How long should you run your drip irrigation?
One of the most common questions we get is “how long/often one should run their drip irrigation system to get the best out of it.”
Drip irrigation is an essential solution for farmers in Kenya. Drip irrigation is a low-tech, highly efficient solution for smallholder farmers. It can increase agricultural production by as much as 50% using only 10% of the water that farmers currently use. At the same time, drip irrigation also limits topsoil erosion, pest infestation and evaporation from the crop’s surface.
With a drip irrigation system, water deeply, but infrequently (once or twice a week). Apply enough water to penetrate the soil to a depth of approximately 20 cm. You can dig up the soil around the crop with your hand to check if it is moist.
There are a lot of factors that affect irrigation namely:
- Soil type
- Weather
- Slopes
- Crops
A typical dry season watering schedule in a vegetable farm with a drip irrigation system is to run it twice/thrice a week, several hours at a time. However the best regime for you will depend on the factors above.
