water Drip Irrigation?!?!

Cayennemist

Cayennemist

Anyone one here use drip irrigation?
 
So I'm plotting out my new grow area and I think I'm going to run drip lines. We have good well water and lots of pressure with some inconsistent pressure drops. The outside water is before the house pressure tank so I think the pressure changes are just the well kicking on and off.
I plan to put this system on a timer.
 
1.  I live on a hill and can put a reservoir tank at the top of the hill and let gravity feed the drip lines for constant pressure, I think?!? Does it even matter?
If I did put a reservoir at the top, theoretically i could add stuff to the water.
 
2.  Im trying to get an idea of required flow per plant in GPM. Based on temp I expect a range. What GPM:Time aka total gallons are needed? (ballpark)
This effects what GPM of drippers to get.
 
3.   What style is best for peppers or does it even matter? Dripper, bubbler, sprayer. I assume anything that sprays the leaves is bad for fungus and stuff.
 
4.   They have pressure regulating ones, will that help with my pressure dip issue?
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Drip irrigation works great . 
I use a reservoir tank with drippers. The tank just makes it easier to make your calculations.
Example; 1000 liter tank , 100 plants , empty after 2 hours , each plant had 10 liters over 2 hours etc.
Easy to work out your timing. I f you want to get fancy , you can add some organic ferts to your tank.
Enjoy playing around.
 
I use it as well, but I am on city water. The systems use pretty low pressure to begin with (I run two circuits on mine with 10 PSI regulators), and like you said, they have pressure compensating emitters, so the input pressure is not all that critical. In the past, I used to use one or two drip emitters per plant (for peppers I used 1/2 gal per hour emitters). I would stay away from sprayers or bubblers. Drippers are better for peppers. Lately I have been transitioning to T-tape, which is not quite as efficient but is easier and cheaper to install.
 
Seems pretty simple to calculate what you need. Figure out how much water you want to give each plant, then set your timer accordingly. I usually run mine for an hour at a stretch, and how many days per week depends on how much rain we get and how hot it is. Usually I water every 3rd day. I cut that back to every other day if it is really hot and dry.
 
karoo said:
Drip irrigation works great . 
I use a reservoir tank with drippers. The tank just makes it easier to make your calculations.
Example; 1000 liter tank , 100 plants , empty after 2 hours , each plant had 10 liters over 2 hours etc.
Easy to work out your timing. I f you want to get fancy , you can add some organic ferts to your tank.
Enjoy playing around.
Click to expand...
Yes! This is what I am thinking. so you have to worry about the heads clogging with ferts? Just make sure it is strained well? I have 200' of 5/8 tube. 
Do you put the heads in the line directly or do you use satellite lines? I know it seems arbitrary, but I'm just getting a feel for how all this works.
 
midwestchilehead said:
I use it as well, but I am on city water. The systems use pretty low pressure to begin with (I run two circuits on mine with 10 PSI regulators), and like you said, they have pressure compensating emitters, so the input pressure is not all that critical. In the past, I used to use one or two drip emitters per plant (for peppers I used 1/2 gal per hour emitters). I would stay away from sprayers or bubblers. Drippers are better for peppers. Lately I have been transitioning to T-tape, which is not quite as efficient but is easier and cheaper to install.
 
Seems pretty simple to calculate what you need. Figure out how much water you want to give each plant, then set your timer accordingly. I usually run mine for an hour at a stretch, and how many days per week depends on how much rain we get and how hot it is. Usually I water every 3rd day. I cut that back to every other day if it is really hot and dry.
Click to expand...
"(for peppers I used 1/2 gal per hour emitters)" This is info exactly what I wanted to know. I'm going to order a bunch tonight!
 
 
THANK YOU GUYS!!!
 
I use drip irrigation and we're on a well also. I use a simple hose timer to switch it on and off.
 
One piece of advice I'll give based on my experience is to make most of your irrigation pipework from 3/4" pipe and only have 1/4" to each plant. When I first started, I did everything in 1/4" and it only worked for the initial few plants and the ones at the end of the run didn't get anything!
 
You can see my setup here - the hose pipe comes in from the top right and you can see the timer hanging on the fence.
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Siv said:
I use drip irrigation and we're on a well also. I use a simple hose timer to switch it on and off.
 
One piece of advice I'll give based on my experience is to make most of your irrigation pipework from 3/4" pipe and only have 1/4" to each plant. When I first started, I did everything in 1/4" and it only worked for the initial few plants and the ones at the end of the run didn't get anything!
 
