Interactive lesson

Drip by drip, step by step

Interactive lesson: from water butt or well to the dripper — parts, pressure and gravity, measuring flow, laying out, checking moisture and winter.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Drip irrigation module. Already bought? Unlock

This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.

The whole lesson as text

1. Why drip

When you water with a hose, a good part of the water goes on the path, on the leaves and into the air.

Water to the roots — With drip roughly 90 % of the water reaches the roots. A watering can and hose give roughly half to two thirds.
Less water — The same bed needs roughly 30–50 % less water than when you water it with a hose.
Dry leaves — Water goes into the soil, not onto the leaves. Dry leaves also mean less blight.
Waters without you — With a timer the system waters even when you are away, every morning at six.

Why: Drip gives water slowly, right by the plant. The same bed needs roughly 30–50 % less water, and the leaves stay dry. Together with mulch it is the strongest water-saving measure on a homestead.

Drip makes sense from a garden of 30–50 m² upwards, and in a polytunnel or greenhouse it is close to essential.
A sprinkler is for the lawn, not for vegetables: roughly half the water reaches the roots.

2. Parts of the system

Every system, from a water butt to a well with a pump, follows the same order.

Source and backflow preventer — At the source there is a tap or valve. Where it joins the mains, a backflow preventer (check valve) is a must: water from the system must never flow back into the supply.
A filter is not optional — A 120 mesh screen or disc filter, about 130 microns. Otherwise sand, algae and silt clog the drippers.
Regulator and timer — A regulator set to 1–1.5 bar (15–20 psi) is only needed on mains or a pump, because tape bursts above 1.5–2 bar. Then a battery timer or a tap.
Main pipe and lines — The main pipe is PE pipe of 20–32 mm (about ¾–1¼ in). Starter connectors join the 16 mm lines, and the end of every line is folded or closed with a plug.

Why: Source, filter, valve with timer and regulator, main pipe, then lines with drippers. Without a filter, drippers clog in the first season.

To start with: tape on the vegetable beds and single 4 L/h drippers on fruit trees and bushes.
Tape lasts 1–3 seasons; dripline with built-in emitters lasts 10 years or more, but costs more.