Overview of micro-drip irrigation systems for greenhouses

Description

Maintaining acceptable conditions in the greenhouse by hand is quite troublesome and time-consuming. Therefore, to help gardeners, many devices and devices that facilitate and optimize this work have been created.

One of the important aspects of growing greenhouse plants is soil moisture. You can, of course, without further ado, do it with a good old watering can or irrigate the beds with a spray hose. However, today there is a more optimized method - a micro-drip irrigation system. The essence of microdroplet irrigation is that the entire soil in the greenhouse is not irrigated with water, but moisture is delivered directly to the plant roots in small portions, that is, drops. At the same time, the amount of water is selected for each plant individually, according to its needs.

This humidification system for greenhouses avoids the spread of diseases caused by fungi, since there is no excess moisture and the leaves remain dry. A crust does not form on the surface of the soil, therefore, the access of oxygen to the roots does not stop for a moment. Also, fruits rot much less often and much less weeds appear. This watering can be combined with top dressing

In addition, the use of micro-drip irrigation allows you to reduce water consumption by 50% - 70% compared to irrigation of greenhouses by traditional methods. Among other things, for the proper functioning of such a system does not require the provision of a strong pressure of water, which is especially important in the realities existing in our suburban areas.

Manufacturers quite often sell a ready-made set of parts, fixtures and devices for organizing the supply of water to a certain number of plants in a greenhouse. Customers are especially fond of the German Gardena system and the Belarusian AquaDusya. Both the one and the other set provide for the connection of control devices, thanks to which the automatic operation of micro-drip irrigation becomes possible. In this case, irrigation of greenhouses will be carried out at programmed intervals, which allows you to leave plants unattended for a long period.

All Gardena branded drip components are a single Micro-Drip-System, the components of which are interchangeable. That is, if the purchased kit does not contain any device required for organizing watering, you can always take it from another kit or purchase it separately.

The basic set of Gardena Micro-Drip-System includes all the basic accessories and devices for organizing the optimal soil moisture in small greenhouses up to 10 square meters. It contains a 15 m long main hose, a 10 m thinner supply hose and pegs for fixing it, 15 pcs. special droppers for individual irrigation of plants and 6 pcs.water spraying micro nozzles, a set of fittings (connectors, adapters, taps, plugs), a master block for connecting to a water source and a Gardena universal assembly tool.

The Gardena set for larger greenhouses provides the gardener with a 25 meter delivery hose and a set of drippers, which will allow you to organize individual root irrigation for up to 40 plants. Also, if you wish, you can purchase and install additional droppers on the main hose or a universal dispenser for feeding plants in a greenhouse.

Thanks to Gardena's patented special Quick & Easy technology, all components can be connected into a single irrigation line and disassembled quite quickly. A versatile tool with a durable metal blade for punching holes in the main hose helps to connect the droppers and micro nozzles. An additional timer setting allows you to organize irrigation in the greenhouse in an autonomous mode.

Micro-drip irrigation system AquaDusya consists of 80 pcs. droppers for the batch supply of water to plants in the greenhouse, main and supply hoses, which are cut into pieces of the required length, a set of fittings (tee connectors), holders for hoses, a pump unit that supplies water from a container and a control controller.

Unlike the Gardena Micro-Drip-System, the AquaDusya kit does not imply any expansion of functionality due to separate accessories and parts. In contrast to many other systems of this type, AquaDusya provides for a water intake for watering plants in a greenhouse from a reservoir, and not directly from a water supply.

That is, the AquaDusya irrigation system moistens the soil at the roots not with cold, but with warm water, which has a very good effect on the development of plants and the yield obtained in the greenhouse. The selected container will only need to be installed at a height of about one and a half meters above the ground. It should be noted that the pumps included in the kit are not afraid of "dry running" and nothing will happen to them if the water in the tank runs out.

The controller included in the set of AquaDusya components provides automatic water supply from the tank to the greenhouse irrigation line. For the operation of the automation, ordinary batteries are sufficient and no connection to the mains is required.

Video "Micro-drip irrigation from Gardena"

Principle of operation

Since the micro-drip irrigation system is designed to supply a certain amount of moisture directly to the roots of plants, its operation is based on the use of special dosed water supply devices. Basically, these are special droppers that are installed in the root area.

At the same time, the flow rate of the supplied water is regulated individually, that is, each plant in the greenhouse receives its portion when watering. To moisturize especially delicate plants or plants located in close proximity to each other (for example, seedlings), Gardena specialists have developed micro nozzles that spray water over a small area.

Water is supplied to the droppers and micro-nozzles through thin, flexible, pegged feed hoses, which, in turn, are connected to a larger-diameter main hose. Also, the droppers can be screwed directly into the main hose lying between the rows of plants in the greenhouse. Droppers, micro nozzles and hoses combined into a single line are connected to a water source.

The Gardena dripper cuts into the supply hose, that is, it goes before and after it. The number of droppers required on the site at different distances is placed on one hose. The droppers included in the AquaDusya kit are inserted into the end of the hose. Therefore, a separate supply hose is suitable for each plant. They diverge on both sides of the mainline, forming a kind of herringbone.

How the system works as a whole

Gardena developers provide for connection via a master block to a water supply system or special water sockets (hydrants) when located underground in the main pipeline section to provide water supply to various irrigation systems. The master block filters the incoming water and reduces its pressure to an operating value of about 1.5 bar. In addition to it, it is possible to install other devices, thanks to which the automation of greenhouse irrigation is ensured.

The AquaDusya system provides for the supply of water to the main hose for irrigation from a special container. This is done so that the plants are watered not with cold, but with warm water. The work is controlled by the controller. Depending on its model, it is possible to implement a fully automatic mode, when the automation regulates the water supply both to the hoses for irrigating greenhouses and to the barrel from the water supply. Also, the AquaDusya system can work in a semi-automatic mode, when the barrel has to be filled independently.

Video “How the Gardena Irrigation System Works”

To understand the principle of operation and purpose of this system, we advise you to familiarize yourself with this video clip.