Anyone used Drip Irrigation?

I've been looking at Drip Irrigation (as I have done numerous times in the past ... this time I'm going to Buy & Install though)

I'm completely bamboozled by the range of drippers and have not managed to find any internet sites that explain when one would be better than another.

Anyone any ideas or feedback from having tried it?

Otherwise I'm going to buy 10 of each and have to work it out by trial and error.

I understand that they have a flow rate, so I can choose 2L per hour, or 4L/h - or adjustable (or fit multiple drippers per-plant if I want even more water). My confusion is the types:



1) Antelco Ceta Pressure Compensated Dripper
2, 4 or 8 litre per hour Pressure compensated drippers with 4mm barbed inlet and outlet
Easily dismantled for cleaning
Self flushing action
Colour coded for easy identification



2) 2 or 4 litre per hour pressure compensated drippers. 4mm Barbed inlet and outlet.
Fit directly into LDPE pipe or onto Micro Tubing. Use as end dripper for Tee Dripper or 4mm inline dripper
Large barbe is inlet.
Ideal for baskets and pots



3) Netafim Dripper 2 or 4 litres per hour
pressure compensated dripper with barbed connections for Micro Tubing
Compatible with hozelock micro irrigation Drip systems



4) Techflow Tee Dripper 2 or 4 litres per hour
2 or 4 litre per hour pressure compensated dripper with barbed connections for Micro Tubing
Compatible with hozelock micro irrigation Drip systems
This dripper is ideal for small systems with just a few pots or hanging baskets



5)



6) Toro NGE pressure compensated non drain Dripper
2, 4 or 8 litre per hour
Use 4 or 8 lph with 4 way spider
This dripper is usually sold with the 2 or 4 way spider to give more than one outlet from one dripper connection.
Use 4 or 8 lph with 4 way spider



7) Economical and precise watering of individual plants and trees with stable positioning of emitters in tubing or with spike.
FEATURES
• Take apart for servicing.
• Barb model for direct insertion into tubing.
• Spike model to extend Midi Drip emitter from the main supply line.
APPLICATIONS
Suitable for shrubs and flowers, fruit trees, vines and tomatoes in a wide range of situations from home gardens to large scale nurseries.
Output 4 litres per hour at 1 bar
Will work on gravity systems



Information from City Irrigation

I think 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are barbed at both ends, so can be plugged direct into the main distribution pipe, and a short length of micro-bore pipe connected to get the "drip" to the actual plant, otherwise if it is close enough to the plant then the second barbed end is the direct outlet

The only useful end-user info I found suggested this was a bad idea to just save a few pennies on a "plug" to connect main distribution pipe to a piece of micro bore and then put the dripper on the end of that.

I have also read that the "bigger" ones are either self cleaning, or easier to clean (once they get scaled up) than the "flag" type (7)

This picture illustrates all the aspects:



A = Daisy-chained drippers like (5)
B & E = drippers installed directly in distribution line
D = Flag type (7) - but the dippers of type 1-4 or 6 could be installed on the end of the micro-bore tube [in place of the "flag"]

 

Can I ask, why drip and not soaker hose?

 

I don't think Soaker hose is permitted under the hosepipe ban.

I have leaky hose on my newly planted hedges (so that won't be permitted either, but I plan to water that from water butts). For my "border plantings" the plants are hither-and-thither rather than in a row, and dripper will be better to get each individual one watered. I'm also thinking of "wiring in" the Tubs and Urns etc.

 

I have a client who has a Japanese style garden with loads of pots and a few plants which are planted into the ground

she has a system that looks similar to the midi dripper .... this is connected to a manifold and battery operated computer/timer by hozelock

prob with these is that you have to constantly check the nozzles, as they sometimes block up .... and you need to physically check each one when the system operates

she does have filters installed aswell

if soaker hose/leaky hose is allowed, that would be a better option ... if not, then the drip system will be the only other option

 

I'm glad its not just me!

"My biggest issue is with having to have the piping cut to a specific length to fit between locations"

My project is for a planted shrubbery, so "static", but I would quite like it for the pots in the greenhouse. I think it would work OK, just have a "multiway" connection point where, say, a dozen spaghetti pipes come off, each with a dripper, and on a foot or two of spaghetti pipe, and then they will stretch far enough to the nearest pot. I've seen them done like that in plant nurseries - an armful of spaghetti with drippers suspended in a bundle when not in use. Then just have some inline taps so that sections of the main pipe can be turned off when parts of the greenhouse are not in use. I think I'd get much more even growth with more controlled watering - compared to me just slopping it about!

" if you move them about in the greenhouse like I do then you're forever buying new pipe!"

There's a bit of plastic called a "goof plug" that will fill in a hole made [for a dripper] that you no longer need. Rather than making a side branch with, say, a foot of spaghetti pipe I would be more inclinded to do two feet - thus providing more flexibility in the future. But I won't know if it works until I've tried it fro a season.

I'm more worried about the thing clogging up from our hard water, but if that was really significant problem I think I'd be reading about it more often. And hopefully I'll be able to catch enough rainwater to use that, rather than the mains which is all from groundwater here, rather than rivers / reservoirs.

"Have you thought about installing a timed spray head instead? (Only if this is for use in greenhouse of course)"

Won't help me for the shrubbery, as you say , but I have often thought in the past, on hot Summers days, that that was exactly what was needed. If I had plumbed in some drippers putting some cooling mist sprayers in too would be easy and effective. I don't think it would replace watering though, would it?

On that subject I'd love to have a proper mist propagating bench ... always seem very expensive whenever I look at them :(

 

check this link ... lots of useful info:
http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/dripguide.htm

 

Excellent! Far better than anything I managed to turn up on Google, many thanks.

There is a link on that page to a description of the different types of irrigation drippers / irrigation emitters, but for reference the direct link is:
http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/drip-emitter.htm

 

What's you definition of "drip hose" in this context Loofah? I see many thing with all sorts of name variations, so just wanted to be sure I was on the right wavelength Thanks.

 

Your terminology was fine just that I've seen many variations and wanted to be sure I was on the same wavelength ...

The problem I perceive with that type of hose (for my shrubbery) is that the water comes out along the whole length of the hose, and most of my shrubs are a metre, or two, apart ... so it would water quite a lot of unused bround between the plants, as well as the plants themselves.

I have got that type of "leaky hose" along my new hedges though.

Let me know if I've misunderstood thought please.

 

you can join normal hose to the perforated hose using the standard connections

you can have several seperate runs that are connected to a hozecock timer and manifold ... you will be able to water only the areas you target, and the bonus is that you can see it in action (it also does not clog as easy as the drip nozzles)

you don't need the timer if you are prepared to water manually

here is a pic of the manifold/timer: (there are larger manifolds with more outlets, but even that is not needed, as you can have the seperate hoses laying loose near the tap, then just connect the line to the tap that you wish to use)