Drip irrigation system for agricultural greenhouses and large fields

When you hear aboutdrip irrigation systems, many people immediately think - just pipes with holes. But in fact, there are so many nuances that sometimes you wonder how we ever worked without it. Especially in greenhouses, where every extra percentage of humidity can ruin everything.

Why drip irrigation is not just 'watering'

I look at my first projects - they installed ordinary hoses, they thought that the main thing was that the water would drip. Error. In a greenhouse, it is not just watering that is important, but the precise distribution of moisture throughout the root zone. If you overwater, fungi will grow; if you underwater, the harvest will become smaller. We had to redo the emitter placement scheme three times.

On large fields it is even more difficult. I remember last season, on a site with a slope, water flowed down and the upper rows dried out. We had to install adjustable droppers with pressure compensation - more expensive, but without them we lost up to 30% of the harvest.

Now we are collaborating withShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd— they just make smart systems where you can set up irrigation for different crops separately. Not an advertisement, just a fact - their equipment clogs less often due to good filters.

Equipment that really works

Filters are a separate topic. Previously, they installed mesh ones, but there is a lot of sand in our waters - we had to clean them every day. Switched to disk from the sameShandong Lingyao, now wash once a week, and then more for prevention.

Pipes are also important to choose. Ultraviolet stabilizers are a must have, otherwise they will crack during the season. By the way, on their website https://www.lyzhihuinongye.ru there are tables for selecting the diameter depending on the length of the row - a useful thing, I use it myself.

Automation seems like a dream. But when they set the first timers, they almost flooded the seedlings - there was a voltage failure, and the program went wrong. Now only with redundant mechanical valves.

Typical installation mistakes

The most common thing is to save on fittings. I saw how in greenhouses they connect pipes with electrical tape - after a month, leaks are guaranteed. Brass connections are more expensive, but they pay for themselves within a season.

Distance between drippers - many people copy diagrams from the Internet, without taking into account the type of soil. On loams we had to do it more often - 20 cm instead of the standard 30.

And yes, they forget about flushing the system before starting. Once we had to dismantle the entire line due to scale in the pipes - a week of downtime.

Features for greenhouses

This is where drip irrigation comes into its own. Especially with their technologies for integrating water and fertilizers - you can water and feed at the same time. But there is a nuance - fertilizers must be completely soluble, otherwise the emitters will become clogged.

Humidity in a greenhouse is a separate headache. With drip irrigation, it rises less, but sensors are still needed. We usually place them at different heights - near the ground and under the roof.

Microclimate is not only watering. I saw how insmart agricultural parkscombine drip systems with foggers for cooling. We are just experimenting for now.

Field conditions: scale changes everything

In large areas, the main problem is pressure. We install pressure reducing valves on the slopes, otherwise the bottom will turn out to be a swamp. By the way,Shandong Lingyao Co.,Ltdit just offers design taking into account the relief - useful when you don’t have your own surveyors.

Winter preservation - many people neglect blowing with a compressor. In the spring we repair burst pipes - it costs more than prevention.

Remote control seems like a luxury. But when you have to control 50 hectares, it is simply impossible without it. Although at first they set it up incorrectly - they set the same programs for all crops, until they noticed a difference in water consumption.

What else is worth considering

Water quality - we do analysis before design. Hard water requires additional filters, sometimes even acid flushing of the system.

Service life - gooddrip irrigation systemmust work for at least 5-7 years. But I also saw some that had to be changed after two seasons. Now we always look at the pipe wall thickness and UV protection.

Service - it is important that spare parts are available. At the sameShandong LingyaoThere is a warehouse in Russia, this solves many problems with prompt repairs.

Instead of conclusions

If five years ago someone had said that I would advise specific manufacturers, they would not have believed it. But when you see how some systems work for years, while others break down immediately, you begin to appreciate proven options.

The main thing is not to be afraid to adapt ready-made solutions to your conditions. Even the best designs require on-site modifications. Sometimes it's easier to add an extra tap than to re-arrange the pipes later.

And yes - never skimp on design. It is better to pay engineers once than to compensate for years of incorrect installation errors. This is especially truelarge fieldswhere alterations cost as much as a new system.