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Automatic watering systems are economic and environment-friendly. They must be properly installed and well-adapted to the space (park, garden, terrace, etc.) to preserve all their advantages and meet the needs of the plants in question. Two factors that are important to carefully analyse and take into account before doing any work are the rate of flow and water pressure. There are various kinds of automatic watering systems. Drip-feed, porous hose or micro-sprinkler systems come under surface watering systems (the supply hosing is laid directly on the ground) as opposed to buried watering systems, which involve turbines or nozzles fed by a system of underground pipes.
Whether surface or buried, these systems are composed of a programmer, valves (to control the water flow) and sprinklers that automatically feed water to the concerned area. The choice of system depends on the surface area in question. We distinguish between spraying (by sprinkler head, nozzle, turbine, rotating micro-sprayer, etc.), drip-feed (with emitter and emitter tube), micro-sprinkler (watering by a fine shower for fragile plants and plants without large leaves), sub-irrigation (the water arrives under the plant, not above it), a relative new system that uses less water, and atomizing (mostly for floral production).
Production and use
Whether you are watering parks or flower-producing areas, the result depends on how the water supply is managed. Automatic watering is a time-saver, the rate of flow is controlled by a constant intake of water and it ensures regular growth of the plants, but it depends on the 'source': wells, drilling, water tank, or water conveyance system.
You then need the right pumping system, and the length and width of the pipes make a difference. Whether you choose an underground system with retractable sprinkler heads (more aesthetic in urban gardens), micro-spraying, drip-feed or sub-irrigation (better suited for nurseries and producers), it is all a matter of water pressure and the type of plants to be watered.
(sources: Salon du végétal, Netafim, Rainbird)
At Rungis Market
Olivier Flechon and Xavier Lamiuzel, Managers of Agrena:
“Automatic watering is a question of equipment. There are many systems and it all depends on what you want to water. After that, everything’s possible.” Judging from the Agrena shelves, automatic watering requires a whole load of equipment and tools: hoses, pipes, sprinklers, sprayers, nozzles, bends, reels, filters, drip-feeds, valves, regulators, tubes and turbines and programmers.
Sabine Moreux
