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It will not be possible to grow a good crop in a summer cottage without arranging irrigation. Not every summer is rainy, and if you have a greenhouse, artificial irrigation is indispensable. However, it is very difficult to perform this procedure manually every day. The way out of the situation is an automatic watering system, which is quite simple to make with your own hands.
The relevance of automatic watering of the summer cottage and greenhouses
For growing different crops in the garden, in the garden or in the greenhouse, it is necessary to organize an artificial irrigation system. The quantity and quality of the future harvest depends on the right technology chosen. There are 3 types of automatic irrigation available for making in the country with your own hands: subsoil, drip and sprinkling. Each of the presented options is suitable for irrigation of open ground and greenhouse soil.
Automatic watering simplifies the daily laborious process of caring for crops for the person himself. The system will automatically supply the required amount of water, evenly distributing it under the root of each plant. The smartest is the automatic watering system with a programmable timer. This device, working in conjunction with sensors, is responsible for supplying a certain amount of water at a given time. Thanks to this work, the possibility of waterlogging of the soil is excluded. For any of the selected automatic irrigation systems, you will need a pump, a tank, a source of water intake and, of course, pipes, taps and filters.
The entire irrigation system can be bought ready-made in the store, and at home it remains only to assemble it. However, as practice shows, cheap automatic watering systems quickly fail, and not everyone can afford expensive ones. Many summer residents prefer to make their own automatic watering for a greenhouse or garden on their own from purchased components. So, they say cheaper and more reliable.
Three types of do-it-yourself automatic watering
Each owner can make automatic watering of a greenhouse or summer cottage. Probably the most difficult thing here will be the connection of the electrical circuit, consisting of sensors and a controller. Usually, automation sold in a kit comes with a diagram for its installation. In extreme cases, you can turn to a qualified electrician for help, but you can assemble the automatic watering pipe system yourself.
Drip irrigation system
When making automatic watering in a greenhouse, it is best to give preference to a drip system. It is also the best option for open beds with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage. In a drip irrigation system, a certain portion of water is supplied directly under the root of the plant. This method eliminates sunburn of the leaves, as water drops act like a magnifying glass. There will be less weeds growing on the site, plus water savings.
The drip irrigation system is able to work from the central water supply, but in this case, cold water will get under the root of the plant.
Many heat-loving crops slow down their growth from this. The best option is a barrel or any plastic container. Water in the sun in it will heat up and be warmly supplied to the roots of the plant. As the water decreases, the pumping station from the well will pump water into the barrel or, under pressure, the liquid will flow from the central water supply. A plumbing float installed inside the barrel with a built-in valve will help automate the process of pumping water.
The drip irrigation manufacturing process consists of the following steps:
- If the greenhouse is heated, and plants are grown in it even in winter, then the barrel must be installed inside, otherwise the water will freeze from frost outside. For cold film greenhouses with spring crops or open beds, an outdoor container installation is suitable. In any case, the automatic watering barrel must rise above ground level by at least 1 m to create a gravity flow of water.
- At the lowest point of the water tank, a hole is cut where a ball valve, filter and solenoid valve are successively attached. The latter is needed to automate the automatic watering process, and the filter will purify the water from impurities so that the droppers do not clog.
- A plastic pipe of the main branch of the irrigation system is connected to the solenoid valve using an adapter. The diameter of the pipe depends on the area being watered, but usually 32–40 mm is sufficient. Lay the main branch of automatic watering between all the beds perpendicular to the rows with growing plants. The end of the pipeline is closed with a plug.
- Opposite each row, the pipe is cut with a hacksaw, and then it is connected again with special fittings – tees. PVC pipes of a smaller cross section are connected to the central hole of each tee, but holes are first drilled in them in front of each plant. If desired, you can buy a perforated hose for automatic watering, however, its service life is slightly shorter.
- To prevent water from flowing from the drilled holes without stopping, you will have to buy droppers. They are screwed into each hole and are not placed down to the soil, but on their side or up to avoid clogging. It is not necessary to insert a dropper into the factory perforated hose. A special capillary labyrinth is already provided inside it.
The irrigation system is ready to go. It remains to install the soil moisture sensors and, together with the solenoid valve, connect to the controller.