You can see my setup here - the hose pipe comes in from the top right and you can see the timer hanging on the fence.
 
Click to expand...
 
My main line will be 5/8', but It has high pressure 80% and modest pressure 20% of the time. It should average out fine over the coarse of an hour. I think my well pump kicks off for a few minutes then kicks back on. 
If I'm running 5/8s should be enough? I could make a manifold and have multiple home runs and that should deliver the volume, I think... 
 
Cayennemist said:
 
My main line will be 5/8', but It has high pressure 80% and modest pressure 20% of the time. It should average out fine over the coarse of an hour. I think my well pump kicks off for a few minutes then kicks back on. 
If I'm running 5/8s should be enough? I could make a manifold and have multiple home runs and that should deliver the volume, I think... 
Click to expand...
 
I can't say for sure. From the videos I have watched, the main piping is usually quite chunky so that there is even pressure all along the run. If your runs are short, this is likely not a problem but if you're running 100s of feet then it may be an issue? Having said that these dripper systems are usually quite low pressure. If you're supplying from a mains water supply, you usually add a pressure reducer so that your irrigation run only sees something like 20psi.
 
I would suggest to experiment but the problem with a lot of these fittings is that they're one time use - by that I mean when you punch a hole in the main line and insert the offtake thing, if you try and remove it the thing breaks.
 
Perhaps someone with more experience can comment.
 
Ditto all of the above. I have been using 'drip' irrigation
for about 9 years. I waffle between emitter types. 
 
Under shrubs, the micro sprinklers that have an umbrella
shaped spray.
 
For peppers tomatoes, etc, I have used the emitters that
have 6 little outlet streams rather than a spray. They work
great. Put the emitter close to the trunk, and the soil around
the whole plant gets water. Adjust so the streams don't hit
the trunk. Probably my favorite, although I have used single
'drip' emitters the past two seasons. Why? IHNFI.
 
I have also used 1/4" soaker hose rings. They work great
if you get ones that have a decent flow rate. Found its
better to just a length of soaker with a goof plug in the
end and curve it around the plant so you can remove it
when you want w/o disturbing the plant, rather than a
closed ring.
 
I usually set timers for 2x a day Spring and Fall, 3x here
day when Summer temperatures get above 85-90.
Depending on the time of year, the duration is 3-6 minutes,
10 minutes in the Rose Bed.
 
The main problem I see with the drip emitters is their
inconsistency. Even straight out of the bag, the flow
rates vary quite a bit. PITA. In-line drip emitters are
the worst for this IMO.
 
I just use battery operated programmable timers. DIG
is my favorite brand. I'm running 4 zones in the back
yard, and three in the front yard landscaping. Always
checking and tinkering. Supply hose, tubing and 1/4"
emitter tubing in year-round. The controllers are stored
inside in the Winter with batteries removed. Greatly
increases battery life as well as the life of the unit itself.
 
Okay, probably too much information  :deadhorse:
 
BTW the connectors that connect supply tubing to
emitter tubing can be removed. Grip with a pair of pliers,
and pull straight out. Plug the hole with a "goof plug'. 
That is sufficient to contain my 25 psi system.
 
Might as well add my 2₵.

Different from the others, my experience has been best with micro sprinklers on riser stakes. Covers the whole raised bed. Never had any issues with fungus or mildew or that sort of thing. In my mind, it is the closest thing to a gentle natural rainfall.

1/2" trunk line, 1/4" emitter lines. Sediment(to prevent clogging of the emitters)and chloromine filters at faucet, 5/8" garden hose feeding pressure regulator on trunk line. Digital timer for 1/2 hour a day, before sunrise.
 
alkhall said:
Might as well add my 2₵. Different from the others, my experience has been best with micro sprinklers on riser stakes. Covers the whole raised bed. Never had any issues with fungus or mildew or that sort of thing. In my mind, it is the closest thing to a gentle natural rainfall. 1/2" trunk line, 1/4" emitter lines. Sediment(to prevent clogging of the emitters)and chloromine filters at faucet, 5/8" garden hose feeding pressure regulator on trunk line. Digital timer for 1/2 hour a day, before sunrise.
Click to expand...
I have had issues with fungus in the past, but I was in a humid climate. I am in a much dryer climate now. I will do some testing.
My garden will be next to my horse paddock and it gets really dusty. This may be a good way to clean them off, but it is also a good way to grow weeds...
I also worry about fungus spores in the dust the horses kick up.
 
smokemaster said:
My parents had to stop using drip irrigation because the critters in the summer ate holes in the tubing to get a drink,on a daily basis.
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I am working to enclose my garden, we have abundant numbers of deer in my area so I have to protect my garden anyway. You do raise a concern I haven't thought about. thanks!
 
