Hydroponic Drip Irrigation System – Questions And Answers | ArticlesBase.com

Nowadays, the concept of hydroponic drip irrigation system is slowly but surely gaining ground among garden enthusiasts.  You probably have many questions about it, which this article regarding the drip system can hopefully help you to understand better.

What Is a Drip System?

Among the many types and subtypes of hydroponic techniques, you will discover that the drip irrigation system is the most widely used since it is relatively simple but highly effective in plant cultivation.  Basically, plant nutrition is provided on a pre-determined basis via a timer that controls the submerged pump.  Said pump is connected to a main tube that branches off into smaller tubes through which plant nutrients are delivered unto the base of each plant.  The nutrients will trickle into the grow media, into the roots and finally into the reservoir.  Think of your home’s drip system although with a hydroponic twist and you get the idea of the hydroponic drip irrigation system.

What Are the Advantages? 

For the most part, the drip system is applicable to commercial facilities engaging in long-term cultivation of specific crops like tomatoes.  However, home growers are increasingly taking advantage of its advantages that include:

There is plenty of aeration since the roots are neither totally submerged nor totally dried out.  You have to experiment, however, with the right combination of times for delivery of nutrients. 
 
The nutrients are delivered exactly where you want them, hence, promoting cost-efficiency, and faster plant growth.
 
It is very easy to install especially when it comes in ready-made kits, not to mention that the parts are very durable. 
 
The nutrients can be recycled especially in the recovery type of hydroponic drip irrigation system.   
 
After all, it will not be as popular as it is now if there are no great benefits.

Are There Sub-Types?

There are two basic types of hydroponic drip irrigation system for hydroponic gardening.  First, the recovery method allows for a more efficient use of nutrients since you can recycle the excess that drips into the reservoir.  You can also use a cheaper timer since it does not demand precise control over the watering cycles.  However, you may have to put in more time and efforts since wide shifts in nutrient and pH levels can happen, thus, requiring periodic checking and adjusting.

On the other hand, the non-recovery hydroponic drip system requires a more expensive although more precise timer.  This way, you can ensure that the plant nutrients are delivered on the precise times and quantities, which will help in significantly reducing runoff and wastage.

On the upside, you can basically let the system operate on its own.  You just need to fill the reservoir with the right pH-adjusted nutrient, set the timer, and let it do its work.  This is because pH and nutrient levels will not vary since the runoff is not recycled back into the system.

Your decision about which type of hydroponic drip system you will use depends on your available time, allotted money, and level of expertise.  As much as possible, opt for the simplest system then progress from there as you learn more about hydroponic agriculture.

 

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Many an organic gardening guide makes life more complex for the first-time gardener.  You will find this a sad state of affairs considering that organic gardening is neither for the birds nor for rocket scientists only.  In fact, anybody who can follow the following tips on organic gardening can discover the green thumb that lies in all of us.

Planting the Seeds

You have to make your bed and lie on it, too, so to speak in organic gardening.   Usually, you must make your plant beds at least three weeks before planting the seeds, which will allow the soil to sufficiently loosen up.  You must only water the soil lightly, just enough to moisten it. 

Depending on the author of the organic gardening guide, you will be told to either carve out shallow trenches for symmetry or just shallow furrows for the seeds.  Both methods are acceptable depending on the type of plant you will be cultivating and the style of planting you want to achieve.

Now, you can sow the seeds preferably with slow-release nutrients thrown in.  Just follow the manufacturer’s directions regarding the number of seeds for each hole, how far apart each hole must be, and how much water is necessary.  You must then cover the seeds with soil.

Transplanting the Plants

At some point in your new hobby, your organic gardening guide will provide instructions on transplanting.  If you are confused with the apparently mumbo-jumbo words, don’t worry as these can be reduced to simple instructions like:

Dig a hole, which must be twice in diameter of the plant but only as deep as its container. 
Water the plant before actual transplantation so that it will not lose out on precious moisture.
Remove the plant from its original container through its stem and by pushing on the container’s bottom.  The roots must be as intact as possible. 
Place the plant in the hole as if you were returning it to its original container.  Unless it’s a tomato, in which case, you plant it a little deeper. 
Replace the soil and provide moisture once again. 
 
See, it is simple to do.  Also, the key to great success when it comes to transplanting, and which any self-respecting organic gardening guide will tell you, is that you must perform this activity when the sky is overcast.  This way, you lessen the risk of the plant suffering from dehydration during the process.

Controlling the Pests and Weeds

Unfortunately, organic gardening does not mean that pests and weeds are things of the past.  In fact, some assert that it can be worse since insecticides and pesticides are not allowed in organic gardening.

So, what to do?  Well, you can adapt the suggestions contained in an organic gardening guide, that’s what you ought to do.  These suggestions will include growing healthy plants, building barriers, encouraging pests’ predators, mulch, hand pull, and hoe, all of which will require further reading.

Still, when you come to think of it, reading books on organic gardening while getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn!  You just have to practice patience and perseverance and soon enough, you shall be harvesting the fruits of your labor.

