Micro Irrigation-Gardening Simplified

Creating beautiful gardens is so much more than a relaxing hobby. Today, these spaces bring in fresh produce into our homes, provide a space for a mini getaway and can create environments for pollinators and wildlife.   

This year continues to show a growth in home vegetable and fruit gardens.  For some it’s to grow hard to find produce like heirlooms, others love that fresh from the garden taste, while some have turned towards gardening for the security that the food that they are consuming is pesticide-free. Whatever the reason, more and more Canadians are growing their own food. 

At the same time, Canadians are wanting to surround ourselves in beautiful spaces-perfect for relaxing on the weekend or after a hard day at work. Container gardens, tropicals, and annuals can elevate these spaces, truly making them a mini oasis.  The results are stunning, filling our properties with beautiful flowers, our kitchens with fresh food, and creating spaces that we can relax and enjoy.

However; gardens aren’t something that you can’t just plant and go.  They need regular watering and weeding to keep the plants healthy and the gardens looking beautiful.  Annuals, tropicals, and vegetables are particularly water intensive-often requiring multiple waterings per day.

This is not only time consuming but can become extremely daunting, especially if you are planning to enjoy your summer with mini getaway’s or if your containers are at “a home away from home.”  Thankfully there is a solution for the busy home and cottage gardener-Micro Irrigation.

Micro-irrigation-The Earth Element Way 

One of the advantages of micro-irrigation is that it can be fully customized to the particular needs of the client and plants.  When considering which solution is most effective, Earth Elements reviews several factors with our customers, including:

• Type of plants in the container

• Number of plants’

• Size and depth of the container

• Type of medium used

This customized approach ensures that the system that we recommend will respond to the specific needs of your plants and the container.

Micro Irrigation 101

Micro or drip irrigation is an efficient way to water all of your plants in your landscape, including large gardens, containers, hanging baskets, and everything in between. These automatic watering systems are tailored to respond to the water needs of the specific plants.   Your plants will get exactly the amount of water that they need, when they need it, improving the overall health of the plant.  But that’s not all, because the water gets right to the roots, micro-irrigation means fewer weeds, healthier plants, and minimal water waste.   

Benefits of Micro-irrigation

• Less Weeding- Water feeds the plants not the weeds  

• Minimizes the risk of foliage diseases (water gets to the roots, not the leaves)

• The system is adapted to the needs of the plants

• Low-pressure system- No pump required

• Environmentally Friendly- Minimizes water waste and runoff

An Overview of Micro Irrigation Systems:

At Earth Elements, we strive to make gardening (and in turn watering) a positive experience for our clients.  Micro-irrigation allows our customers to fall back in love with gardening making it easy to have a vegetable garden, healthier containers, and maintain multiple gardens in one property.  Here are just a few of the systems that are available:

Professional Landscape Dripline with Eco Wrap

Ideal for: Gardens, Large Containers and Hard to Get to Areas

Benefits:

·       uniform distribution of water

·       The fleece of the Eco wrap spreads the water quickly and efficiently

·       Promotes healthier plant roots

·       Eliminates overspray onto buildings, sidewalks or vehicles

Mini Landscape Dripline

Ideal for: Planters, Container Gardens

Benefits:

·       6mm dripline perfect for smaller spaces

·       Available in 30 m and 76 m lengths

·       Perfect system for cottagers or boaters

Micro Sprays

Ideal for: Planters, Small Gardens, and Containers

Benefits:

·       Flexible irrigation solution with a range of flows and diameters

·       Fully customizable with a choice of one of three varieties: Solo drip, Halo-Spray, and Trio Spray

·       Adjustable distance and flow make it easy to irrigate pots, gardens beds, and landscaped areas

·       Good overhead coverage

Multi-Port Emitters

Ideal for: Planters, Gardens and Weed prone areas

Benefits:

·       Irrigation is targeted directly to the root zone of the plant

·       Ensures that the plants receive exactly the amount of water that they need, without feeding weeds

·       Customizable to respond to the specific watering needs of your plants

Root Zone Watering Systems

Ideal for: Trees, newly established plants

Benefits:

·       Provides plants with a strong start by providing irrigation throughout the root zone

·       Encourages deep root growth, building the resiliency of the plant

·       Hunter’s patented Strata Root design delivers water at multiple levels of the root zone

One of the benefits of micro-irrigation is the variety of systems available.  At Earth Elements, we begin our micro-irrigation conversation not with our products, but the specific challenges that you want to resolve. This ensures that each of our clients receives the solution that best responds to their needs.  Micro-irrigation is designed for the busy gardener providing an automated watering system for your gardens, containers, and hanging baskets.  Stop being overwhelmed with watering -, contact an Earth Elements representative today to find out the right solution for your home, office boat or cottage.