The Many Ways to Irrigate

For Content

There are a wide variety of ways to irrigate, so here are the basics of the most popular methods. If you would like to try any of these systems, ask for help from companies like MJs Lawn Care & Lawnscape Inc.

Border: A slightly more controlled version of flood irrigation, border irrigation uses walls around the area to be irrigated to guide natural waters. This results in a less chaotic method of irrigation that still requires relatively little effort, most of which does not require expensive tools.

Bubbler: The main benefit of bubbler systems is that they are more versatile than most other sprinkler types. They are able to water several levels of vegetation at once, whereas other systems might be unable to penetrate multiple layers. Bubblers can saturate the soil, which allows irrigation all the way down to roots.

Center Pivot: The most readily identifiable feature of center pivot irrigation is that it creates circular patterns of vegetation. The basic idea is that equipment turns in a circle around a central pivot, which results in a circular distribution of water. This is a common choice of farmers for large scale irrigation.

Ditch: One of the oldest forms of irrigation, ditch irrigation involves a drainage ditch to remove excess water from crops. One of the original reasons for their widespread usage is that they are excellent at reducing flood damage. However, improperly maintained drainage ditches can be hazardous to the environment, and must be paid careful attention to.

Drip: An environmentally-conscious method of irrigation that slowly distributes water directly to the soil via a large array of pipes. It is more expensive to set up than traditional irrigation methods, but costs much less in water over the long term.

Flood: A simple method of irrigation that relies on unrestricted flow of natural water to irrigate plants. This is generally a bad idea in areas that suffer from severe floods, but can be quite useful otherwise, since it requires very little effort on your part.

Soaker: Used to water very dense vegetation, soaker sprinklers are generally composed of an attachment placed on another type of sprinkler system

Sub-surface: A somewhat rarer form of irrigation that distributes water to the roots of crops via pipes below the soil. This method requires a significant amount of labor to install all of the necessary equipment, so it is not particularly common in the modern day.

Terraced: A form of irrigation that requires a great deal of manual labor to function. Terraced irrigation uses gravity to draw water down a staircase of flora, and is considered to be quite aesthetically pleasing.


Share

2017©