Watering Guide for Drip Irrigation · PDF fileWatering Guide for Drip Irrigation More...
1
Watering Guide for Drip Irrigation More xeriscape tips and ideas are online at csu.org. Drip irrigation uses a network of plastic flexible pipes to carry a low flow of water under low pressure to plants. Generally, this pipe is installed at the soil surface and covered with rock or organic mulches. Drip irrigation has many advantages over sprinklers. The application efficiency of a sprinkler is typically about 65 percent. That means 65 percent of the water that leaves the sprinkler nozzle ends up in the soil for potential use by plants; 35 percent is lost by evaporation or wind drift. Drip irrigation is 90 to 95 percent efficient. The 5 to 10 percent water loss comes from evaporation. With a drip system, water is applied right where it’s needed at a slower rate, so it can be absorbed by the soil rather than running off. As with any irrigation system, however, it’s only as efficient as the watering schedule used. If systems are set to water excessively, any system including drip can waste water. Schedule your drip system to run one day a week for the months April, May, September and October; twice a week for the months June through August. Use two start times at least two hours apart if you have heavy clay soil, and a run time of 30 minutes per zone. Total run time is 60 minutes for each drip zone per watering day. • Check drip system twice a month for leaks or prob- lems and make repairs immediately. • Use the guidelines below as a guide, and then check the soil moisture at the rooting depth of the plants the following day. Adjust run times accordingly. Drip irrigation before and after mulching Save water with drip irrigation Point source drip irrigation Inline drip irrigation Scheduling your drip system April May June July August September October 60 min. 1x/week 60 min. 1x/week 60 min. 2x/week 60 min. 2x/week 60 min. 2x/week 60 min. 1x/week 60 min. 1x/week
Transcript of Watering Guide for Drip Irrigation · PDF fileWatering Guide for Drip Irrigation More...
Watering Guide for Drip Irrigation
More xeriscape tips and ideas are online at csu.org.
Drip irrigation uses a network of plastic flexible pipes to carry a low flow of water under low pressure to plants. Generally, this pipe is installed at the soil surface and covered with rock or organic mulches.
Drip irrigation has many advantages over sprinklers. The application efficiency of a sprinkler is typically about 65 percent. That means 65 percent of the water that leaves the sprinkler nozzle ends up in the soil for potential use by plants; 35 percent is lost by evaporation or wind drift. Drip irrigation is 90 to 95 percent efficient. The 5 to 10 percent water loss comes from evaporation. With a drip system, water is applied right where it’s needed at a slower rate, so it can be absorbed by the soil rather than running off. As with any irrigation system, however, it’s only as efficient as the watering schedule used. If systems are set to water excessively, any system including drip can waste water.
Schedule your drip system to run one day a week for the months April, May, September and October; twice a week for the months June through August. Use two start times at least two hours apart if you have heavy clay soil, and a run time of 30 minutes per zone. Total run time is 60 minutes for each drip zone per watering day.
• Check drip system twice a month for leaks or prob-lems and make repairs immediately.
• Use the guidelines below as a guide, and then check the soil moisture at the rooting depth of the plants the following day. Adjust run times accordingly.
Drip irrigation before and after mulching
Save water with drip irrigation
Point source drip irrigation
Inline drip irrigation
Scheduling your drip system
April May June July August September October
60 min.
1x/week
60 min.
1x/week
60 min.
2x/week
60 min.
2x/week
60 min.
2x/week
60 min.
1x/week
60 min.
1x/week