The video talks about making do-it-yourself drip irrigation in a greenhouse:
Production of rain automatic watering
Sprinkler irrigation is most often used in the garden for watering lawns or in large vegetable gardens. Sometimes such an irrigation system is justified in a greenhouse when growing crops that love a humid microclimate, such as cucumbers. When sprinkling, water dispersed by sprinklers falls not only under the root of the plant, but also on its above-ground part. You can independently make a sprinkling system using the above-ground or air method.
If the automatic irrigation system will work from a barrel, as provided for in drip irrigation, you will have to install a pump after the ball valve leaving the tank at the bottom. The controller will also manage its work.
Overground automatic watering
The manufacturing process of the overground sprinkler system is similar to drip irrigation, only the entire plastic pipeline must be buried in the ground. Sprinklers are attached to the branches instead of droppers. These are special nozzles designed to spray water. In the final, you should get the entire automatic irrigation system buried in the ground. Only the spray head is on the soil surface.
Making an air sprinkler system in a greenhouse
The air irrigation system allows you to create the effect of rain inside the greenhouse. It is made in the same way as an overground or drip system, only all pipes are on the surface. The main auto-irrigation line is laid under the ceiling of the greenhouse. From it, small descents of thin PVC tubes are made with sprayers installed at the end. The length of the descent depends on the height of the ceiling and the ease of maintenance at the discretion of the owner.
If the sprinkler system is installed in the garden, air humidity sensors will prevent the system from turning on uselessly during rain.
Production of subsoil automatic irrigation
Subsoil irrigation involves the supply of water directly under the root of the plant. If during surface drip irrigation a wet spot forms around the plant, then with the intrasoil method, the entire bed is dry from above. This big plus eliminates the formation of a crust on the soil, which must be constantly loosened.
Subsoil automatic irrigation is made in the same way as a drip system. The only difference is the side branches. They are made from a porous hose buried in the ground. At a cost, an in-soil automatic irrigation system is cheaper, but its disadvantage is the frequent clogging of the holes in the porous hose.
Drawing up a scheme and the procedure for arranging automatic watering in the country
Before proceeding with the manufacture of automatic irrigation, it is necessary to draw up an accurate diagram of all the nodes of the system, and the passage of the pipeline through the site. When using several central branches, it is desirable to make such a distribution that the water source is located in the middle. This will help create approximately the same pressure in all branches of the pipeline. One of the options for automatic watering schemes can be seen in the photo.
Digging a trench for laying pipes
The underground method of laying an automatic irrigation pipeline on open ground is convenient because there is no need to disassemble the entire system for the winter, plus a pipe lying underground will not interfere with weeding in the garden. The depth of the trench is sufficient 400–600 mm. When backfilling, the plastic pipe is first sprinkled with a little sand or soft soil so that stones do not hit.
System installation
Connection of PVC pipes is carried out with special fittings. This is a kind of clamping device, made in the form of tees, turns and other elements. The pipe is cut into pieces according to the scheme, after which connections are made. Depending on the chosen automatic watering system, sprayers or droppers are attached to the branches.
The last connection is made by the central branch of the pipeline to the pump. Backfilling of the trench is carried out only after a successful test of the automatic irrigation system for performance.
Important! Each pump is designed for a certain volume of water pumping. This indicator should be several units greater than the total flow rate from all sprayers or droppers, otherwise there will be a weak pressure at the end points of the automatic irrigation system.
Now it’s time to connect the pump to the tank. Using adapters, the input of the unit is connected to a chain of a ball valve and an electromagnetic valve already assembled on the barrel. Water supply to the tank is provided in a more convenient way. It can be a water supply system, a well, you can even pump it from a nearby reservoir. To adjust the water level inside the tank, a float with a valve is mounted.
In the final, it remains to assemble the entire electrical circuit from the sensors, the controller, the pump and the solenoid valve.
The video tells about the installation of automatic watering in the country:
As you can see, automatic watering in the country can be made by hand without problems. Of course, a little work will have to be applied, but the convenience of its use will be noticeable.
Reviews of summer residents about automatic watering
The first experience in the manufacture of sprinkling was acquired on earnings. Last year I made automatic watering in my garden and in the flower beds near the house. With the beginning of spring, I plan to extend drip irrigation to the beds in the garden. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.