If you have several greenhouses at your summer cottage in which cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetable crops are grown, then you know exactly how much time and effort it takes to care for them. What to do if work and other matters do not allow you to be at the dacha every 2-3 days? How to ensure watering of vegetables in a greenhouse, prevent them from drying out and get a rich harvest? The solution to this problem is a drip irrigation system.
Such a system not only saves time and eliminates the need to visit personal plot every two days, but also provides other benefits. And for those who want to learn more about the benefits of drip irrigation and how to do it themselves, this article has been created.
Drip irrigation refers to a special crop irrigation system in which moisture drops into the ground to the roots of plants grown in a greenhouse. You can organize drip irrigation in the following ways.
- Specialized droppers dug into the soil in the root zone of each individual plant.
In our case, the last option will be considered as the simplest and most inexpensive to manufacture. The creation of such a system will be described in more detail below, but now we will consider the general advantages of all drip irrigation systems.
- Saving water. Compared to a conventional hose or watering can, drip irrigation systems use significantly less liquid with equal or even higher irrigation efficiency.
- Reasonable moisture distribution. By overdoing it with watering the plants with a hose, a summer resident can turn the soil in the greenhouse into a marshy swamp. With drip irrigation this is not possible.
- Save time. Any drip irrigation system - both connected to a water supply and autonomous - requires less maintenance time compared to traditional irrigation methods.
- By delivering water directly to the roots of plants, they growth accelerates, and with such a system the harvest in the greenhouse can be obtained faster. In addition, the roots of vegetables and other crops are not washed away.
- The ground remains mostly dry, air humidity in the greenhouse remains normal. As a result, the likelihood of weeds appearing and diseases developing in plants is reduced.
- Depletion rate reduction and soil erosion.
Advantages and disadvantages of bottled drip irrigation
The structure of such a system is as follows: a plastic bottle with small diameter holes is dug in near each individual plant in the greenhouse. The bottle is filled with water, which seeps through small holes and nourishes the roots of the plants.
Important! Sometimes the bottles are not dug into the ground, but are suspended under the roof of the greenhouse near each individual plant. In such cases, it is important to ensure that most of the moisture does not fall on the leaves, but on the ground, directly at the roots.
The individual advantages of drip irrigation are discussed above, but what are the advantages of the scheme using bottles? They are as follows.
- Cheapness. In fact, the system using plastic bottles is free - the main material for arranging drip irrigation can be found at home or purchased at a nominal price.
- Easy to create. Setting up drip irrigation from plastic bottles does not require any technical knowledge or special skills from you; absolutely anyone can do it.
- Simplifying the care of seedlings and plants in greenhouses– with such an irrigation scheme, there is no need to frequently visit the garden plot. Now you can go on trips for work and other needs, without worrying about the condition of the future harvest.
- With bottles buried in the ground water will not get on leaves or flowers, which means the problem with sunburn of plants is solved.
- Autonomy– unlike other drip irrigation systems, which require a water supply and more or less constant pressure in it, drip irrigation from bottles only requires water itself.
- Available for vegetables, fruits and flowers water has the same temperature as air in a greenhouse, which has a positive effect on the condition and productivity of some crops.
- Easy to repair or dismantle. If for some reason one of the elements of the system fails, then it is very easy to replace it - the bottle is dug out, and a new one is dug in in its place.
But the system also has its drawbacks. The disadvantages of drip irrigation using bottles are presented below.
- The difficulty of creating such a system over a large area. Therefore, if you have many greenhouses, then it makes sense to think about another, more advanced method of drip irrigation.
- There is a risk of bottle holes becoming clogged, especially when used on soils containing large amounts of clay.
- Due to its primitiveness, such a system is not capable of completely replacing irrigation, so sometimes it will be necessary not only to add water to bottles, but also to supplement drip irrigation with the same watering can. For complete watering that requires a minimum of effort from you, it is preferable to use specialized drip tapes and dropper dispensers connected to the water supply.
