Agriculture requires proper seeds, light, air, water, fertilizers and care to grow any life-sustaining plants used for food or clothing. Light and air are nature-given while the others have to be provided manually or with the help of machines. In the modern methods of agriculture seeds and fertilizers can be added to the soil with the help of machinery. The germination of seeds requires a well hydrated and nourished soil which can be possible by a constant supply of water. There are limited water resources for agriculture especially in the summer and winter seasons in any year; Irrigation is the use of water in a very efficient and productive manner. If you know how to set up an Irrigation System Santa Barbara in your backyard at home, you can very efficiently grow your own food at home. 

History of Irrigation Techniques

Sources of water for Irrigation have mostly been groundwater, lakes, rivers, ponds, rainwater, etc. The irrigation techniques used depends on the crops which are cultivated and harvested. For example to cultivate rice crops the soil must be absolutely hydrated; so this is done by a very old method called flood irrigation. In flood irrigation, the soil is completely flooded with water as the crop requires such an environment to grow.

irrigation techniques

This method does not require any machinery; all it needs is a passage between the source of water and the farmland where the crop is grown. When the water is sufficiently flooded on the soil, the passage is then blocked by a stone or any object. A very old method of Irrigation called Egyptian water wheel-as the name suggests it has a huge wheel to which pots or buckets are tied with ropes. This entire setup is placed opposite to the flow of the river; when the pot is filled with water it automatically rotates the wheel and the pot full of water is emptied for irrigation and the circular wheel continues to fill the water and throw it at the required place for irrigation. This was the first non-human device created for irrigation.

Benefits and Installation of Irrigation System

Have you ever wondered why the grass in the backyard is so green and lively even in the hottest summer days? It’s all because of the proper water supply by a well planned and brilliantly executed Irrigation System Santa Barbara. I recommend spending a day with the installers of Irrigation systems so that you learn how to pull pipes and how to make a solid connection between two pipes by using the compatible tools and techniques. A very well established Irrigation system believes and executes the soil to sip the water rather than guzzling it. A poorly designed system can waste a lot of water so it is always better to know more by watching videos of Irrigation setup before starting the work. If your backyard is already filled with fresh green grass; the sod can be sliced first. This helps to put the grass back after the pipes are installed by digging the ground. Instead of digging the ground for installation, Sprinkler System, pipes can be pulled by using a vibratory plough.

This saves time and there are a few rules that have to be considered while pulling pipes and they are:

  1. To avoid tree roots
  2. Use the plough at a depth of minimum 10 inches
  3. Feeding and pulling the pipe should be done simultaneously
  4. Do no pull pipes which are spliced as they can come apart when pulled underground
  5. Vibratory plough works well when the soil is aerated but might not work when the soil is super compacted   

A few random yet useful suggestions for irrigation installation is to keep the pipes clean, cut the pipes with proper cutting tools instead of a saw when you find a kink in the pipe-instead of straightening the pipe cut the pipe and join it with a coupler to retain a good flow of water.

Drip Irrigation

irrigation system in landscape

Drip Irrigation works wonders even when you are busy with life and you can still watch your garden in full bloom because it is a fully automated system. Once the pipes are installed, all you need is a network of sprinklers and drippers covering the entire space of the garden. Boom, when you add a battery-operated controller to the system you don’t have to worry about on and off the water supply; it will all do by itself.

You can also check our tips for growing roses or benefits of pressure washing services installation.