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MAINTAINING  A GOOD NURSERY

Nursery is very important in vegetable production. It is advisable to construct a nursery  in your farm or garden to keep your seedling in a safe place. It may not be a big one but what is important  you have a nursery.

Seedlings raised in the nursery are easy to handle, convenient in the care and management, can be monitored closely, prevent or minimize exposure to pests and diseases and importantly,  the seedlings are hardened since they are already exposed to sunlight from sowing to transplanting.

How to Construct The Nursery

Before constructing your nursery, have the following materials and tools ready at hand to facilitate the work:

• Fine net
• G.I pipes
• tie wire
• claw hammer
• spade
• shovel
• saw
• bamboos
• cement
• nails
• plies
• germinating trays
• sand and gravel.
• Oyster or PP twine

Survey the area in your farm where to construct your nursery. Look for an open area where there is a  whole day or six to seven direct sunlight.

Don’t construct your nursery in a shaded area especially under big trees, because they will compete sunlight which is important for the young growing seedlings.

Once you’ve identified the right area, clear the site by brushing the grasses and remove any obstacles like, big stumps and other unnecessary objects that would obstruct the construction.

Make a lay-out taking into consideration the location in an “East-West Orientation.” Measure ten feet wide, thirty feet long (Standard Size) and eight feet high.

The door should be facing east where the morning sun originates. Give priority where the source of water supply is abundant.

It would be better if your nursery is located near a clean creek free of any impurities where the source comes from the mountain since you’re sure it is totally clean.

If there is no available water source, you should construct a deep well to ensure a continuous water supply.

How to Construct the Nursery

Dig a hole one square foot wide by one foot deep and put the mixed cement, sand and gravel.

Before hand, the G.I. Pipes should be formed into an Arc angle just enough to reach a height of eight feet when assembled giving an allowance at around one foot at both ends to be inserted to the mixed gravel, sand and cement on the holes.

Insert the Arc-formed  G.I pipes to the mixture. Give support to the newly installed pipes with the use of poles to stay them in place until the mixture is hard and the pipes can stand alone.

Tie a tie wire starting from the first post at a distance of four feet from the bottom around the nursery house giving allowance for the door until the whole area is tightly fit.

Install the fine net around the house to cover the whole house. Tie both ends of the fine net with an oyster or PP twine to hold them tightly.

The door should be covered with fine net but  loosely installed to give way for easy access inside the nursery shade.

Inside the nursery house construct papag(raised flooring about hip high) on both sides two feet high and four feet wide extending up to the end portion.

The papag is where the germinating or seedling trays are to be placed. Two feet is reserve as  passage for the maintenance operation especially in the management of seedlings while inside the nursery house.

After your nursery have been constructed and everything is in place, be ready with the other activities to follow. You should gather the materials in preparation for the sowing of the seeds.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “How to get started in Flower Gardening”and  “Vegetable Gardening made Easy” and lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

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HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT VEGETABLE VARIETY

The first requirement to start your vegetable project is to select the best crop to plant. Survey the market what kind of vegetables the market wants.

Be sure to discover the common problems the customers are looking in the market place.

The market might be flooded with the vegetable you’re planning to plant. This will affect your production cost such as; your capital, time, efforts and other resources incurred during your initial operation.

But if your purpose is only for home consumption, you need not have to do a survey. You can plant anything that you need for your daily needs.

Select the Right Variety

Selecting the right variety is essential when trying to go into vegetable growing.

Select the best one which will give you the highest possible returns.

Does your area fits to the crops, say; upland or lowland?

Do you want a hybrid or open pollinated variety?

The location of your land is a critical factor.

Is your land rolling or level or slightly rolling?

Some crops grow will in upland areas and some in lowland soils. Try to figure out the location of your land.

If your land is hilly or upland, there are crops that suit to the kind of land you desire. You can now decide which crop variety is suited to your area.

Most vegetables are tolerant in upland soils such as; legumes, brassicas, solanaceous, and cucurbits except water spinach (kangkong). But there is a variety of water spinach that grows in upland – the upland kangkong.

Another consideration is whether you need to plant a hybrid or open pollinated crops.

Hybrid varieties produces higher yield and matures early as compared to open varieties.

But hybrid costs high than open pollinated. Your decision again lies as to the intention or purpose you want in your garden. If your purpose is for commercial gardening, hybrid varieties will give you a better return.

But if you intend to provide only for your home daily consumption, you don’t need a hybrid variety.

Try to make all you can to maximize what is available in your locality to minimize extra expenses in your gardening project. Open pollinated varieties could be your choice just for home use purposes.

The decision is yours as to what kind of varieties you wish to consider. But the bottom line here is you aim to have a profitable business.

Some crops also grows well in cold and warm areas. These factors are also important in your vegetable ventures.

Consider the Following Factors…

• Type of Soil. Vegetable crops  have a different soil

requirements. Some grows in sand, silt(Alluvial soils) or clay type of soils.

For best result, vegetables must be planted in sandy loam to clay loam soil.  But for shallow rooted crops, it is advisable not to plant them in sandy soil.

