Warm Land Irrigation Blog

When you water with a hose or an overhead sprinkler, water is immediately lost through evaporation from plant surfaces, through surface runoff, and by falling in areas that don’t need water, such as the sidewalk, path or between the plants.

A more efficient method is a micro-irrigation system that will water all or any part of your landscape, including trees and shrubs, patio container gardens, and flower gardens, and yes even lawns. For vegetable gardens it just doesn’t get any better!

Studies show that well-designed micro-irrigation systems use at least 40%, and in some cases 70% less water than other methods of watering. Also called “trickle” or “drip” irrigation, micro-systems deliver water directly to the root zone of a plant, where it seeps slowly into the soil. Almost no water is lost through surface runoff or evaporation, and soil particles have plenty of opportunity to absorb and hold water for plants. It also means very few nutrients leach down beyond the reach of plant roots.

Plants watered with micro-systems grow more quickly and are more productive, because they have all the water they need and their growth isn’t slowed by water stress.  These systems also keep water off the foliage, which helps prevent some foliage diseases such as powdery mildew. And, since drip irrigation delivers water directly to the plants you want to grow, the soil surface between plants remains drier, discouraging weed growth.

All these benefits add up to the fact that drip irrigation systems can save a great deal of water – and money in terms of reduced water bills. For this reason micro-irrigation is exempt from all watering restrictions in the Capital Region.

For busy gardeners, the main benefit of installing a drip irrigation system is the savings of both time and effort with the elimination of dragging hoses and sprinklers around.

Warm Land Irrigation is a Cobble Hill company designing and installing micro-watering systems. We started by installing systems for family and friends who saw our watering system and asked if they could have the same in their garden. In 2009 we opened to the public and now have many happy customers from Mill Bay to Nanaimo.

Tags: conservation, hose, micro irrigation, sprinkler, water

This entry was posted on March 22, 2011 at 11:43 am and is filed under Water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.