Changes to our climate are forcing us to re-examine how we use one of our most precious natural resources – water. While long, dry summers are becoming more frequent, higher rainfall during other seasons gives us the opportunity to harness this resource through rainwater harvesting. While “saving up for a rainy day” used to be the old adage, “saving up rain for a dry day” is probably now a more relevant motto.
Using water taken directly from a main water supply can create issues with the water pressure being either too strong or insufficient. By holding water in a storage tank and regulating its pressure and flow by means of valves and pumps, more consistent watering and irrigation can be achieved.
For commercial users, a properly designed and installed system is the key to efficient irrigation and plant watering, whether mains water or harvested rainwater is being used.
For domestic properties, particularly those that feature large gardens with lawns and soft landscaping, controlled watering systems help to maintain grass and plants in healthy condition all year round without excessive water consumption. They also help to reduce the amount of work that goes into maintaining a beautiful garden.
What irrigation system type is best for you?
Permanent underground systems
A permanent underground system requires watering and irrigation to be fixed to a specific location. Good examples of this are gardens – both private and public – and horticulture.
Some underground systems use drip irrigation to direct the water as close as possible to the roots of the plants. This avoids unnecessary irrigation of surrounding areas and water loss through spray evaporation.
Where plants require spray watering, an underground system can also be designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. A good example of this is the turbine-type sprinkler head which, when the water is turned off, sinks below the surface, as soon as the water is turned on, water pressure forces the sprinkler head upwards.
This can be useful for watering large areas of lawn, where conventional sprinklers spoil the effect of landscaping and require removal before mowing or other lawn activities.
Underground systems can be used both with a main water supply or rainwater harvesting system.
Aboveground drip or soaker systems
Aboveground systems are easier to install, particularly where a garden landscape may already be well established. They are also suitable for many applications, ranging from small gardens and vegetable plots to large commercial greenhouses, nurseries, tree nurseries and garden centres.
As with underground systems, aboveground systems work equally well with mains water or harvested rainwater.
Two types of hose are used for drip and soaker systems. A soaker system uses a porous hose to dispense water evenly along its length and in a controlled manner, while a drip line may suspended just above the ground from short stakes to trickle water onto the soil.
Portable watering units (bowsers and skid units)
Of course, not all applications are suited to a fixed system. examples of this include urban landscaping, where planters may line the streets of town centres and planted baskets may hang from lamp posts, and sports fields and lawn tennis courts.
This is where a wheeled or skid-mounted bowser is most useful. Essentially a towable water tank on a trailer base, a wheeled water bowser is fitted with a water pump, hose and spray gun or watering lance. The bowser can also be built to highway-tow standards, making it suitable for use on public roads, or site-tow if it is only used within the confines of a site such as a sports complex or nursery.
A skid-mounted unit is similar, but in place of the trailer base, it features a skid plate base that makes it easy to mount and dismount on the back of a vehicle such as a pick-up truck. The advantages of a skid-mounted bowser are that it costs less to buy and maintain than a towed bowser, allows the vehicle to be used for multiple tasks and requires less storage space outside of watering seasons.
TUNGSTEN watering bowsers give customers the versatility of customising the design to match their requirements, choosing from a range of water pump sizes, hose lengths, spray guns and watering lances. Telescopic lances that extend to up to 2.5 metres can also be selected, enabling watering of high-level hanging baskets and planters.
TUNGSTEN dust-suppression bowsers, which spray a fine mist of water from a bar at the rear of the bowser, can also be an effective means of watering areas such as sports fields and lawn tennis courts.
Using technology to master water management
While watering and irrigation systems help to use water conservatively, technology can ensure that watering requirements take into account changing weather conditions so that even if you are off-site, the system will match water supply to actual needs.
Adding a Rain Bird rain sensor and control panel will detect rainfall and automatically cut off the water supply to your watering system, avoiding overwatering and waste of resources. Available in hard-wired 230V and battery-powered units, these rain sensor control units can be also supplied with Wi-Fi connectivity for ultimate flexibility.
Speak to our technical advisors about the best control units for the system you intend to install.
Government grants now cover rainwater harvesting tanks
Are you considering investment in rainwater harvesting on your farm? The UK Government has recently announced grants for rainwater harvesting tanks are to included in the new Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) for 2024.
Funding of up to £50,000 towards rainwater harvesting will be awarded to successful applicants – a great step towards conserving and reusing valuable resources. Read our recent article to find out more or give us a call to discuss your rainwater harvesting requirements before making an application.
If you are considering plant watering and irrigation, either as a fixed system or a portable unit, speak with the experts at Tanks-UK. We supply all the tanks, pipework, fittings, valves, filters, pumps and control panels you will require and can customise bowser-based systems to your specifications.
Call us on 01953 665940 or email info@tanks-uk.com for more information today!