Drip Irrigation for Your Garden | Backes Landscaping
Drip Irrigation for Your Fort Collins Garden
As water conservation in Fort Collins becomes more important than ever, with restrictions being placed on landscape and garden watering, homeowners will need to find new ways to maintain their gardens. The traditional sprinkler irrigation method wastes a lot of water by wetting areas without plants, and water is lost through runoff, wind and evaporation. Drip or micro-irrigation is such an efficient method for home gardens, that using it can result in owners being exempt from drought restrictions. In recent years, do-it-yourself drip irrigation kits have become available for home gardens and are easy to install and maintain.
In drip irrigation systems, water flows through a network of pipes at a very low pressure to slowly deliver water right above or on the soil at the exact spot that a plant grows. The emitters at the ends of these pipes drip water to target the roots of the plants for a certain period of time, so that the rest of the plant does not get unnecessarily wetted. Because this method makes it easy to regulate the amount of water a plant gets, its overall health is greatly enhanced. For even more convenience, an automated controller can be fitted to manage regular and controlled watering. The slow irrigation means that landscapes on an incline will not be adversely affected due to runoff and water pooling. Potted plants can also be maintained by drip irrigation. When plants are moved, removed or added, the emitters can also be repositioned easily. In addition, water damage to surrounding objects due to the spray from sprinklers, is eliminated.
To cut down on labor, chemical injectors can also be attached to the system to deliver nutrients in liquid or gaseous form to the plants. The cost of using drip irrigation is lower than that of sprinkler systems, as in addition to lower water bills, the low water pressure needed results in lower pump costs.
Drip Irrigation Kits
The wide availability of drip irrigation kits for home gardens makes it easy to install, and the network of pipes can be laid on the surface instead of under. They can be held in place by wire anchors and covered with mulch to avoid anyone tripping on them. The water source can be a pond, well, faucet or even a high pressure sprinkler head, with an attachment to convert it into a drip. A pump distributes water through the pipes. The other pieces of equipment are a faucet valve, a back flow device to prevent back flow to the home’s potable water source, a control valve, filter and pressure regulator. The faucet valve can be manually turned on or off, or controlled by an automated timer. The filter prevents sand, algae and other objects from entering the system. The pressure regulator controls the rate of drip which can be set depending on the types of plants used, the nature of the soil and any elevation changes. Some kits also come with more than one kind of drip head, so different plants can be planted in the same zone and can be watered by different heads.
Basic and more complex drip irrigation kits can be found in all major gardening and home improvement stores. You can also buy them online at Amazon.com, Homedepot.com, Dripirrigation.com, Dripworks.com, Berryhilldrip.com, Dripdepot.com and Barnyardproducts.com.
In Summary
To summarize, using a drip irrigation system in your garden will reduce water and energy costs, and it can be easily installed by anyone using a do-it-yourself kit. In addition, changes in landscaping are easily handled by customizing the irrigation system with various attachments that are available in the kit or bought separately. Therefore, using drip irrigation to water your garden is not only an environmentally friendly option, but also a smart one.
Backes Landscaping is a full-service landscaper in Fort Collins offering landscape design services. Please give us a call for your landscaping needs at (970) 222-1730. Our professional landscapers install water features, retaining walls, xeriscaping, hardscaping, firepits, sprinklers, and offer Commercial Landscaping Services.
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