The reason is moisture easily percolates in this type of soil which makes the plants easily wilt due to water starvation.

Another thing you should consider is the introduction of organic matter to your garden to increase soil fertility, invites friendly micro-organisms.

Once your garden is rich with organic matter other living organisms abounds especially worms.

Did you know that worms exudes excreta which is rich in Nitrogen?

And besides, worms has twelve functions to the growth and development of plants.

Experts have proven  that a soil with plenty of worms are considered fertile that are ideal for vegetable growing.

• Soil pH. Soil is measured by the level of its acidity and alkalinity. pH level below 7 is considered acidic and  alkaline soil is above 7 pH level .

Almost all  vegetable crops tolerates at a  pH of 5.5 – 6.8  level. To make certain that you’ll get the right pH level in your garden, have your soil tested with a pH meter instrument.

This instrument will measure the level of your soil whether it is acidic or alkaline.

Don’t ever attempt to plant your crop without having your soil tested.

Soil testing determines what kind of soil you have. This is vital if you want your gardening to succeed.

Acidic soil  can be neutralize by applying lime three weeks to one month before planting, while in alkaline soil apply basally Ammonium Sulfate ( NH4SO4).

• Water. Water is critical for all kinds of vegetable crops.

Lacking or over supply of water to your plants would greatly affects their growth.

It is a wise decision  for you to determine the availability of water in your area before  venturing into vegetable production.

Could it be that your area is flooded during rainy days or totally dry during summer. Is the area along a river bank where the water increases into capacity when heavy rain occurs?. All of these should be taken into serious consideration when you engage in vegetable business.

• Temperature. Vegetables are sensitive to high or low

temperature. Cucurbits grows successfully in high temperature while solanaceous, brassicas and other crops thrives best in low temperature.

• Sunlight. Limited amount of solar radiation reduces

the production capacity of vegetables. It aids for the maximum production of photosynthesis that will supply the plant in its food manufacture process needed in their growth and development.

Consider the supply of sunlight to be available at least 6 – 7 hours a day. This is ideal for most leafy and fruit vegetable.

Biological Factors

1)  Fungus. It attack the plant by sucking plant sap from the leaves, stem and other parts.

Their mode of attack starts at the bottom going upward and from older plant parts. This could be easily controlled by applying local biological methods and in serious cases by fungicides as the last recourse.

By all means don’t use chemicals to avoid chemical hazards to the environment especially to human and animals.

2) Bacteria. This is a serious diseases that affects the

vegetable industry. In fact, there is no chemical yet invented to control this disease.

It multiplies every 10 minutes at maximum speed once inside the plant. Plant affected with the disease smells a bad odor. The only remedy to control bacteria is to uproot affected plant and burn  to kill the bacteria.

Caution please…

Don’t bury affected plants in the soil, since the disease will just be there in the soil and might transfer again to other plants.

3) Virus. Like bacteria, this is the most serious disease especially to solanaceous crops.

Plants affected by the disease becomes stunted with curly and rosetting leaves. No known chemicals have been discovered yet to control virus.

Affected plants should be uprooted and burned to avoid the spread of the disease to other plants. Planting varieties resistant to virus is also advisable to get higher returns.

Tobacco mosaic virus are most common disease to all solanaceous crops like tomato, eggplant and pepper.

4) Nematode. Microscopic worms that attack the root systems of plants, nematode is not serious as the other diseases.

While inside the roots, nematode clogged the passage of foods from the root up to the other plants parts causing the root to form swelling depriving the foods to pass through the xylem and phloem and vise versa.

But once the disease presence is visible,  proper control measure should be applied to avoid further damage to the plants.

5) Insects. There are millions of insect species that destroys all types of plants.

However, not all insect pests are destructive. Some are friendly or other terms it as beneficial insects.

You’ll be guided how to identify some friendly or an enemy insect pests as we go along in the succeeding chapter on controlling insect pests and diseases. Your knowledge in the identification of these insect pests would guide you which one is detrimental or friendly to the plants.

6) Animals. In this scenario, public relation plays a vital role with your neighbors and surrounding gardeners.

You should be a good friend with everybody in your community.

If you can make it to help them when they need your assistance or any services you can provide, in return they will pay you back in terms of respect and trust.

If they have some astray animals that may destroy your plants inform them what happen in a cordial manner. Don’t act like a commander in the military, instead act like talking to a brother or sister.

There is no other way you can win their trust by being always friendly and helpful.

7) Human. Like the previous one, humans are most destructive than animals.

A single blink of your eyes, you will lost everything if you’ll not keep in good terms with your neighbors.

Again, public relation is vital here to make your gardening a success. Failure to have a good relation with the people in your community will lead you waste your time, money and labor.

Rodents. This small animal is very destructive especially to fruit vegetables and cereals.

Their presence in your farm should be given your utmost attention to minimize attack to your plants. You can control them by giving some anti-rodent chemicals.

There are vast supply of chemicals to control rodents (e.g. Racumin, Ratoxin, etc.).

________________

Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “How to get started in Flower Gardening”and  “Vegetable Gardening made Easy” and lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

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