Water conservation and wise usage is prudent at any level and with gardening, and water shortages in drought years, this becomes a paramount issue to be addressed if we are to have wonderful gardens. Drip, low pressure, micro irrigation, low volume irrigation systems are all names by which this method of watering is known. What is basically means is the most efficient use of water on a lower pressure system. There have been many developments since the beginnings years ago. I will give an overall general overview to help those decide what needs they have and some bit of education so that they will have a pretty good idea of what to ask for when they go shopping for materials.
These irrigation systems greatly reduce water waste and get water to the plant for optimum growth.
There are several features to be aware of when deciding upon a system then setting it up. Pressure compensating emitters help insure that the same flow rate at the beginning of the system is the same as the emitter flow at the end. This promotes an even distribution of water to the entire watered area.
Try to make sure that there is some kind of flushing feature. Self flushing will save a lot of time, while manual flushing operations are good, they need regular maintenance. A check valve will let all the emitters come on at the same time and also prevents low area emitters from draining out giving too much water on that end.
One of the benefits of using these types of irrigation systemsis that it may have benefits to home owners in associations, and also a possible savings in some water districts. Knowing the differences in using a gallons per minute verses a gallons per hour usage in a system has obvious benefits to even the newly introduced and young gardeners. Consider the type of landscape you wish to water. Drought tolerant species and Mediterranean climate species plants afford naturally conserving plant materials, and succulents and cactus provide the benefit of fire deterrance as well. In a more water loving landscape, you can either increase the time of water application, or provide more emitters to those individual plants, while still saving water compared to traditional watering systems. There is much variety in the type of actual water lines to the plants available. Direct from a main line with emitters on that main line is often used, but more common is the smaller tubing(spaghetti lines connected to those larger lines to get water to the plants. There is also micro spray heads which look like miniature versions of pop up sprinkler heads. i.e. full circle, half circle, quarter circle, etc.
A controller valve is usually necessary and typical of low pressure systems, and a backflow preventer is recommended to keep water used in irrigation from flowing back into the drinking water source. Drip irrigation can also be used to water large containers, saving the owner from tedious hours of watering when they could be doing something more enjoyable!
Filters of some kind are recommended since the holes in emitters are typically much smaller than on conventional sprinklers, cloggin up much easier unless a filter is in the system to keep debris out of the water lines and prevent clogging of the emitters.
Installation of a drip system is fast and generally easier than digging trenches for pipes, then installing pop up sprinkler heads. You buy your coil of main lines, perhaps smaller spaghetti lines, emitters, steel staples to hold the lines in place, filters, valves, maybe a controller/timer, and you are about done. Drip flex line is easy to install and maleable to get to where the plants are. And when you run that first test, it is simple to see if all plants got emitters, all the emitters are working(applying water), and then you can cover the small lines with mulch. One innovative tip is to run the main lines a perimeter around structures, the house, fence, etc. that way you know where they are, then run small lines to the plants from that straight line base. Int ime, when mulched, et. covered with sprawling plants, you can find the lines easier and not dig into them by mistake if you are adding new plants.
Those are the basic tips and items to remember when installing any drip system. There are all kinds of options. The rest is a matter of choice! Some people prefer one type of equipment over another. Personal preferences!