Required materials and tools
To set up drip irrigation using regular plastic bottles, you will need the following materials and tools:
- plastic bottles;
- a piece of cotton fabric or old nylon stockings;
- shovel for digging holes for bottles;
- ruler for measurements;
- sharp nail, thick needle or awl;
- a lighter, a fire or another source of open fire on which a nail or needle can be heated.
Before you start arranging watering, you need to figure out what size bottles are suitable for the plants in your greenhouse. The choice depends on the crop being grown - some require more moisture, others, on the contrary, less. Also, consider the weather in your area - the higher the temperature, the more water you will need. And, of course, the volume of containers depends on how often you are willing to visit the dacha.
Important! Please note that the temperature inside the greenhouse is higher than outside. And plants will need more water. The increased moisture consumption is compensated by faster ripening and, subject to the cultivation technology, a bountiful harvest.
Table. How long does a bottle of a certain size last for one plant?
As you can see, it is not advisable to use small-volume containers - bottles with a volume of 0.5 to 1 liter will require frequent “refilling”, which will force you to visit your garden plot as often as before.
The best option is a container with a volume of 1.5-2 liters, when using which you can come to the dacha once a week to “refuel” the containers, additional watering and perform other work that the plants in the greenhouse require. If the crop you grow requires a lot of water, then you should give preference to large bottles with a volume of 5 liters. But keep in mind, five-liter plastic container takes up a lot of space and a hole for it must be prepared of the appropriate size.
Some summer residents may have a question: “Why do you need fabric for drip irrigation? Are there not enough bottles with holes? The problem is that these holes can become clogged and clogged with soil over time. To prevent this, from the outside (and sometimes from the inside) that part of the bottle where the holes are located should be wrapped in an old nylon stocking or a piece of cotton fabric. Water will seep through it, but the soil will not get inside.
Another issue that requires consideration is how many holes and what diameter should be made. Their number should depend on the properties of the soil - the worse it absorbs moisture, the more holes will be required. So, if you bury a bottle in a hole with the neck down, then 2-3 holes are enough for sandy soils, and 4-5 for clay soils.
Advice! If clay soil does not absorb water well, the holes in the bottle cap can be replaced with a piece of foam rubber, which is used to plug the neck.
Holes in the bottle or cap are punched using a nail or needle heated on a stove/lighter. Optimal diameter– from 0.5 to 1 mm. Figures of 1.5-2 mm are the maximum permissible, with O At higher values, water will be consumed too quickly.
As for the ratio of bottles and plants in the greenhouse, then ideal option will be 1:1 - one plant per container. If there is not enough space or the crop does not require a lot of moisture, then you can use one bottle (preferably 2 or 5 liters) for 2, 3 or even 4 plants. But, accordingly, more holes will need to be made in the container.
Important! It is best to install a drip irrigation system from bottles at the time of planting seeds or seedlings in the greenhouse soil, so as not to damage the hole when digging root system agricultural crop.
Method number 1 - Dig into the ground
In total, there are four ways to arrange drip irrigation using plastic bottles. The most common of them is burying it in the hole upside down. It looks like this step by step:
Step 1. Near each plant separately or between two adjacent ones, a hole is dug with a depth of 10-15 cm and a diameter equal to the diameter of the bottle.
Step 2. Using a ruler, measure 3-4 cm upward from the bottom of the bottle.
Step 3. Using a hot nail or needle, holes are made from this point in the bottle in 2-4 rows in a checkerboard pattern. The number of holes depends on the density of the soil, but on average it is about 10-15 pieces.
Step 4. The container is wrapped with fabric or nylon so that all holes are closed. This is necessary to protect the holes from being clogged with earth.
Step 5. The bottle is inserted into the hole bottom down.
Step 6. To prevent debris or soil from getting into the water from above, cover the neck with a piece of gauze or nylon.
Important! If you do not want water to evaporate from the container into the air, put a lid on the neck, but make at least one hole on it (the lid), otherwise the bottle will shrink when empty.
Method number 2 - Stick it in the ground with the neck down
The second method differs in that the bottle is inserted into the hole the other way around, bottom up. Accordingly, the holes are made either in the neck or in the lid. It looks like this.
