Anyone use drip-feed/micro irrigation?

Discussion in 'Container Gardening' started by David Kearley, May 19, 2022.

  1. David Kearley

    David Kearley Gardener

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    Our garden is 90% pot planted, we started 2 years back and this year it has really started blooming, it needs watering daily.

    We are just about in a position to take a holiday this year and thought about fitting some drip irrigation - the black pipe and a feeder in each pot type, with a timer/valve.

    Our son could possibly do it but does not finish work until late and it would be a big chore for him to stop by every day and means less time with his family etc.

    Does this system work ok?

    I see there is a massive range of stuff, some pretty low price kits on Amazon or the real £££ from the garden centre - any difference?

    Thanks in advance
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I use it in my greenhouses, it works well. Mine is a low pressure system fed off a water butt with a low pressure timer. Don't go for a cheap system they will be trouble. Mine has adjustable flow drippers. Once you lay it out and connect give yourself a few days to commission, keep adjusting the flows and check by putting used yoghurt pots to see how much comes out.
     
  3. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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  4. sandymac

    sandymac Super Gardener

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    i have tried a couple of systems both tap and water butt as well as constant drip and timed drip. I found timed drip with the dripper nozzles well open to be the best.
    When i used constant drip the nozzles had to be well throttled and i found some of the nozzles stopped dripping after a few days.
     
  5. David Kearley

    David Kearley Gardener

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    Thanks all, I'll look for adjustable drippers, just looking now to find best style to suit - seems many have very small bore pipe all through but I think the larger bore feed pipe with smaller pot pipes would be better, our run would be around 40m.

    Timers are another issue - the Hozelok ones get very, very bad reviews as they eat batteries and fail regularly it seems.
     
  6. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I have a Darlec timer as that was the only make I could find that did low pressure, it has been very reliable and batteries last at least a year.
     
  7. David Kearley

    David Kearley Gardener

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    Thanks all, I have found a tap valve that will connect to my smart-home network (LinkTap G2S) so will probably go for that option. Will pop over to garden centre and see what they have for irrigation stuff if no luck will Amazon it ;)
     
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    • David Kearley

      David Kearley Gardener

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      Found a kit, just the type i was looking for - larger bore backbone with smaller bore pot feeds.

      It uses 4 l/h drippers so I just need to figure out how long it'll need to run for.

      Fast delivery too,
      Drip Irrigation System - 25 PC Dripper
       
    • David Kearley

      David Kearley Gardener

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      Is there a secret to working out a watering plan to start off with?

      If the post are 12x12x12 and i have 4L/h drippers is there a rough idea of a start point - 1hr/day etc

      I know its all relative to plant/temperature etc but just wondered if there was a rough rule of thumb :)
       
    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      It's a guessing game, start by estimating how much you are giving them using a watering can. I check mine by catching the drippers output in trays or anything to gauge how much comes out, start with 5 minutes and go up from there bit by bit. Are they fixed drippers? That reduces flexibility.
       
    • David Kearley

      David Kearley Gardener

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      Thanks, yes these are fixed at 4 litres per hour, i would guess they get about 2 litres twice a day in the summer as i water morning and evening

      I'll get it going and do some monitoring
       
    • David Kearley

      David Kearley Gardener

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      When working out a schedule, is it best to look at the previous days max temperature instead of the current days forecasted temperature???
       
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