One of the dreams of every farmer is to have a drip irrigation system. As desirous as having a drip irrigation system is, some farmers may not be able to afford it because of its cost implication.
Making a cheap drip irrigation system may be the solution to address the inability of poor farmers to afford the conventional drip irrigation system.
How to make a cheap and affordable drip irrigation system
The following are the ways to make a cheap drip irrigation system:
The use of plastic bottles
Plastic bottles can be used to make a cheap drip irrigation system. It should be noted that this can only work for small farms. You cannot use this method for farms bigger than one acre.
You need to get PET bottles (used or discarded water or beverage plastic bottles). Open the plastic bottles and fill up the plastic bottles with water.
Drill a hole on the cover of the plastic bottle and hand the water filled plastic bottles on stakes beside the plants.
The water will drip in trickles to the base of the plants intermittently. This can suffice for a drip irrigation system.
The use of bottle drip irrigation system can be cheap for small scale farmers.
The use of PVC pipes
Small farmers can use PVC pipes for their drip irrigation systems. To use PVC pipe for a drip irrigation system, you have to drill holed at equal intervals on the PVC pipes.
The drilled holes on the PVC pipes will serve as the water emitting point. Once, the drilling of holes is complete. You need to lay the PVC pipes beside the rows of plants.
Connect the PVC pipes to the source of water with mainlines and submains and you will see water dripping to the root zone of the plants through the holes on the PVC pipes. The PVC drip irrigation system can be very useful for small scale farmers and gardeners.
The use of PE hoses
Polythene hoses can also be used to make a cheap drip irrigation system. To use PE hoses for drip irrigation system, you will need to also make holes on the hoses at equal intervals. The holes will work like the emitters on drip tapes.
Thee PE hoses with already made holes can then be laid at the side of the rows of plants to wet the root zone of the plants with water.
The use of cheap drip tapes
Drip tapes are set of hoses with emitters pre-installed on them at specified intervals. A drip tape is one of the main components of a drip irrigation system. Some drip tapes are of low quality and cheap.
You can use these cheap low quality drip tapes if you cannot afford the high quality type. You should however note that these cheap drip tapes do not last long. Some cheap drip tapes may get damaged within a period of 2 – 6 months.
The use of arrow drippers
Arrow drippers are small flexible tubes that can be inserted into pots and beds for the irrigation of plants. They pass water to the root zones of crops slowly. Arrow drippers are relatively cheap to the conventional drip irrigation system. They can be used to make a DIY drip irrigation system.
The use of buried plastic bottles
Plastic bottles filled with water can also be used to make a cheap drip irrigation system. These water filled plastic bottles are buried in the soil. Before burying the water filled plastic bottle, a hole should be made at the base of the plastic bottle so it will be able to drain water slowly to the plants.
The use of buckets
Buckets filled with water can also be used to make a cheap DIY drip irrigation system. You need to drill a hole at the base of the bucket and connect a pipe or hose to the bucket through the hole. The connected pipe or hose should be directed to the pot or where the crop is planted. Water can be passed to the plants through the pipes or hoses.
Tools needed to make a cheap drip irrigation system
The following are some of the tools needed to make a cheap drip irrigation system:
- Drill Bits
- Hole drilling machine
- Hammer
- Screwdrivers
- Bolt and nut removers etc.
Do you use a cheap drip irrigation system? If yes, why not share your experiences with us in the comments’ section.
You can also buy a drip irrigation system here.
Read our latest article on the best time of the day for drip irrigation.