Absolutely Bushed

Drip Irrigation

Ultra efficient and easy to install, drip irrigation systems are ideal for watering pots, beds, and trees. The main goal of any irrigation system is to put water on plants period. How much water exactly is distributed and how efficiently the system runs are the important details to consider.

There are many techniques for distributing water, including crop irrigation, pop-up spray systems commonly used to water lawns, and drip irrigation.

Flood irrigation is often used in areas where water canals flow through the country supplying fields and yards with water that is siphoned out of the canal.

The water is routed onto the desired area in large amounts, to be absorbed into the soil and to the root zone. This is a very effective method that, surprisingly, is not as inefficient as it might first seem.

A typical pop-up spray irrigation system that has too much pressure, causing lots of mist, and with poorly

adjusted heads that throw water onto the sidewalks and into the streets, may actually be less efficient.

Drip irrigation is on the other end of the spectrum. Water, at low pressure, is applied to relatively small areas so that evaporation losses from misting are eliminated, and flooding and runoff to undesired areas are removed. Drip irrigation, simply put, is a method of applying water directly to a target root zone in a controlled manner, limiting losses to evaporation and run off.

Components of a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system include an anti-siphon device to protect drinking water, fittings and also filters to trap small particles of sand and grit that can stop up the small orifices of drip systems.

Do-it-yourself kits for homeowners are available at most garden centers; hardware stores and irrigation supply stores starting at less than $100. These kits include everything needed to set up a simple drip system that hooks up to your hose bib connector: an anti-siphon device, a number of fittings, nozzles, plus a given amount of pipe ( depending on the intended application ). Simple and easy to follow instructions help with installation, which can often be completed in one afternoon. Timers can also be added for ease of operation.

Installing drip irrigation can be fairly simple or quite complex, depending on the area needing coverage. Small, stand alone systems designed simply to water patio pots; beds and trees are ideal for do-it-yourselfers. Larger systems, which are generally added to existing lawn systems, can be installed to water lawns, but these types of systems are best left to the professionals.

Keep in mind that there are several state laws that govern potable community water systems and that it’s sometimes easier and less expensive to hire a professional. Texas requires that anyone servicing or installing irrigation systems for a fee be licensed by the state, and that all systems incorporate a backflow prevention device to protect drinking water from contamination by back siphoning.

Before installing your drip irrigation system, check with your local water provider to determine exactly what type of safety requirements or preventive measures are necessary.

Did You Know??

Anytime a licensed irrigator comes out to your property and finds, during the course of service, that a system is noncompliant with state regulations, he must, by law, bring the system up to grade or disable it. If you have an old irrigation system, chances are revisions will be required to bring your system up to code.

Question:

Jimmie, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, I realize you are very busy.  My question is what can I do to get the most out of my Geraniums? They are beautiful in the spring, but they always run out of gas by summer. Thanks again for your time. 

April P. from Prosper

Answer:

Hi April,

That’s the nature of Geraniums in Texas. They actually perform best when temperatures are consistently between 60 and 85 degrees. That’s why they are so popular in the Midwest and the Northeast. Our best bet in Texas, is really to grow them in pots. Enjoy them from the first warm days of very early spring on into early summer. They’ll bloom riotously. As it turns hot, you can start giving them more shade in the afternoon. Eventually you will have them in enough shade that the flowering will slow or even stop, but perhaps you can nurse them through the summer so they can bloom again once fall arrives. If you plant them in the ground, you lose that portability. Finally there is breeding progress being made toward more heat tolerant types, but there is always ample room for improvement. Until next time………..Happy gardening!!

Jimmie