Diy drip irrigation for cucumbers from plastic bottles

Cucumbers are a moisture-loving crop that needs to be watered and fed periodically while growing outdoors. Watering too rarely can affect the growth of the bushes and the yield. The fruits themselves may also suffer, which will grow tasteless and bitter.

Not all vegetable growers have the opportunity to constantly be in the country to constantly water cucumbers. In this case, drip irrigation of cucumbers is created in a greenhouse or vegetable garden, which will ensure a constant supply of moisture to the plants. For such purposes, do-it-yourself watering from plastic bottles is created.

Pros and cons

Watering with plastic bottles is pretty simple. To ensure the flow of moisture to the cucumbers, it is necessary to dig in a bottle with small holes near each bush for water to leak. Such bottle watering has a number of advantages, which include:

1. Low cost. This system is practically free, since only plastic containers are needed to create it, which you can independently find on the street or purchase at a low price.
2. Ease of creation. To equip irrigation with plastic bottles, a person does not need any special skills, so everyone can do this job.
3. Simplified care for cucumbers growing in the garden or in greenhouse conditions. For watering in a greenhouse through plastic bottles, a person does not have to spend a lot of time at his summer cottage. Using this scheme, a person can go about their business and not worry about plants.
4. Protecting cucumbers from burns. Auto-irrigation of the bushes with a drip method protects the leaves on the bushes from burns, since the water will flow directly to the root.
5. Autonomy. Most popular systems require a plumbing system. In this case, you only need bottles filled with water.
6. Liquid temperature. The water with which cucumbers are watered has the same temperature as the air in the greenhouse. This has a positive effect on plant growth.
7. Easy dismantling and repair. There are times when an element in the system breaks down and has to be completely replaced. To do this, it will be enough to dig out the broken bottle and install a new one in its place.

Despite all its advantages, this irrigation system has some disadvantages:

• The complexity of the organization of watering in large areas. Therefore, if it is necessary to ensure the supply of moisture to large areas, it is recommended to use any other methods of irrigation.
• Frequent problems.Often, the holes in the bottles begin to get clogged with earth, and this slows down the flow of moisture into the soil.
• Inadequate watering. Such a system is rather primitive and because of this, it cannot completely replace open field irrigation. The gardener will sometimes have to independently irrigate the bushes with a watering can. To ensure full watering, it is recommended to use special tapes connected to the water supply.

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Materials used

Before tackling drip irrigation after top dressing, you need to decide what materials and tools you will need to equip the system:

• roulette;
• shovel for digging containers into the ground;
• awl or nails to create holes;
• bottles;
• a lighter that will heat the needle or nail.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of bottles, since they are the main material of the irrigation system. First you need to decide on the volume of containers. In this case, the choice directly depends on the area in which the cucumbers will be grown. If the temperature is very high throughout the day, then large containers will be needed for irrigation that could hold a sufficient amount of water. It must be remembered that the temperature in greenhouses is higher than outside and therefore the plants will need more water.

It is not recommended to use containers of small volume, as this will cause you to add liquid to it too often. Therefore, it is worth giving up half-liter bottles. The best option would be to use two-liter containers, which will be enough for a week and a half.

However, if the summer is too hot, then you will have to use five-liter eggplants so that the bushes have enough moisture. The possibility of using such a large container should be considered in advance, as it takes up a lot of space.

You should also pay attention to choosing the right fabric. It is needed to protect the bottle openings from contamination. To do this, the fabric will have to be wrapped around the outside of the bottle so that the earth cannot get inside. It is recommended to choose a fabric that is not very thick so that water can pass through it freely.

It is recommended to use needles to pierce the caps to make holes about one millimeter in diameter. If they are too large, the water will be used up quickly.

Arrangement methods

There are four main methods by which you can create a bottle irrigation system. Therefore, before starting work, you should familiarize yourself with each of them.

Digging into the ground

The most common way to set up open field irrigation is to bury the containers in the ground with the bottom down. To do this, a small hole is made near each bush with a depth of at least 10 cm, into which the container will be placed. Then, using a tape measure, 3-5 cm from the beginning of the bottom are canceled at the bottle and a mark is made. After that, holes in several rows are created in the marked area using a heated needle. About 10 holes need to be made.

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The prepared bottle is carefully wrapped with a cloth and placed in the ground upside down. Then it is buried and filled with water. Often from above, debris from the ground gets into the water. To solve this problem, you should cover the neck with nylon or cloth.

Digging in with the neck down

This method differs from the previous one in that the container will be placed in the ground with the bottom up. Therefore, holes will have to be made in the lid or in the neck. To organize watering in this way, holes for containers are made near each bush. At the same time, they need to be done a little less than last time. Their depth should be equal to the size of the container neck.

Having finished with the creation of the holes, you can start preparing the containers.On the lid or in the neck with a well-heated nail, you need to make 5-10 holes. If the soil is not very dense, then their number can be reduced.

After that, five centimeters are measured from the bottom of the container and the bottom of the container is cut off with scissors or a knife. Some gardeners do not cut it completely and leave it to protect against debris and rapid evaporation of moisture. Then a cloth is wrapped around the neck and it is placed in the ground.

Hanging

Some do not want to expose the root system of cucumbers and therefore they refuse to dig in containers near the bushes. It is in situations like this that it is recommended to use this method. To organize watering in this way, you must first make holes in the bottom of the container. Several holes are also made to pass the wire through which the container will be attached.

After that, a structure is mounted above the bush to secure the container. Its height should not be too high. It is necessary that the distance from the bottle to the ground is about 40 cm.

Application of attachments

This method is the most costly, since you will have to purchase special attachments for bottles. Using them, you do not have to waste your time digging containers into the ground. It will be enough just to fix the nozzle on the neck and deepen it into the ground.

Conclusion

Making drip irrigation from plastic bottles with your own hands for cucumbers is not a very difficult job that almost everyone can handle. To do this, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the recommendations for creating an irrigation system and watch a video that describes the correct system and the process of creating it.