I do think I will burry the line with mulch as much as possible!
 
I am a licensed plumber and I can tell you so long as you are using a regulator in the drip systems you will not need to worry about the pressure drop from your pump kicking on and off. This is because you're well has a switch that is designed to kick on when it reaches a low enough pressure and it shuts off when it reaches a high enough pressure. The low pressure on your well should be much higher than the regulator for your drip systems therefore there should be no ill effect on it. I do agree with the above statement that using a reservoir tank just makes it much easier on your calculations.
 
peppersproutfarm said:
I am a licensed plumber and I can tell you so long as you are using a regulator in the drip systems you will not need to worry about the pressure drop from your pump kicking on and off. This is because you're well has a switch that is designed to kick on when it reaches a low enough pressure and it shuts off when it reaches a high enough pressure. The low pressure on your well should be much higher than the regulator for your drip systems therefore there should be no ill effect on it. I do agree with the above statement that using a reservoir tank just makes it much easier on your calculations.
Click to expand...
Yes! thank you for your confirmation.
I know a little about that stuff, but its good to here from a pro. I think I'm going to go 3 full sprinkler valves with a system timer. I need to do this anyway for rest of the property.
Some of the system will use misters and sprayers for the other veggies. It will be nice to have 3 zones all with max pressure. This stuff can be done for cheap and its sorta fun so why not.
 
The biggest threat to my garden will be Baseball, I coach Little League and will likely continue for the next 10 years because I have 4 kids ranging from 4-13. It takes a lot of my time, so automation in the garden will help a lot.
 
I have heard about critters eating plastic - especially one of my neighbours who had some kind of ant that ate up the insulation on the wiring for his pool pump!
 
I've never had any problems with critters eating my lines and I have everything from mice to possums roaming around since we're pretty rural. The fence keeps the large animals like deer away. What I do have is squirrels digging up my newly planted seedlings so I make sure they're a decent size before planting out.
 
I think you should get your drip line material from a reputable supplier - the stuff I have from drip depot is pretty hard, it's all above ground and I've not had any problems with it. Perhaps some of the alternatives are made from some kind of biodegradable plastic which may make it seem like food for some critters.
 
Cayennemist said:
Yes! thank you for your confirmation.
I know a little about that stuff, but its good to here from a pro. I think I'm going to go 3 full sprinkler valves with a system timer. I need to do this anyway for rest of the property.
Some of the system will use misters and sprayers for the other veggies. It will be nice to have 3 zones all with max pressure. This stuff can be done for cheap and its sorta fun so why not.
 
The biggest threat to my garden will be Baseball, I coach Little League and will likely continue for the next 10 years because I have 4 kids ranging from 4-13. It takes a lot of my time, so automation in the garden will help a lot.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with a little automation. Mine are three and 15 so I know how time consuming it can be. I'm lucky that they both have interest in growing food. Good luck.
 
I have used many types of irrigation over the years, and what I settle at, was 360 degree sprinklers on riser stakes.  It's just the most versatile, for me.  Once the plants have been out for a while, I prune the bottom leaves off, so the water is all under the drip line.  Using a stagger pattern every 2-3', I can cover every inch of garden that I have.  I'll run those at 10GPM for about 11 minutes, every other day.  Your mileage may vary.
.
I got rid of my irrigation this year, because I re-did my raised beds, and the new media is a lot better for not needing constant water.  Plus, in Florida, it rains every day from June to November, so...
.
Also, remember that using a passive system works quite well, also.  If you can collect rain water in a barrel, or even pump it up a modest height, that works a treat, and may save wear and tear on your pump from having to work against the reducer.  For every 1' of elevation that you increase, you'll get about a .433 PSI increase.  So even at 8-10 feet, you can run passive drippers.  It also becomes as simple as either a manual valve, or a battery operated timer.
 
 
 
For every 1' of elevation that you increase, you'll get about a .433 PSI increase.  So even at 8-10 feet, you can run passive drippers.  It also becomes as simple as either a manual valve, or a battery operated timer.
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Pure Gold!!! This is why I love THP!
I can get 8'
That's the good thing about living on a on a hillside. My well head is is near the top of my property.
 
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