Step 1. A hole is prepared with a shovel near the plant in the greenhouse. The diameter remains the same as in the first method, but the depth of the hole is much smaller - the height of the neck of the container.
Step 2. Several small holes are made in the neck or lid itself using a hot nail. Their number depends on how dense the soil is and how well it absorbs moisture - the better, the fewer holes there should be, and vice versa.
Step 3. Measure 4-6 cm from the bottom and cut off the bottom of the bottle using a stationery knife or regular scissors. If you do not want debris to get into the container from above or moisture to evaporate from it too quickly, the bottom should not be completely cut off, and then bent to the side, like the lid of a tin can.
Step 4. The part of the container where the holes are located is wrapped with cloth. If desired, the fabric can be placed inside, in the bottle itself.
Step 5. The neck of the bottle is buried in the hole. If desired, the container can be buried at an angle of 45 degrees towards the root system.
Compared to the first method, digging a hole for a similar design of an irrigation system is a little easier, but in this case the water is not delivered to the entire root system of the plant, but only to the lower part. The choice of the more preferable option is up to you.
Method number 3 – Hang over plants
If you do not want to expose the root system of greenhouse crops, then the drip irrigation system can be placed not next to the plants, but above them. In addition, with this method, the soil around the roots is not washed away.
Step 1. A series of holes are made in the bottom of the bottle, as for the second method. And in the same way, part of the bottom is cut off from the container with scissors.
Step 2. Using a needle or nail, a couple more holes are made in the bottom of the bottle for wire or twine, on which the container will be hung in the greenhouse.
Step 3. The bottle is secured in such a way that the distance from the neck to the ground is from 35 cm to 50 cm.
Try to position the bottle so that most of the drops land on the ground near the stem, rather than on the leaves. This way, more water will reach the roots, and the likelihood of sunburn of the leaves will be significantly less.
Method number 4 - Using special attachments
The last method of creating a drip irrigation system will require you to spend a little more money, but at the same time it will save you from digging holes and working with nails and bottles. At your local garden supply store, you can purchase special dispenser attachments that can be screwed onto bottles (except five-liter bottles) instead of regular caps.
Prices for watering cones for bottles
watering cone for bottle
The container with such a nozzle is turned upside down and inserted into the ground at some distance from the plant stem.
Today we will talk about root drip irrigation of vegetable crops in the garden. How to do DIY drip irrigation from plastic bottles you will find out from the article.
Let's consider the advantages of root drip irrigation, because this is a solution for those who cannot water their plants every day.
Root watering has a number of advantages– a crust does not form on the soil surface (the soil surface always remains dry), weeds do not grow, and the soil does not become waterlogged (this eliminates the formation of rot).
Thanks to the Internet, we learned an excellent method for drip root irrigation from 5-liter plastic bottles.
This method has its own subtleties, which we will talk about.
For watering you will need: the required amount of plastic bottles with caps with a volume of 5-6 liters (more is possible if the distance between plants allows) and a 2 mm drill or a sharp awl.
Using a drill or sharp awl, make 2 or 4 holes on opposite sides 2-3 cm from the bottom of the bottle.
Attention: do not make holes with heated nails, etc. - they will come out differently and, as a result, water will be absorbed into the soil differently.
Usually the holes are made on the first horizontal strip from the bottom of the bottle, thereby all the holes will be located at the same distance from the bottom (the pressure will be evenly distributed between them).
2 holes usually done if the bottle is placed between two plants in the middle (the holes should be directed towards these plants) and on light soils.
4 holes This is done by placing the bottle in the middle between 4 plant bushes (pointing the holes at the plants).
The bottles are buried in the ground at about 1/2 height (should be 7-10 cm from the holes to the surface of the soil), filled with water, and the lids are screwed on tightly. This is how root drip irrigation is carried out.
If the plants have not received moisture for a long time, you can open the lid, then some of the water will quickly go into the soil. Then fill the bottle again and close the lid tightly for drip irrigation.
Attention: the number of holes in the bottle can be greater, it all depends on the properties of the soil; the worse it absorbs moisture, the more holes are needed.
