Exudate Tape or Exudation Irrigation: Advantages and Installation

We continue with the articles on different types of irrigation systems for the garden . Today we will focus on irrigation with a hose or exudate tape : we will see what are the advantages of exudate irrigation and how to install it.

As we have already commented on other times, the water supply is one of the most important aspects for our plants to succeed. The irrigation tape exudative or irrigation by exudation is a method not as well known as the drip or micro sprinkler , but it is very interesting because, like these, is an automatic irrigation system with water which will save time.

How exudation irrigation works: parts of the installation

The installation scheme is the same as in the case of drip irrigation, since it involves emitting pipes connected to a branch or main pipe from which they start.

The water leaves the irrigation head or water intake (which starts from a running water tap or a tank) and circulates at low pressure through distribution pipes until it reaches the exudation belts or hoses, where it loses pressure and speed so that the output is drop by drop.

Next we will see what are the parts of an irrigation system by exudation and what is the role of each of them.

Water intake and pipes

First of all, you will need a running water tap (tap) or a tank , which is where the main distribution hose or pipe will start from .

Holes will be drilled along this main branch where the collars will be installed, and on them the exudative tape pipes must be inserted , which will come out in parallel from the common pipe or hose (the one we call «distribution»).

Simple key

If it seems appropriate, you can put a simple key at the beginning of each exudating tape . In this way you can water each line independently and, if there are crops that require less water, you can keep the tap closed so that the tape of that line of plants does not expel water, so it will not be wasted watering vegetables that need less water.

Plug and clamp

The irrigation pipes by exudation usually come in rolls of several meters, so you have to go cutting pieces of the length required to place them in different breeding lines. So that the water does not come out of the end, place a cap with a clamp at the end of each line .

Normally you can buy the whole pack: exuding tape pipes, collars or clamps, keys … in a specialized horticulture or gardening store, and also online.

How to Install Exudation Irrigation

Before talking about the advantages of exudate hose irrigation, let’s see in detail how to install exudate irrigation in the garden.

In the following video you can see step by step how to install an exudative tape irrigation system , it will surely help you a lot to understand how it works:

Advantages of irrigation by exudation or exudative tape

As the drip or sprinkler irrigation can be installed an irrigation controller in making water so that the system is fully automatic. In any case, even if we do not do this, practically the only work to do in each irrigation would be to open the tap, so we would not have to be pending or waste time watering, as with furrow irrigation or manual irrigation.
In the exudating tape system, the installation is very simple and easy to assemble , and it does not have elements that could be damaged or clogged, such as sprinklers or drippers for other types of irrigation.
The cost of installation is much lower than that of other automatic systems.
The required water flow is much lower than in other systems, since the drops penetrate directly into the ground without losing anything by evaporation or by retention on leaf or branch surfaces. Very suitable system to save water.
It is aesthetic as the exuding tape can bury itself and the system would be hidden.
If it is buried, the water is provided very close to the roots, so less water is needed to irrigate the same.
The wind has little influence, there is no loss of water due to strong winds because the water comes out at ground level or indoors.
Allows gravity irrigation. If the tank is a little higher than the place where the exudating tape will be installed, no pump is necessary since the required pressure is low.
It is very versatile : it can be used for fruit trees, aromatics , vegetables, seedbeds …
Irrigation uniformity.
When we change the crops at the end of each season, the dismantling and reinstallation of the installation is very simple: you just have to lift the tapes, put them aside and, once the orchard is planted again, put them back.
Even if you change the planting frame, you do not have to change any location (as in the case of drippers or micro-sprinklers) since the exuding belt expels water along its entire length.

I hope you have found this topic of irrigation by exudation or exudating tape interesting . If you have doubts or experiences about it, you can comment in the comment thread below.

And if you want to know other possibilities to provide water to crops, I recommend you read the post on types of irrigation systems in the garden.

References

Legarda Burbano, L. et to the, 2000. Irrigation by exudation: description, features & ICAS and advantages of the sistem to . Journal of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 17 (1), p. 355-361.
Fernández Gómez, R., et al, 2010. Irrigation manual for farmers: module 4. Localized irrigation . Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Junta de Andalucía, Spain.
Benavides, O. et al., 2017. Effect of drip irrigation and exudation on the yield of vegetables in cold weather . Journal of Agricultural Sciences, nº 34 (1), pag. 108-116.