Irrigation system for garden and balcony: This works best

Tips & Tricks
Water march! This is how you water your garden and vegetable patches smartly and precisely

Water is precious per se. If it becomes scarce, even hobby gardeners should use it as sparingly as possible. In a dry summer like this, irrigation systems can help ensure efficient watering. What are they and how do they work.

Do you already know the saying: “If a field and garden are to thrive, then it needs sunshine in June”. Most hobby gardeners don’t find this banal farming rule funny at all. Because there will be plenty of sun in June 2023. But the rain that is at least as important and urgently needed prefers to splash down in the Mediterranean region. In large parts of northern Germany not a single drop of rain fell from the sky until mid-June. In May 2022, Hamburg was still there with 60 liters of precipitation per square meter. 2023 came loud extra with difficulty 23 liters together. Many water tanks and rain barrels are empty. In many places, the once lush green lawn has long since resembled a bone-dry, brown stubble meadow. Midsummer hasn’t even started yet. So good advice is expensive if you don’t want the vegetables you’ve worked hard to die of thirst. The solution: tap water.

But because the water from the tap is becoming more and more precious (and therefore more expensive), we should use it efficiently and as sparingly as possible. And this is where automatic irrigation systems come into play. In the following article you can read about which ones are best suited for the garden, balcony, hedges, raised bed or lawn and how tomatoes and the like can be reliably supplied even without a power or water connection.

Irrigation system for balconies and terraces: every drop counts

The plants on the balcony and terrace are left to their own devices, especially during the holiday season. If the watering can doesn’t stop by for two weeks or longer, the flowers in the boxes droop sadly. Even the balcony vegetables do not survive a longer watering-free period. This is exactly what the so-called drip irrigation was invented for. The simple idea: A small pump feeds various hoses with water from a bucket or canister. At the ends of these, water is released drop by drop into balcony boxes, tubs or small raised beds at selectable intervals. With the AquaBloom Set by Gardena up to 20 plants can be supplied with water at the same time. Aside from the three rechargeable batteries in the solar panel (included), the sun keeps the system working. Because the control unit was equipped with a solar panel that supplies the pump with energy. And that should be enough to water plants at a height of four meters.

Irrigate the lawn in the garden: These systems are suitable

One thing first: Watering larger lawns, whether private, in parks or football stadiums, should always be the very last option. Distributing thousands of liters of drinking water on meadows so that the stalks sprout accurately and the lawn does not dry out can only be the exception. As a rule, meadows in our latitudes cope very well with natural precipitation. The stalks are undemanding and adapt to seasonal fluctuations. Nevertheless, it can be useful in longer dry periods to help with water from the rain barrel or the pipe. Depending on the size of the green, there are lawn sprinkler on, which via the garden hose (e.g 20 meters from Gardena) can be linked to a time switch. This has two advantages: On the one hand, the “rainy season” can be specifically programmed so that the meadow is supplied with cool water even if you are away for a long time. Secondly, the amount of water actually required can be calculated with such so-called irrigation computers set very precisely.

Probably the smartest solution to install automatic sprinkler systems in the garden are pop-up sprinklers. They are not placed on the lawn, but placed under the turf. It’s worth thinking about, especially when the lawn is being re-laid because the recessed sprinklers on a underground pipe system have to be connected. For smaller gardens and venerable lawns, this time-consuming and energy-consuming effort is not really worth it.

Irrigation system for vegetable beds: this is how it works best

In order to maneuver the home-grown vegetables through dry summer weeks, neither underground irrigation systems nor those that only let the water trickle drop by drop into balcony boxes help. A pipe system is still useful because the plants in the beds and raised beds can be watered even more precisely. Instead of being underground, the lines are in this case irrigation system but transferred above ground. Instead of using drip hoses, the water is distributed over the flower or vegetable beds using a spray nozzle. This solution is also conceivable for greenhouses. The Irrigation system from Elgo is suitable for areas from 5 to 8 m².

And this is how it works: First, the flexible connecting pipe has to be cut to size according to the size of the beds or the greenhouse. Then place the spray nozzles in the corners and other places as needed. How far is sprayed can usually be regulated via small valves. The height of the spray nozzles can usually be adjusted to the growth height of the plants. If you don’t have neighbors who are willing to water, it is best to couple this irrigation system with a control unit. This not only saves time, but also water. These are sufficient for trying out on a small area Small Area Nozzles with a range between ten and 40 centimeters. They are compatible with a 13 millimeter thick connecting pipe.

Irrigation system for indoor plants: small but mighty

During the holiday season, indoor plants in particular often have to go for several days without water. That doesn’t have to be the case either. Small systems that can be controlled via app supply Yucca & Co. with water and nutrients during their vacation. The sets usually consist of a small water tank, a control unit with an integrated water pump and some hoses that are routed to the plant pots. The systems are powered by batteries (e.g. from Rainpoint) or small solar panels.

Sources:extra

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