Drip Irrigation

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Simple Concepts in Irrigation
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Irrigation Conservation is Needed

• Households with in ground spinkler systems use
  35 more water outdoors (AWWA)
• Households with automatic timers use 47 more
  water outdoors (AWWA)

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Mechanical Controler

• Easy to set
• Must manually turn on timer
• Automatic shutoff

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Battery Operated
In-line
Hose end
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Automatic Timer

• More difficult to set
• Automatically turns irrigation on
• Automatic shutoff

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Underground Valves
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Irrigation Scheduling

• Know the rules in your area
• Schedule for conservation

What days? What hours?
Stay out of trouble
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Check your Ordinances Backflow Prevention may be
required to prevent your irrigation system from
contaminating water supplies
Watts.com
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How much water?

• Rule of thumb
• Shrubs up to once a week - apply one gallon of
  water per foot of plant height
• Lawns up to once a week -
• up to one inch per application
• Trees up to once a week
• one inch of water under entire
• canopy

Its best to water infrequently, deep and early
in the morning
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How do I know how long I need to irrigate?
Set out tuna cans or rain gauges randomly
throughout your lawn

Measure how much water was applied and calculate
how long it will take to apply the water you need
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Check Uniformity of Application
Set out tuna cans or rain gauges randomly
throughout your lawn
Individually turn on each irrigation zone for 15
minutes. check to be sure irrigation is uniform
adjust heads if irrigation isnt uniform
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Hit the target
Check for leaks
Dont water the pavement
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Reduce irrigation when demand is low
Evaporative Water Loss - Inches
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Rain Cutoff
Install an automatic rain cutoff device
Dont water in the rain!!!
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Moisture Meter
Another option for improved conservation
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Spray Irrigation
Used to irrigate large uniform areas
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Convert to Drip Irrigation
Conserve by watering individual plants
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Drip System
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Drip Irrigation Retrofit Kits
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Pressure Regulator
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Filter
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Check your Water Supply
Flow Rate (gallons per hour)
(Bucket size in gallons / Seconds to fill)
3600 seconds per hr. .75
Example 5 gallon bucket took 30 seconds to
fill 5 / 30 x 3600 x .75 450 gallons per hour
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Pipes and fittings
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Emitters

• - Many shapes and styles
• Flow rate 0.5 10 gal./hr
• Pressure compensating
• Do not mix drip with micro spray

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Layout
Example
300 mature plants (4 feet tall)
- Plant requirement 4 gallons
- Total requirement 300 x 4 1200 gallons
- Supply 450 gallons per hour
Possible Solutions

• One zone, ½ ghp emitters for 8 hours (150 gph)
• One zone, 1gph emitters for 4 hours (300 gph)
• Two zones 2 ghp emitters for 2 hours (300 gph)