Irrigators Inc

From the simple watering can to the most advanced of irrigation equipment, devices to water plants come in many guises.

Automatic Watering Equipment

Depending upon the size of the area that you need to soak with water, you will either need something small like a watering can or bucket, as is the case with small holdings or some form of irrigation device. For those watering plants in the greenhouse or a small patch of allotment, the watering can will generally suffice. Watering cans (or at least the term ‘watering can’) came into being in 1692 and prior to this the watering pot was utilized. A watering can will carry up to ten litres of water and is produced in a variety of materials including plastic, metal or ceramics.

To avoid an excessive rush of water onto plants, a watering can has something called a ‘rose’ situated at the end of the spout. Circular in design, the rose has a number of holes in it allowing for the pouring of droplets instead of a stream of water.

On a larger scale watering equipment varies according to the needs of the ground, the plants and the production of crops.

Irrigation was used, it is argued, in 6^th Millennium BCE in Iran, Egypt and Mesopotamia in order to supply water to barley fields. As an extensive version of watering equipment, irrigation has always been used to provide water when natural rainfall is insufficient to support a crop.

Irrigation techniques and devices vary according to how water is acquired from its source and then distributed about the land. The objective of an effective watering system is to evenly cover the field with water so that crops are able to use it as and when crops need it. Irrigation techniques are many and include localized, sprinkler, drip and surface irrigation.

A manual irrigation capability is often more labour intensive and involves buckets and watering cans. While basic in structure and ability, this form of crop irrigation is often utilized in some African farming suburbs.

Seepage irrigation or sub-irrigation is a popular crop watering method where fields have high water tables. This method of irrigation involving the moistening of the soil from below the crop’s root is generally found operating in river valleys and lowland terrains. Water is generally pumped up, absorbed and then recycled from the excess. A drainage system allows the water levels to be reduced via a system of weirs, pumping stations and gates. Where sub irrigation thrives is in the world of the commercial greenhouse especially where potted plants are tended.

What type of watering equipment will you choose to adopt?