Irrigation 101

Follow along with us as we begin our Irrigation 101 course. You will learn about soil types, water efficiency, infiltration types, and much more from these FREE videos.

Stay tuned for new videos every week!

The struggle of the ancient peoples informs us about the other facets that irrigation specialists sometimes overlook, drainage and soil quality. While the Egyptians had a relatively easy time of it, the civilizations around the Tigris-Euphrates area (Mesopotamia, Babylon, Iraq, and Iran) struggled with drainage and salinization issues. Poorly drained fields can build high concentrations of salt and toxins. Salinity is difficult to counter and can be devastating to most plants.

The invention of the drip emitter in the late ‘50s in Israel was the next quantum leap in watering tech. Drip technology had previously been limited because the small holes necessarily used were prone to clogging. Simcha Blass discovered a way to use plastic pipes with larger holes, and a revolution was born.

There have been a lot of objections to sprinkler systems over the years based on the impact irrigation may have on the environment. Many studies have been conducted by universities and agricultural agencies outlining the benefits of proper irrigation.

An irrigation system’s primary goal is to assist nature in watering our landscape adequately for healthy plants. An irrigation system’s secondary goal is to provide this assistance without excessive use, waste, or inefficiencies.