What is Solar Irrigation?

We’re bringing things back to basics with a guide to what solar irrigation is and how solar-powered automatic irrigation systems work so that you can make sure your garden is well-prepared all year round. If you’re looking to create a water-efficient garden that’s easier to manage but need help figuring out where to start, look no further than this handy guide!

Irrigation is effectively any means of artificial watering used when there’s not enough rainfall to ensure your garden is sufficiently watered. This can simply be using garden hoses or watering cans to water by hand or a solar-powered irrigation system that uses solar energy to power a water pump, tube or drip system to water crops. You could also use a solar automatic irrigation system to water the garden to get the best of both worlds, which has become the desired choice from novice gardeners to seasoned pros alike!

Some automatic irrigation systems water the surface of the garden from above, such as sprinkler systems, and some can water straight at the root by carrying water through a network of pipes. Different systems have different advantages. However we would always recommend investing in a system that waters at the root – such as one of our Irrigatia systems – to ensure watering is done correctly, accurately and with minimal waste and runoff.

Our solar automatic irrigation systems include all essential components: a solar panel, battery, pump and a water level sensor.

Solar energy from the sun is absorbed by the solar panel and converted into electrical energy to power the pump. The solar irrigation system is connected to a water butt or tank to collect rainwater and feed it through drippers into the soil as and when your plants need it.

The solar panel and connecting pump automatically regulate the amount of water pumped into the soil. The system is weather-responsive, meaning it waters more when the sun is shining and less when the weather is overcast or raining.

The control panel on the side of the controller, allows you to set your irrigation system to water large or small areas as needed through a dripper system.

The water butt is used to collect rainwater, meaning you don’t have to connect your system to the mains.

Solar-powered automatic irrigation systems are considered the best across the board, as the benefits of irrigation systems can be seen across every area.

• Save time and effort, or even go on holiday!

With an automatic irrigation system that responds to the weather on the day, once set up, you don’t have to alter the settings manually, lug around a watering can or cut a holiday short to save the plants. The system does it all for you!

• Save money

As you don’t need to connect your solar automatic irrigation system to the mains for electricity or water supply, it’s an effective, cost-saving gardening solution.

• Water efficiency

Our weather-responsive automatic irrigation system knows exactly when and how much to water, using harvested rainwater, so you don’t have to worry about any wastage.

• Sustainable

On top of weather responsiveness and water efficiency benefits, we have a fantastic support system at Irrigatia. We have a range of spares and replacement parts for each product or system, and failing that, we provide our customers with tips and advice on maintaining their current system in our blogs and guides.

• Improve soil health and crop yield

Utilise pure and soft harvested rainwater that won’t damage your gardening products or affect acidic soil, limit weed growth and over-or-under watering.

• A tailored and scalable solution

Whether you have a large garden, a greenhouse, or just a small veg patch, our watering systems can be scaled up or down with various extension kits, additional hoses or water butts added to your system.

Discover more benefits of solar automatic irrigation systems.

Our Irrigatia watering systems are unique as they don’t need to be connected to mains water or electricity. The systems are fitted with solar panels, so they are powered by solar energy and use water barrels as a water source. This is great for capturing rainwater and redistributing it through the garden, and it can also be manually topped up during the drier seasons.

Irrigatia systems are weather-responsive and gauge how much water is needed according to light intensity. That means that the system will automatically adjust the amount of water being supplied depending on how much sunlight there is. Because of this and as a result of direct-to-root watering, our systems use up to 90% less water than watering with a hose.

We have a range of systems to suit whichever type of project you’re working on – our SOL-C12 L series is perfect for greenhouses, the SOL-C24 L series is the ideal amount of power for small projects, and our SOL-C120 can help you out with larger projects and allotments. No matter how you use your garden, Irrigatia can help keep you and your plants happy! View and compare each product in our range below:

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about what an automatic irrigation system, how solar irrigation systems work and the benefits to your garden. For more gardening tips and ways to save time and water, have a read of our blog.

Don’t forget to head over to our social channels to keep up to date with our latest growing journeys in the Irrigatia garden. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube!