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Last update on August 9 , 2023

Welcome to our new orchard space ! We just finished installing a DIY drip irrigation system for yield Tree , shrub , and aboriginal pollinator plants – so let ’s check it out ! This guide will teach you how to install a drip irrigation organisation with automatic valve , multiple zone , several type of adjustable drip mold emitters , and more .   The coolest part is that this drip irrigation system is powered by anautomatic controllerwith asolar jury .

A terraced hillside is covered in burlap, plants have been planted in the berm of each terrace and there is drip tubing for irrigation snaking through the entire 3 berm terraced area.

If any of that sound complicated , do n’t vex . I ’ll take the air you through everything you need to cognise with a step - by - stepvideo tutorial , exposure , and a detailed portion list .

Though the system of rules show in this guide is being used to irrigate fruit Tree and shrubs , you could also use a exchangeable solar powered drip irrigation system of rules for elevate garden bed , peak beds , or traditional sprinkler system . Or , deploy the solar restrainer on an existing irrigation system .   See our other drip irrigation tutorialshere , including how to set up drip mould irrigation to raise beds or a hose faucet .

UPDATE : you may now find a full tour of duty and tutorial ofhow we make the new orchard spaceusing natural terraces and permaculture - style bermshere . Full plant list included !

DeannaCat and Aaron stand in the middle of their completed new orchard space. A drone has been used for the photo which has been taken roughly 20 feet from the ground. Rocks line planting areas and terraces of pollinator plants and fruit trees.

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A drone image of the orchard space in the middle phase of its construction. Each area is labeled from the top of the hill where there is the water main and valves, lower on the hill where the drip tubing starts. as well as the numbered zones of the space 1-4.

Benefits of Drip Irrigation

Automated dribble organisation are one the best parts of any garden projection , in my lowly impression . install drip irrigation is n’t all that difficult , and the payback is well deserving the effort ! Drip systemssave square body of water , time , and energycompared to helping hand - watering or conventional overhead watering system .

Drip irrigation also provides plant life with slow , targeted , reproducible , and deep water system – which they prefer for idealistic ancestor development and growth ! This lead tohealthier plantsthat are more tolerant to stress from drought , freeze , warmth and more .

Even well , solar powered drip irrigation systems tolerate you to automatise your irrigation even if there is n’t a power reference nearby . Harnessing the great power of the sun , rechargeable solar battery survive unconstipated battery by many , many years .

A Hunter irrigation controller box with solar panel attachment.

Drip System Zones and Pressure

Most expectant drip irrigation systems must be divvied up into several distinct zones ( place ) that will run at different times . This offers a number of benefits , and is easy to achieve with a simple irrigation manifold paper and controller .

First , using disjoined zone enable you to tailor your irrigation docket to meet the alone andvarying piss needs for different plant . For case , yield tree or raised garden beds will require more water ( in relative frequency and/or amount ) than drought - tolerant shrubs .

Second , the usance of many zones helps cut demand on any one pipeline , andmaintains salutary water pressurethroughout the system . Drip irrigation part are contrive to engage under 20 to 30 pounds per square inch , while normal household urine pressure can be as mellow as 80 pounds per square inch . high pressure will cause the sensitive component to “ squander out ” , so a imperativeness governor is typically added at the get-go of the drip agate line near the valve . Yet the water pressure will uphold to drop as it move through farseeing lengths of drip tube , so it ’s estimable tonot surpass 100 to 200 feet of solid ½ ” irrigation tubing in a exclusive zone .

A graphic showing the components of an irrigation valve and flow of water. From the right it start with water flowering upward into the ASV valve, before it reaches the filter, the pressure regulator, before water going out to drip irrigation.

PARTS AND SUPPLIES

Below is a leaning of all the supplies we used to lay up our solar powered drip mould irrigation system of rules . For anything that involves a PVC / threaded connexion , note that I linked role compatible with ¾ inch PVC . However , you should be able to toggle and take different size of it if you ’re working with a different pipework diam , male vs female thread parts , etc .

Solar powered irrigation controller

Valve head assembly parts

Drip line, couplers, and adapters

Other drip emitter parts

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Main Water Supply Connection

First you ’ll need a nearby water provision or main line . For this picky project , we choose an exist tap uphill of the novel orchard space – which is also ideal for gravity flow to help the scheme asseverate pressure .

To connect to the main water line , we first turned off water to the dimension and turn on the wiretap to drain the lines . Next , we cut into the PVC line withgood pipe cuttersand glued on asimple ball valveshutoff valve . This way of life , we ’re able-bodied to exit the valve and turn the principal water supplying back on ( after the pipe gum dry out ) while we bear on to act on the irrigation arrangement over the follow weeks . Isolating the drip organisation with its own valve will also allow us to easily make repairs in the future without shutting water off to the entire attribute .

The emplacement of our drip mould manifold and valve happened to be at the remainder of a water line . If yours is not , install a golf tee in your main water line to link up the drip multiplex to instead .

Irrigation valves connected to PVC outlet lines in a trench are shown. The valves have been wired to run on solar powered irrigation.

Valve Manifold and Head Assembly

Avalve manifoldis a collection of irrigation valve assembled together and connected to a vulgar supplying line . I chose to assemble the entire manifold and then connect it to the independent line ( rather than piecing together all the parts in place ) . That path , I did n’t have to bend over and process in a oceanic abyss the whole time , or get a bunch of dirt in the lines .

My manifold paper is made from ¾ ” PVC with four football tee and risers ( one for each zona ) plus a cap dead end that I can trim down and join more zones to in the future .

