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Allotment Irrigation System Advice Needed.

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Allotment Irrigation System Advice Needed.

Postby Dean0 » Tue May 28, 2013 7:08 pm

Hiya peeps, here's my problem. I have an allotment with a poly tunnel, but I work full time and cannot get down through the week. I want to set up a gravity fed drip emitter system for the poly tunnel using a large raised water butt with a spigot.
I have looked around at what's on offer and it's just left me scratching my head.
Does anyone have any experience with this type of system? Where should I look for the parts (web address)? What diameter pipe, type of emitters and emitter flow rates should I be using? The produce will be mainly seedlings I am bringing on to plant out, fruits that don't do so well in our climate (melons, grapes etc.), tomatoes, sweet and chilli peppers etc. I reckon on needing around 50-100 emitters with taps to turn them off while not in use.

All and any advice will be gratefully received.

Best regards,

Dean. :thup:
Aye, no bad for a sassenach !
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Re: Allotment Irrigation System Advice Needed.

Postby Triffid » Tue May 28, 2013 7:53 pm

I've used battery powered valves to automatically water my greenhouse in the past and quite honestly I found them a pain-in-the-neck. This includes a watering timers, connected via hosepipe to various micro-valves and sprinklers. It's a good idea in theory, but I found it difficult to ensure all the plants got watered properly and was never convinced it was reliable.

Instead, I've moved to bottom watering systems, with your crops growing in containers that include a large reservoir of water in the bottom, that the plant roots and soil get access to. Make sure there's a vent hole to control the level of water in the reservoir, so that the whole thing doesn't get waterlogged. If the reservoir is big enough, it will easy last a week between waterings. You could use a watering timer to top them up I suppose, which would be a better way of doing things that using the micro-irrigation kits IMO.

If you do buy the watering timers, make dead certain that they are completely drained down if there is any risk of frost.; if they freeze with water inside, they've had it.

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Re: Allotment Irrigation System Advice Needed.

Postby Dean0 » Wed May 29, 2013 7:57 pm

Triffid wrote:I've used battery powered valves to automatically water my greenhouse in the past and quite honestly I found them a pain-in-the-neck. This includes a watering timers, connected via hosepipe to various micro-valves and sprinklers. It's a good idea in theory, but I found it difficult to ensure all the plants got watered properly and was never convinced it was reliable.

Instead, I've moved to bottom watering systems, with your crops growing in containers that include a large reservoir of water in the bottom, that the plant roots and soil get access to. Make sure there's a vent hole to control the level of water in the reservoir, so that the whole thing doesn't get waterlogged. If the reservoir is big enough, it will easy last a week between waterings. You could use a watering timer to top them up I suppose, which would be a better way of doing things that using the micro-irrigation kits IMO.

If you do buy the watering timers, make dead certain that they are completely drained down if there is any risk of frost.; if they freeze with water inside, they've had it.

Triffid

Many thanks Triffid, I really don't know why I didn't consider that.. :? Makes sense and fits with the ethos of KISS (keep it simple stupid). Also will be considerably cheaper and easier to set up. :grin:

Dean.
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