Effective irrigation leads to sustainable water management solutions for the garden. Here welook at some of the top suppliers and installers offering garden irrigation solutions for 2020.
Waterwell
Waterwell has been at the forefront of garden irrigation design, installation and maintenance in London for the past 30 years. The team work in commercial and residential settings, ranging from hotels and London squares to private gardens, roof terraces and small patios. In addition the compant has been involved in the construction of award-winning gardens at RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows.
In a fast-changing world, at a time when climate change is presenting new challenges, Waterwell is committed to using the latest irrigation technologies and practices to deliver water as efficiently and effectively in every garden situation. As part of this process, the company installs wi-fi controllers, which can be monitored and adjusted remotely and are connected to virtual weather stations so that watering regimes respond automatically to current conditions. Its maintenance service is an important part of the business. With an experienced team servicing hundreds of systems on a contractual or call out basis, we ensure that gardens are irrigated at their optimum level all year round.
For more details:
www.waterwell.co.uk info@waterwell.co.u
0208 742 8855
Tonick watering
Gardens change regularly. Tree and shrubs come and go, flower beds change. What is needed is an irrigation system that can change too. A system that has just two electrical conductors that go everywhere, gives the versatility that is needed. At each valve is an electronic switch, called a decoder. It has a unique address like a telephone number. It connects to the conductors, picks up 24VAC power and listens for commands. When its number is sent, itsupplies the valve with power, turning on the water.
Having just one 2 conductor cable (called the 2wire path), allows new sections to be spliced in anywhere, just a new decoder added to make another valve work.
The TW3 is such a controller. It has a monthly seasonal adjust between 0-255% to track the weather, 4 watering programs and up to 12 start times per program. Add an inexpensive rain switch and it can water the gardens all year round without further adjustment.
Tonick decoders are waterproof and have 1-4 independent outputs. Alternatively, a “Decoder In A Solenoid” (DIAS) which replaces the existing solenoid on the valve. This saves two waterproof connectors.
Tonick Watering
sales@tonick.co.uk
Rain Bird
Rain Bird’s Root Watering System protects the investment: Not all trees or shrubs planted will thrive. Unless roots establish themselves in the surrounding ground, failure is always possible. Rain Bird’s Root Watering System (RWS) ensures vital water, oxygen and nutrients bypass compacted ground and are delivered directly to root systems. Deep root horizontal watering and aeration using RWS full circle bubbler technology ensure tree health.
RWS units can be connected to a valve which in turn is connected to an irrigation controller that manages watering programs. With the LNK Wifi module, schedules can be changed using a smartphone.
Contact Peter Longman, Rain Bird Europe, plongman@rainbird.eu www.rainbird.eu
Graf UK
After the record-breaking wet winter of 2019/2020, it is unlikely that actually harvesting rainwater is front of mind with the British people. But with volatile climates increasingly the norm, it is becoming even more important to consider rainwater harvesting as a vital addition to a property’s estate.
The average house roof in the UK collects enough rainwater in a year to fill about 450 water butts so collecting water in rainstorms to irrigate in dry periods should be a no-brainer.
Setting up a rainwater irrigation system for a small property is relatively simple – a couple of tanks under downspouts is well within the capability of most DIY-ers. But they will only irrigate one to two flower beds. Anything more than that, involving overground water tanks holding up to 500 litres and underground water tanks holding up to 52,000 litres, requires the help of professionals. But first, how much water will there be available for irrigation?
To determine the tank size based on yield, the following parameters should be considered:
• Catchment area (m2)
• Pitch/texture of roof – catchment coefficient (%)
• Annual rainfall figure (mm) – this can be found on the Met Office’s climate page
• Filter efficiency
To determine demand, the average north European garden requires between 60-200l/m2 x area in m2 x 365 days. Once an annual figure for both yield and demand has been determined, multiply the figures by 0.05 to get a 2-3 week storage volume. Then it is the smaller of the two tank sizes which is usually implemented.
So it makes sense to focus first on how much can actually be collected from a roof, rather than how much is needed. For more details visit www.grafuk.co.uk or call 01608 661500.
Watermatic Ltd
Watermatic Ltd specialises in irrigation and making green spaces flourish in both Residential and Commercial projects – from patios to palaces! No job is too large or too small for our team – irrigating large scale commercial projects and public spaces including Peppa Pig World, Kew Gardens and the Natural History Museum to name a few.
The intelligent use of valuable water is one of our key objectives and we stay close to the forefront of expertise and best practice in the sustainable use of water wherever possible.
For more details visit www.watermaticltd.co.uk or call 01923 839988.