If you use sprinklers to irrigate your farm, then it is very important that you use them effectively. Good use of sprinklers can in fact save water while helping your vegetables to grow even better.
Always make sure your sprinklers are in good working order at the start of the dry season. You can get the help of a local plumbing expert to check and confirm that everything is in good working order. If you are a “Do it yourself” kind of person you can check the performance of your sprinklers on your own. This will involve testing flow and ability to throw water, along with ensuring that there are no broken pieces which need to be attended to. Should anything be broken or out of order, then it can be taken care of before you begin.
Most people usually use a tank alone to achieve pressure which fails to give good ranges with sprinklers. If possible, you should consider connecting your sprinklers to water pumps for more pressure and a good range. These will not be available for every farm, but those who have the options should definitely take it. Using pressure is generally quicker as well and gets the job done on time thus saving power or fuel.
The right time to use your sprinklers
Another good thing to do with your sprinklers is set them to go off early in the morning and in the evening. Using your sprinklers during the day is ill advised, especially in dry areas in Kenya
Watering your farm early in the morning will provide you with the greatest results for having healthy crops because the water will be able to soak into the ground before it evaporates. If you don’t like waking up early to turn on your sprinkler, consider investing in an automatic timer. A timer will allow you to set the time period you want to start irrigation. It will sprinkler to run during this time, and it will let you sleep peacefully. A timer is also very useful especially when you are travelling and you don’t have anyone to take care of your farm.
If you don’t want to invest in a timer, there is the option of watering your farm in the evening between 4pm-6pm. Avoid running your sprinklers at night due to puddles that can form at night instead of draining properly with help from the sun.
Comments (1)
Very helpful information. Im thinking of going into farming. Its important to know some of these things