On Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 8:29:40 AM UTC+1, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:57:38 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I've been looking at various options for setting up an irrigation system for the veg plot to connect to my water stopvalve.

I have found "Tropf-Blumat" works. Treznal, but available in the UK.

A clay cone on a water-filled widget opens and closes a thin silicone rubber
tubing, in response to the actual moisture of the soil around the clay cone. Get
the water to the plant bed any which way, and then run silicone tubing through
the device, and lead open droppers off it with tees. one dropper needs to be
near the device, so it shuts off when the soil is moist enough. The silicone
tubing is strictly necessary only in the device, so it can shut off the water,
but it's cheap enough (pound a meter, about) and lasts well.

I like because it works with the water pressure from a head of a few feet of
water, and waters only when dry. No power supply needed. Needs adjusting,
tuning, thought in setting up, though; also paying-for.


Thomas Prufer

I fiddledwith all those things years ago. The attrition rate on the drip feed items could be very high. Eventually I went with a rotating sprinkler on a home made tripod moving it about as necedssary.