If the bottle is intended for watering one plant, for example a rose bush, then it is better to make 3-4 holes on one side with a distance of 2-3 cm along one line. Use these holes to turn the water bottle towards the plant.
If the soil is wet, then the water will not drain; only dry soil will draw water. With this irrigation system, the top of the soil remains dry and loose.
Video - Do-it-yourself root drip irrigation
Like this system automatic watering with your own hands it turned out - useful thing for every gardener. Can be used both in greenhouses and open ground.
Thanks to this watering, there is enough water for the plants for 5-7 days, of course it all depends on weather conditions.
To implement this drip irrigation option, you will need a plastic bottle of a suitable size. The container should fit freely between adjacent plant bushes - this way it can irrigate two bushes at the same time.
If you only need to water one plant, you can take a smaller bottle and make holes in it only on one side, facing the bush.
Now you need to take a thick needle or a small nail and use this tool to make several holes across the entire area of the bottle. However, there should be at least two centimeters left to the bottom of the container; you shouldn’t make holes in the neck either. The approximate number of holes on a two-liter container is 10 pieces.
A hole the size of a bottle is dug in the ground near the plants, the container is buried completely in it, only the neck remains above the surface of the earth. A nylon stocking should be attached to the neck in order to filter water for irrigation through it.
The lid can be screwed on or not - only the rate of evaporation of water from the bottle depends on this.
Drip irrigation ready: all that remains is to timely add water through the neck using a watering can or thin hose.
Method 2: hanging bottle
This watering option is more suitable for low-growing plants, such as cucumbers, for example, or greens (parsley, basil, lettuce). In order to implement such a system, you will need a base or frame made of wood or metal.
The frame for bottles is made in the form of the letter “P” or “G” and is placed above the ground level at a height of no more than 50 cm, otherwise the drops will simply hit the ground, creating depressions and splashing heavily on the sides.
Bottles are selected in accordance with this parameter (their length should not exceed 40 cm). The number of containers depends on the number of plants that need drip irrigation - one bottle is located above each bush.
Advice! It is best to hang a container of water so that the drops do not fall on the plant itself, but fall between neighboring bushes. This will avoid sunburn and various infections due to wetting of the green mass.
Holes are made in each lid, the size and number of which depend on the required intensity of watering - the more holes, the faster the water will flow out of the bottle.
Now you can cut off the bottom of the bottles and make holes near the cut edges. Through these holes the bottle will be attached to the frame with wire or rope.
Drip irrigation is ready, water is added through the bottoms.
Method 3: inverted bottle
This drip irrigation option is similar to the first, but differs in the depth of immersion of the container - the bottle is not completely dug into the ground, but only top part, that is, by the neck.
That is why the third method of drip irrigation from plastic bottles is suitable for plants with a compact root system. Such a bottle will not be able to nourish long roots that go deep into the ground, but branched surface roots will receive a sufficient amount of moisture.
To implement the idea, take a plastic container, close it with a lid and make holes in it of the required diameter (approximately 0.5-0.6 mm). Remove the lid, cover the neck with nylon or thin cloth and screw the cap back on.
There are two ways to deal with the bottom of the bottle:
Everyone independently chooses the appropriate option.
Watering through plastic bottles can be a great option for those who rarely visit. summer cottage plot or does not have large reserves of water. However, such irrigation cannot replace full watering from above, so these two methods must be alternated. But the cost homemade system zero - no special knowledge, tools or materials are required to make drip irrigation.
The big advantage of drip irrigation through bottles is that in this way you can also feed vegetables with mineral complexes dissolved in water. Dosed fertilizer will prevent the roots of plants from being burned and harmed.
With the onset of the summer season, after all planting work has been completed, it is necessary to take care of one of the main components of growing a successful crop - watering.
Today, quite a lot of plant irrigation systems have been developed, and they are all very effective. But buying installations and systems in a store is very expensive, and even with the most good harvest Such costs will not pay off immediately. Therefore, more and more summer residents are assembling analogues of such systems from scrap materials, which turn out to be no less effective compared to industrial installations.
