Irrigation Components

If building a DIY system, you need irrigation parts and components. 

A DIY irrigation system will allow you to:

• Time feeds
• Administer a precise feed
• Spend less time feeding
• Help plants perform better

What types of DIY irrigation or dripper systems are there?

There are many ways to do it, but generally people will either create drip lines, with end stops. Or they will build a drip ring. 

It's much better to create a drip ring than it is to create drip lines. This is because in a drip line, the pants closest to your pump (where the water pressure is highest) tend to get more access to feed. To avoid this, you'll need to use pressure-compensated drippers (PCBs).

However, it's much easier to use a drip ring where you'll get a more even pressure throughout.

What will I need?

If creating a DIY system you will need:

• A tank
• A pump
• Drippers (and manifolds, drip line/delivery pipe)
• Irrigation pipe
• Irrigation joins (elbows, T pieces, etc)
• Timer (for timed feeds)

You may also need other components, such as:

• Valves or taps to block off water flow. It's great if you're not using all pots at some point, or if you want to maintain part of your system.
  
  
• Anti-siphoning valves to stop feed traveling through pipes and reaching plants when your pump goes off (it's a must with high-pressure pumps)
  
  
• End Stops to block off pipes where there's nothing connecting to it.
  
  
• Non-return valves to prevent backflow
  
  

How do I remove unused nutrient solution?

You can drain it away with a DIY run-to-waste system. A great way to do this is with RhizoStands. You can connect lengths of pipe to them and deliver it to a waste bucket or tank. Doing this ensures plants aren't absorbing stale, stagnant feed.