Garden Irrigation Techniques

Keeping a garden healthy is not easy. Ensuring that your vegetables or plants get plenty of sunlight, water and nutrients in the soil is a tall order for the amateur gardener. One of the most important things you can do to keep your garden growing and flourishing is to irrigate. While irrigation has been around for thousands of years to keep plants growing in less than suitable climates, modern methods will help you to do so effectively, simply and in a cost-effective manner. Here are a few of the techniques that gardeners use to irrigate their gardens.

Flood Irrigation
One of the oldest and most successful garden irrigation techniques, used especially in climates with hot summers, is the flood irrigation method. Vegetable gardens especially benefit from this technique when enough clay is present in the soil to allow for the process to work properly. To flood irrigate, dig a shallow ditch around the perimeter of your garden and then hand water. The water will "flood" the garden area, remaining in the ditch for several hours and sinking into the soil slowly. Unfortunately, flood irrigation promotes weed growth and, in poor soil, will result in your plants getting less than the essential nutrients they'll need.

Spray Irrigation
Spray irrigation may be used in a couple of ways. The easiest is called "hose-end sprinkling." Attach a spray fixture to the end of your garden hose and water by hand. Other more complex methods include sprayers that water the garden at specific times of the day when the plants will receive the greatest benefit. Because the spray is applied to a specific area, this type of irrigation does not lead to some of the problems that flood irrigation may, such as weed growth. It also works best on shallow root systems.

Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is among the most beneficial types of irrigation. Drip systems provide an improvement over spray and flood irrigation because they allow a very precise amount of water to reach only the plants you intend to irrigate. This method uses half the water of spray irrigation, includes above- or below-ground methods and will control weed growth and pest presence in your garden. While drip irrigation is an attractive method for these reasons, the systems may also be a bit more difficult to maintain than other types of irrigation. Furthermore, such systems often require more cost, effort and time to ensure that they work properly.

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Garden Irrigation Ideas

There are lots of ways to decrease the amount of water used in a garden. Rain barrels and rain gardens make use of the water that runs off your house during a rainstorm. Water-absorbing crystals and proper mulching can increase the amount of water stored in your garden's soil. Using drip irrigation and plant less thirsty plants to decrease the amount of water used by a healthy garden.

Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are essentially depressions where runoff from your house and yard collects and infiltrates into the groundwater. When located appropriately, they benefit local water quality while decreasing the amount of hose water you have to use to keep your plants happy. Most plants, including trees, vegetables, native wildflowers, and others can be planted in a rain garden.

Rain Barrels

Rain barrels collect runoff from your roof during rain events. The rainwater they store can then be used instead of tap water to irrigate your garden or lawn, decreasing the strain on local water resources. During a 2-inch rain, thousands of gallons flow off the typical roof. Catching, storing, and using this water for irrigation can add up to major savings over the course of a year.

Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation makes more efficient use of water than typical irrigation techniques by ensuring that water goes only where it is needed by slowly releasing water directly into the soil, thus preventing water loss due to evaporation or runoff. Drip hoses are available at most lawn and garden stores.

Use Less Greedy Plants
Choose less thirsty crops. Things like tomatoes and strawberries require more water than do onions and beans. Consider using native plants. They require very little water since they have evolved to survive in local conditions. Group plants by water demand, and use only as much water as needed in each section or your garden.
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Water-Conserving Soil Supplements
Mulching the surface of your garden helps the soil retain moisture and also helps prevent the growth of weeds. Adding peat or "water crystals" to your soil can also help retain moisture and lower the amount and frequency of irrigation needed.

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