Very often, plastic bottles are used to water the garden. Most people have this material lying around unused or thrown into a landfill. Meanwhile, plastic bottles can be successfully used to irrigate the area. Craftsmen make sprinkling and drip irrigation systems out of them.
Methods for irrigating plants using plastic bottles
The main methods of irrigating plants are sprinkling and drip irrigation. In order to assemble such systems, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on expensive materials, but you can make do with improvised means.
Using Sprinkler Bottles
The sprinkling method involves irrigating plants from above. Installations for such irrigation are the simplest in design and operation. Plastic containers in such systems are used as sprinklers. The simplest sprinkler can be made by punching holes in the body of a two-liter bottle. Then such a container is screwed through an adapter to the hose and the water is turned on. Under pressure, water enters the bottle and is splashed across the garden bed.
This creates a kind of automatic watering can. In a more complex version, holes for pens are drilled in a plastic bottle. Then the lower part of the handle is inserted into these holes, and you get a sprinkler - a fountain. Such sprinklers made from plastic bottles are very convenient for irrigating beds, since the containers are light and small. In addition, such a sprinkler can be installed not only in a horizontal position on the ground, but also mounted vertically on a pole or other support. Watering with plastic bottles is quick and easy to make, and their cost is reduced to zero.
Drip irrigation using plastic bottles
The drip irrigation system is a more complex mechanism. This is a whole system of hoses with sprayers, plugs, and so on. To purchase a professional irrigation system you will have to spend a significant amount of money. But you can make such a system for watering a garden with my own hands from plastic bottles.
This system is best used on tomatoes or other large vegetables. Plastic containers are buried in the soil next to the plant that needs to be watered. First, several holes are pierced in the bottom of each bottle. The neck with the lid is left above the soil surface.
Each time to water the plant, water is poured into the bottle and it is gradually supplied directly to the roots of the plant. Such a system can be automated by connecting a thin hose to the already buried bottles. Then water will be poured into all containers at once. The second method is more complicated.
Five-liter bottles or canisters are dug into the soil next to the plant. And they place a drinking bottle in them, neck down, and attach it to a peg. Water is poured into the container, which flows into the canister and then to the roots of the plant. There are many advantages to this type of watering:
- economical, water flows only to the roots of the plant, which means there is no need to water empty soil;
- the dosed supply of water to the roots not only frees the plant from daily watering, but eliminates the possibility of waterlogging and drying out the roots;
- Along with watering, you can fertilize plants with liquid fertilizers;
- the water supplied to the roots of the plants has an optimal temperature, as it has time to warm up, therefore the likelihood of growth arrest and the occurrence of root rot is reduced;
- drip irrigation from plastic bottles does not change the chemical composition of the soil and does not contribute to its oxidation.
Watering from above
In this way, you can water the plants from above from plastic containers. It is best to use this method for watering beds. Wooden pegs with an inverted slingshot at the end are driven into the edges of the bed. A thin pole is laid between them, on which parts of the cut bottle with neck are suspended. Holes are poked in the lid. Water is poured into the container and, dripping, it gradually waters the garden bed.
Using plastic bottles has long been a solution to the problems of high-quality watering in a greenhouse and is especially relevant in hot, dry summers. Along with sprinkling and subsoil irrigation methods, drip irrigation is very important if it is impossible to water the plants yourself every day.
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
Like any method, drip irrigation has not only advantages, but also certain disadvantages in use. Among the undeniable advantages, it is worth noting several of the most valuable features of the system of the described type.
- Drip irrigation based on the use of plastic bottles can be done independently by anyone, and the DIY procedure itself does not require special knowledge and skills.
- The method is not only simple, but also practically free, since plastic bottles are among the most common and cheap material for secondary use.
- All drip irrigation options are very economical in terms of time and money spent, due to the ease of filling the vessels and maintaining them.
- Even if it is possible to use tap water for irrigation, drip irrigation will significantly reduce payments.
- Water in plastic containers very quickly warms up to a temperature that is comfortable for watering most plants.
