Hothouse Irrigation

Considerations

• When configuring an irrigation system, several factors should be included in the planning. Consider water quality. Fluoridated municipal water can damage certain plants. Water from wells, rainfall or ponds should be tested for pH and mineral content. The fertilizer system may be tied into the irrigation system. Certain watering schemes are more complicated, but less time consuming and some systems may not be suitable where fungal pathogens are extremely prevalent.

Manual Irrigation

• Manual irrigation, or hand watering, is the simplest and most time consuming method but it offers several advantages. Hand watering allows growers to observe each plant individually to determine whether or not it must be watered or requires additional care. A variety of nozzles and long handle options allow greater reach and flexibility with water flow. Care must be taken to prevent the spread of disease if the nozzle comes into contact with infected or vulnerable plants.

Sprinkler Irrigation

• Sprinkler or mist irrigation can douse entire benches of plants with minimal effort and raises the humidity. This ability to raise humidity, best accomplished by mist nozzles, can be welcome in dry climates or during summer heat stress. However, overhead irrigation, especially in cooler areas, can create ideal conditions for fungal development. Often, sprinkler irrigation is used for sporadic irrigation once or twice per week in conjunction with daily hand watering.

Drip Irrigation

• A drip-irrigation system applies water to plants through perforated pipes or emitters. A drip irrigation system may prove somewhat time consuming to install and may occasionally require repair or attention. A common system involves piping water through PVC pipes and diverting it into smaller microtubes that have weighted or staked ends in each pot. Drip irrigation systems offer convenience, dry leaves, a constant water supply and water conservation.

Subirrigation

• Subirrigation, also known as seepage irrigation, involves delivering water directly to the root systems of plants from below. This type of system allows a large savings in labor, uniform plant growth, minimized foliar disease and eliminates pesticide and fertilizer runoff and leaching. However, subirrigation systems are quite costly to install and it may be difficult to retrofit existing structures. Growers must also possess or acquire some familiarity with the requirements of subirrigation systems. Capillary matting placed below plants allows a simpler but more time consuming method of subirrigation.