Considerations to Make when Irrigating Your Crops
Water is needed by crops for them to survive. Crops are able to get the water they need when it rains. In case it is not raining, these crops need to be watered. Irrigation is a method which can be used to water these crops when it is not raining. During irrigation, water is supplied by an irrigation sprinkler. Apart from the sprinkler, pumps, and valves are needed during the irrigation. For all the crops to receive water, a good sprinkler is needed. The sprinkler should be of good quality and large enough to supply to the whole garden.
For many years, a lot of people who grow crops have done irrigation as a way of watering them. When irrigating crops, different irrigation methods are used. All irrigation methods are not effective in all gardens. Therefore, you need to choose an irrigation method which is effective for your garden. Also, you need to know the options available so that you can choose the best from them. For your irrigation to be effective, a number of things have to be put into consideration. Some of the things which need to be considered when doing irrigation are discussed below.
Consider the type of soil in the garden where the crops are grown. The type of soil in a garden where the crops are grown determines the irrigation method to be used. The frequency in which you irrigate the crops is also determined by the type of soil . If the soil is sandy, irrigation should be done frequently. Clay soils are known to hold water for long periods and so if your garden has clay soil, irrigation should not be done frequently. Also, you should use a minimal amount of water if the garden has clay soil.
The land topography should be considered. A structure of the land is what is known as the land’s topography. A land can either be flat, hilly or sloppy. When you know how your land is structured, you will able to prevent water runoffs during irrigation. If your land is flat, you can irrigate your crops by drip irrigation as the water will run along the topographic lines. To avoid water wastage, pivot and traveler systems should not be used if your land is sloppy or hilly.
During irrigation, the type of crops grown should be considered. A lot of money is spent when buying the tools to be used for irrigation. High value crops are the crops which should be irrigated for you to get back the money which is spent when buying the irrigation tools. It is better to irrigate vegetables, small fruits and orchard crops rather than irrigating wheat and soya beans. Some of the things which should be put in mind when doing irrigation are discussed above.