- Organized with your own hands, this irrigation option allows you to create a system that is easily replaced, installed and dismantled.
Of course, there are certain disadvantages when using such an irrigation system, which to some extent limit its use:
- making such a system for high-quality irrigation of a large area is very difficult and completely irrational;
- it is impossible to completely replace the option of full irrigation, and the system functions reliably as a device for temporarily maintaining the amount of moisture required for a short period of time for plants grown in a greenhouse;
- When used in heavy or loamy soils, the bottle system becomes clogged very quickly and stops working.
Homemade drip irrigation (video)
Main system options
Despite the obvious advantages of a system for watering from plastic bottles, you should carefully consider this type of irrigation and before manufacturing, familiarize yourself with the main options for drip irrigation devices:
- suspended plastic structures;
- plastic containers installed in close proximity to plants;
- plastic bottles buried at a shallow depth.
Self-production
Today, gardeners use several drip irrigation options based on plastic bottles, which can be made quite easily and quickly with your own hands. It should be remembered that the version of such a system should be selected not only taking into account personal preferences appearance, but also according to the requirements for watering each individual plant grown.
Making a simple system
- Preparation of ordinary plastic bottles through which the process of watering greenhouse plants is carried out. The best option is to use two-liter containers.
- Make several holes in the lid, the diameter of which is about two millimeters. It is through them that the full and progressive saturation of plant roots occurs. required quantity moisture.
- If you have sandy soil, you can make only two holes with your own hands, but clay soil requires making at least four holes.
The most in a simple way To obtain high-quality holes in a bottle cap is to use a nail, which should be thoroughly heated. Today, a special type of pegs is being sold that perfectly replace lids. The use of such elements greatly facilitates the preparatory process. The next step is to cut off the bottom of the bottle. It is advisable to make the cut not all the way and then the container will receive a kind of lid that will effectively prevent the evaporation of moisture and clogging of the water.
Next, you should install the manufactured structure. Optimal time for this process is represented by the period of planting seedlings in a permanent place, but with the same success you can install the system in the greenhouse at any time. The containers are immersed in holes, which must be made no more than fifteen centimeters deep and every fifteen centimeters from the plant. The bottle is inserted with the lid down, maintaining an angle of forty or forty-five degrees. All manipulations with your own hands must be done with the utmost care, without damaging the root system of greenhouse plants.
More complex options
You can also do slightly more complicated options with your own hands. plastic system for drip irrigation. However, the installation of such systems can be done quite simply and quickly. Two-liter plastic bottles are used as the base for drip irrigation.
The production of the first option occurs according to the following scheme:
- the walls of the bottles at a distance of three centimeters from the bottom are equipped with several rows of holes, optimal location which - in a checkerboard pattern;
- the number and size of holes directly depends on the type of soil and type of plant;
- The waterer container, with its neck up, should be deepened into the soil fifteen centimeters between a pair of neighboring plants.
The second option is also easy to do with your own hands and is a modification of the first method:
- the bottle prepared, as in the first case, must be equipped with special holes through which drip irrigation is carried out, near the neck;
- the bottom of the plastic bottle must be carefully cut off, and the container itself must be buried near the plants with the neck with the cap screwed down;
- To prevent evaporation from the drip irrigation system, cover the cut off bottom of the bottle immediately after each filling with water.
The third option of bottle automatic watering is more appropriate for use in greenhouses, since it does not cause erosion of the soil and exposure of the root system. For such a system, it is necessary to hang plastic containers above the plants, which allows the water to additionally warm up under the influence of sunlight. The main difference is that there is no need to pierce holes. To regulate the volume of water poured out, the method of slightly unscrewing the lid is used.
Drip irrigation for a dacha at no cost (video)
Miniature devices for drip irrigation can be represented by plastic bottles of almost any volume. However, it is most profitable and effective to use containers designed to hold at least two liters of water for arranging an irrigation system. This design is for irrigation of greenhouse plants or garden crops, grown in open ground, has a significant number of advantages, the main of which is the availability of execution and the low cost of the materials used.
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