Imagine if you could grow healthy plants or crops with very little water and effort. Drip irrigation does just that. It has been proven to be one of the most efficient ways to deliver nutrients and water to the plants and crops in your garden.
That doesn’t mean that it just delivers water to the plants randomly. In fact, a calculated amount of water is delivered at the right time to the plants.
Drip irrigation revolutionized agriculture in Isreal. where there is a water shortage. And the soil there was considered to be unfit for agriculture.
For home Gardeners in India, Elitech Drip has introduced easy to install Automatic plant watering kit. It makes gardening a lot easier, providing you the whole equipment necessary to get you started on your way to a healthier and more efficient garden. Learn about components of home drip irrigation
Contents
History of Drip Irrigation
It is believed that drip irrigation was originally introduced by a man named Simcha Blass from Poland. Simcha was an engineer and also the founder of a water company in Israel called Mekorot. There was a farmer who drew his attention at that time when he saw a large tree growing without water. Curious to see how this happened he dug up and was surprised to find a pipe coupler that happened to be leaking water. Simcha was pleasantly surprised by this.
After this incident, in the year 1948, he bought all the pipes from England, which were used to extinguish fires, and started working on his water system. He supplied it to Israel and many Arab countries as well. These old pipes were then used to channel water for agriculture use. After the year 1950, he and his son opened their own company and pursued their idea of commercial drip irrigation.
His main idea was to supply water but in a steady and controlled way using an emitter and also using friction to cause a steady drip. He also patented his idea as the first practical drip emitter. Soon after this both father and son opened their branches in Israel and also abroad making a company named Netafirm as the first drip irrigation company.
How it works
In drip irrigation, an adequate amount of water is sent to the plant or tree at the right time intervals. Here, water is delivered through a medium of pipes which are called dripper lines. These lines also have some smaller units under them called drippers.
Every dripper literally “drips” water as drops and also fertilizers. This results in better growth of the plants through efficient handling of water and nutrients. Plus, the water is directly fed to the roots, hence wastage is very minimum.
Drippers control the flow of water. They come in various flow rate like 2 litre/hour, 4 litre/hour and 8 litre/hour. One can mix and match these drippers according to the water requirement of the plant. Advantages of Drip Irrigation
Why drip irrigation?
The simple and also main reason for choosing drip irrigation is that it doesn’t just give you a better return on investment but also makes the entire plant watering process simple to operate and handle at the same time.
Drip irrigation gives higher yield not just in quantity but also in quality.
Large amounts of water is saved as there would be no wastage due to seepage or by irrigating unwanted portion of land. Evaporation of the water is also considerably reduced since the source has no exposure to sunlight.
The water is also distributed appropriately based on the soil type.
Weed growth around the plant is also reduced as the area around the plants does not get enough water. Making it difficult for weeds to survive.
The best part about using drip irrigation kits like the ones at Elitech Drip is that one can make the garden or crop field self-reliant. You can be away on vacation and drip irrigation system will ensure that your plants get timely water.
Precise delivery of Nutrients
Similar to humans, even plants would like to have good nutrients and water from time to time, but surely in a balanced way. If you were to be asked to eat a whole month’s worth of food in a single day, it is in all probability that we would die of exhaustion. The case is the same for plants.
This is why the drip irrigation method should be preferred over any other method. Water and nutrients are fed to the plant in a balanced, well-ordered way, and not just overloaded on a whim. Even the doses of water are calculated and sent in decent order. There is no aeration of soil or even saturation. The salinity of the plant is also controlled and maintained and protected from the various types of fungal diseases.
Why the world needs to adopt drip irrigation
Let’s face facts. We all know where the world is headed right now. It’s not looking good for humans, especially with how we’re destroying our sources of land and water. According to research, by the year 2050, there will likely be a huge water scarcity in the entire world.
Drip irrigation might be one of several different approaches to solving water crises. When adequate water is available to plants, they help in reducing air pollution, thereby solving the issue of depleting the ozone layer, leading to a decrease in global warming. A decrease in the levels of heat in the atmosphere will bring more rain, and in turn, more water.
Drip irrigation is said to be one of the most helpful irrigation methods in the agriculture industry, helping people save a lot of energy and work, all while being cost as well as water-efficient.
A small shift in our practices can help the environment in a drastic way. So the next time you’re pondering on whether or not to purchase a drip irrigation kit from sites like Elitech Drip, it would certainly help to know that one drip irrigation kit can potentially be the difference between the survival of this planet.