The valve head assembly flows as follows:

Valve/Controller Wiring and Solar Panel Add-On

If using the solar venire add - on kit , replace the AC solenoidsthat came with the ASV valves toDC solenoidsbefore continue with wiring . With the water turned off , just unscrew the AC solenoid and ass on the DC .

Distribution System and Drip Emitters

Once the solar irrigation comptroller and valves are set up , it ’s time to get piss to your plants !

you may either plug in self-coloured ½ ” drip irrigation tubing right off the end of your valves , or extend your hard pipe further before converting to drip – like we did . Since our valves are a good distance from the landscaped area we want to water , we ran PVC down the mound first since it ’s more durable , less likely to get masticate on by ground squirrel , and the larger diam allows for well water period ( and less pressure passing ) than ½ ” tubing .

How long to run drip irrigation systems?

It depend ! Every garden has different water need base on theunique climate , land , time of year , temperature and rainfall patterns . It also calculate on your mulching practice , and what case of plant you ’re acquire . Soil protected with a nice 2 to 4″ bed ofmulchwill delay moist much longer than spare soil , greatly reducing water needs .

In cosmopolitan , it ’s good to provideless frequent , mysterious , long wateringas opposed to light shallow bouts of water every twenty-four hour period . This will encourage cryptical healthy root and stronger , more bouncy plants . In our clime , we typically place our solar irrigation controllers to function for about 45 proceedings to an hour , twice per week ( and work them completely off during the rainy winter time of year ) .

The time you ply your irrigation system will also vary calculate on the case of emitter used . For instance , system using adjustable bubbler emitters with a higher current pace ( often 10 to 30 GPH ) will pass off a lot more water and faster than a system using undivided 1 GPH dripping emitter .

A terraced hillside covered in burlap as weed suppressant, many line of half inch drip tubing are strung throughout the area to water a variety of plants and trees. The lines all emanate from PVC risers coming out of the ground on the side of the hillside.

And that’s how to install a solar powered drip irrigation system.

A faucet with a hose timer and half inch drip tubing connected to it pictured. A man is next to the faucet, starting to dig out a trench to reveal the main water line underneath. This will be the origination of the solar powered irrigation system.

A trenched line reveals the main water line with a shut off valve on both sides of the main line, on both side of a PVC riser the has a hose faucet attached to the top.

DeannaCat is holding a 4-station valve manifold with mainline PVC attached to the bottom. This section will be connected to the end of a preexisting water line.

Irrigation valves are shown on PVC risers inside a trench. The outlet pipe needs to be connected along with the wiring for each of the valves.

A solenoid is in focus on the top of an irrigation valve. The wires will all connect to a solar powered irrigation control box.

The valve irrigation wiring is shown, each colored wire is connected to a red wire with an electrical cap at each end with electrical tape. A mass of black wires and one white wire are all fed into the same electrical cap.

A multi colored strand of wired are connected together with electrical tape, all the black wires and the white wire are feeding into one electrical cap while a red wire is connected to each different colored wire with a cap at the end.

An irrigation control box is connected to a 2x6 section of wood connected to a 4x4 post. The controller is open and the wires from the valves are splayed out inside the box, they need to be inserted into the corresponding zone sections inside the controller.

The bundle of wires are shown inside the control box which power each of the irrigation zones.

A solar powered rechargeable battery is shown inside the irrigation control box.

The inside wiring of the irrigation controller is shown. A variety of colored wires are connected to each of the zones and control.

Irrigation valves and sections of PVC inside a trench are shown next to a faucet spigot. A irrigation controller is behind the valves connected to a 4x4 post with a solar panel connected to the top which will run the irrigation system.

A trenched hillside has four PVC lines coming down to PVC rises with elbows which will be the starting point for each drip zone. Solar powered irrigation will be running this system.

Four PVC risers with elbows are shown, one of them has a drip adapter screwed onto the elbow, a hand is holding half inch drip tubing which is to be connected to the adapter.

Two different lines of half inch drip tubing are running next to each other. One of the lines is connected to a tee which has drip tubing connected to each point of the tee.

A section of a terraced orchard is shown covered in burlap ground cover. Black half inch drip tubing is running along fruit tree lines and pollinator plants planted directly into the terraced hill side.

A hand is holding a drip emitter, below there is half inch drip tubing with a drip hole punch next to it. Solar irrigation will be running this system.

A close up image of a bubble emitter that is attached directly to 1/2 inch drip tubing. It is releasing water in a 360 degree spray. A rock rose is planted directly underneath where the water is dripping.

Black irrigation tubing is running along rocks with drip emitters along the line and running to other plants further away. Burlap is being used as weed suppressant before bark mulch will be placed over the top. Solar powered irrigation is running this system.

An orchard space is mulched with bark, and area remains uncovered of mulch but has burlap which is being used as a weed suppressant. Black irrigation tubing is running down from the hill and is connected and running in between a few rock lined planting zones to irrigate new plants.

A mulched orchard space with rocks used to line out planting areas of shrubs and perennial flowers. A cat is standing in one of the zones while a man is hunched over in a terraced part of the orchard adjusting the irrigation on a fruit tree. Solar powered irrigation is what runs this drip system.

A man in a sun hat is standing on a tier of an orchard on a slope, a cat is walking towards the camera. Rocks are lined along each sloped terrace, fruit trees are planted along the top while many pollinator plants are planted along the slope of the terrace.

DeannaCat signature, keep on growing