Content
- This is how the irrigation works via a rain barrel and without a pump
- Gravity replaces the pump
- How to build a drip irrigation yourself
- Tips
Thanks to gravity, drip irrigation can be achieved even without a pump
This is how the irrigation works via a rain barrel and without a pump
If you have a large garden, you do not want to constantly run back and forth with the watering can. Fortunately, a practicable irrigation system can be built with little effort - you only need a rain barrel and a standard garden hose for this purpose. Thanks to the resulting drip irrigation, the beds of useful and ornamental plants are always well supplied even during short absences.
Gravity replaces the pump
Many commercially available systems work with small submersible pumps because the water from the tank does not reach the vegetable bed without pressure. However, if there is no power connection in the garden, such pumps can not work - and solar-powered specimens are extremely unreliable, pump them only when the sun is shining from the sky. Instead, you can also take advantage of gravity, which carries the water all by itself to the beds. How it works? Quite simply, you just have to bring the water tank, in this case the rain barrel, to a higher level than the beds. For enough pressure to irrigate, lift the barrel onto a pedestal 50 to 100 centimeters high.
How to build a drip irrigation yourself
For the self-built irrigation system, it is best to choose a larger rain barrel with a capacity of at least 1000 to 1500 liters, which has a connection for the garden hose in the lower area:
If the rain barrel does not have a hose connection, you can also hang the garden hose over the top of the water. In this case, only make sure that the hose opening is on the floor and does not bob somewhere in the middle or even high on the edge of the drum - if the water level drops, the opening is suddenly out of the water and the hose can not get any water transport more to the bed. At best, secure the end of the hose so that it can not slip or even slip out.
Tips
For an irrigation system, you can use not only electricity but also solar or battery powered pumps.