you best before purchasing.

Tags: garden watering, Installing drip irrigation, Watering systems