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The cultivation of plants always presents the hobby gardener with a wide variety of tasks and problems. For all plants, watering is a recurring issue. How do you irrigate correctly and which irrigation system is particularly suitable for the individual circumstances? We present the most common irrigation systems and explain the advantages and disadvantages.
Irrigation systems for plants
There are different options for watering plants. Everyone probably has their own method of watering the plants. Have you already found the right one? We present different watering systems for plants.
watering can
Of course, it is not a real "system", but since it can be used universally and is definitely known to every gardener, we do not want to leave out the watering can.
Benefits:
- Individual watering quantity per watering process and plant can be defined
- Regular control options through manual watering, e.g. for diseases or parasite infestation
- Pesticides, fertilizers and other substances can be easily added
- Very inexpensive and can be used independently of space
Disadvantage:
- High personal effort due to manual filling, high weight and low filling volume
- Danger of irregularities due to manual determination of watering
- No automation possible
pouring balls
In terms of their functional principle, casting balls are similar to a rigid bottle turned upside down. Due to the rigid shell, the water is kept in the container due to the resulting balance of gravity and vacuum in the upper spherical area. From there it slowly seeps down through the opening, enabling continuous watering of indoor plants, as well as potted plants in the garden or on the balcony. Since a ball is only able to supply a single plant or at most a moderately sized plant pot with several plants, such irrigation systems are completely unsuitable for beds in greenhouses or outdoors.
Benefits:
- Individual supply of individual plants or plant pots
- Usually visually very appealing, e.g. as a clay ball or glass element
- Individual addition of fertilizer possible
Disadvantage:
- Limit the amount of water
- No usability in the garden, e.g. in the greenhouse or outdoors
- Cannot be used in pots that are too small without enough space next to the plant
notice: Pouring balls come in different shapes and designs. Made of clay, ceramic or glass, they can become a decorative design element on the windowsill, on the balcony or in the planters in the garden.
clay cone
The clay cone follows a similar approach to the pouring ball. However, in this case the water is held in place by the closed container in the classic way. Put in the ground next to the plant, the water migrates through the porous clay material and constantly leaks out at the surface in small quantities. In this way, a particularly even, if not too intensive, watering can be achieved.
Positive:
- No technical facilities required
- Even, permanent water release
- Usually high aesthetic value of the sound elements
- also possible as an adapter for PET bottles
Negative:
- Casting quantity very limited
- Not suitable for large planters or outdoors
- Unsightly discoloration of the porous clay over time due to lime, algae and moss
- only very limited controllability of the amount of water released to the plants
tip: If a clay cone shows the inevitable traces of limescale and growth, the blotchy, greenish-white film can easily be removed by bathing in vinegar water. However, you should make sure that you soak the clay again intensively in clear water after the vinegar bath. Otherwise, first transfer the vinegar solution stored in the clay into the soil.
Irrigation via a "wick"
Strings or ribbons made of wool, cotton or hemp tend to pull moisture away from the fabric. We know this from wet shoelaces or the string on the tea bag, for example. The effect can also be used very well to water indoor plants. Water is often led from a spacious saucer or another, mostly ceramic water reservoir via such a wick through the drainage holes of the actual flower pots from below into the ground. Alternatively, for example in the case of temporary arrangements during the holiday, a fuse can also simply be guided from a bucket next to the pots into each individual planter.
Benefits:
- Can be realized almost invisibly from the coaster
- Very easy to create with little effort
- Individual watering of each individual plant possible
- Regulation of the amount of water via the amount and thickness of the wicks
Disadvantage:
- Cannot be used for very large houseplants, plant beds, etc
- Adding fertilizer is only possible to a limited extent due to the filter effect of the textile wicks
- Limited stock volume with reservoir in saucer
drip irrigation
As a permanently installed irrigation system, drip irrigation offers a significant leap in convenience compared to the classic watering can. Permanently laid pipes release water drop by drop and thus carry out irrigation permanently or at time intervals specified by the control. This system is either installed permanently in the ground once, or laid on the ground for one season at a time.
Then, before the frost sets in, dismantling must take place in order to avoid frost damage in the comparatively thin water-carrying pipes. Due to the high effort and the required lines, drip irrigation is primarily suitable for the garden. Smaller systems for the balcony or even indoor plants, on the other hand, can only be found occasionally.
Positive:
- Automated system, so no watering effort
- Consistent soil moisture through permanent or at least phased watering
- Clearly adjustable pouring quantities
- Easily adaptable to changes or extensions due to new garden design
Negative:
- High effort for installation, one-time or seasonally recurring
- very susceptible to frost
- Adding fertilizer or pesticides is not possible or only possible with great effort
tip: A practicable solution is a permanently installed drip irrigation system, which can be emptied over the winter. The installed technology can remain in the ground, whereas the critical medium - the water - can simply be drained. In this way, you can enjoy the advantages of permanent installation while avoiding its disadvantages
sprinkler system
What happens in commercial horticulture in the form of complex technical irrigation systems can be done privately with a simple garden sprinkler. Comparable to natural rain, water is added drop by drop from above over a longer period of time. In this way, the water can permanently seep into the ground and also reach greater depths. As a mobile system, the garden sprinkler can be placed anywhere and can also be used for large areas. On the other hand, it is permanently installed in the ground and offers the great convenience of independently working irrigation. Despite the technically different versions, these are not different irrigation systems, but simply different forms of an operating principle.
Positive:
- Large irrigation areas achievable
- Uniform, intensive impact
- Permanently installed independent function via control possible
Negative:
- Not suitable for balconies, planters, etc
- Dependent on uniform cuts of the irrigation areas
tip: Optimum sprinkling can be achieved with comparatively little effort if there are already fixed water extraction points in the garden. A mobile sprinkler can use it to reach all areas of the garden, while the annoying effort of laying the garden hose is reduced to a minimum. In addition, in contrast to a completely permanently installed sprinkler, the water extraction points offer the possibility of connecting other uses or watering methods.
