Introduction to Irrigation
When it comes on planting something, either a full scale plants for commercial usage or just a simple gardening to make the house looks nicer and spending the free time wisely, watering is one of the important agenda that needs to be taken care off. Watering or irrigation is important to ensure the survival of a plant and watering it is not just a regular intervals. Many have been mistaken on what watering a plant is all about.
Plant, just like human and any other living creature on earth, needs water but the amount of water that plant needs is not the same. In fact, each species of plants need a different water level in order to survive. Generally, plants should be watered adequately as and when necessary and not just a regular intervals. During the wet season, it may not be necessary at all to provide irrigation. Shrubs and ground covers need more frequent watering than the usual species and therefore a little knowledge is important when it comes to watering.
Watering stabilized plants thus sufficient water must be given in order for the water to penetrate into the
root level and below. It is important to note that one deep soaking at an interval is far better than frequent sprinkling. Sprinkling of water will result in the growth of a shallow root system and this method preferred better on commercial plants where it becomes easy to take off from its root and transported somewhere else. Sprinkling is also suitable for carpet grass, as its root is not advisable to go deep in order to ensure the even layer of grass all over the field. Shortage of water in the soil will result in wilting and defoliation and ultimately the death of the plant.
Watering can is carried out by hand, using a watering can or hose or water tanker, depending on the scale of the operation. To save time and labor, especially on the commercial sector, it is advisable to use sprinklers and permanently-installed irrigation systems. However, it must be remembered that there is no substitute for human judgment and constant supervision of a plant’s water needs. Automatic watering system that operates without regard for plant needs can flood and damage the growing area.
In automatic watering system, there are two most commonly used irrigation system which is the sprinkler system and trickle system. In sprinkler system, the water can be sprayed either from a fixed jet or from a rotary spray, throwing water over a large area. This system may be manually or automatically controlled. The trickle system does things automatically. The trickle valves fitted with a control device allow controlled amount of water to flow directly on to the top of the root zone of the plant.