ALopez: Where the Water Flows #4

January 25 and January 26 2017 by Abby Lopez

Today we explore a topic which I was I quite interested to learn about and that is irrigation and water access! To understand this topic more, we had a chance to observe a landscape up close undergoing this process thanks to a lovely elderly couple from Fountain Valley. Earlier this month, we were receiving blessings of rain and cloud formations but now that the skies cleared up, we were able to focus on drip irritation.

We entered the backyard where we were greeted a whimsically decorated copper kinetic sculpture powered by the wind. Further right, we encountered a large sized pool and the compact L shaped garden space consisting of a large tree, ornamental bushes and vegetation that is typical of Southern California urban households.

JD and Jeremy identified, uncovered and dug around the perimeter of all the sprinkler heads in preparation for the irrigation.  First step in understanding connections in the irrigation system, we learned how to identify the female and male tools. I learned that female tools are represented as receptacle, socket and slot connections and the male tools are described as prongs, pins and plugs. Our supplies are as follows; netafim tubing, pruning shears, staples, plugs, thread seal tape, tee and elbow poly pipe fittings, valve, figure eight line end, mulch, shovel, wheelbarrows and rakes.

Today we constructed the drip irrigation and adding mulch for water retention. First, we removed the risers from the pop up sprinklers. Secondly, we used thread seal tape to cover the caps receiving ends to create a watertight barrier between joints and prevent leaking. Next, we connected the caps to the sprinkler heads to block and navigate the flow of water. Then we identified the main water flow by using one sprinkler connection. After identifying the connection point, we connected a T-shaped valve with one sprinkler head thus increasing the pressure of the water. Then, we turned on the sprinkler to check for leaks. After quality checking for leaks, we then approximated the distance and spacing between tubings for the drip zone (which can vary according to the amount of water a plant needs and the type of soil) In this case, the soil was more of a clay texture. Jeremy demonstrated how to determine the type of soil using a poke test.

• Silt soil will keep its shape when you open your hand. When you give it a light poke, the soil will crumble.
• Clay soil also keeps its shape. When you give it a light poke, it does not crumble.
• Sandy soil will fall apart when you open your hand.

Next, we conjoined the netafim tubing with the T-shaped valve. One person was carrying the tubing while the other helped guide the direction of where to lay it. Here we laid out the tubing surrounding the perimeter of the garden and made additional rows in between. To make the additional rows of tubing in between the perimeter, we used tees and elbow joints. Using the pruning shears, we cut the tubing  to the desired length and then add either a tee or elbow joint to connect to another netafim tubing for additional rows and drip zones. At one end, the figure eight clamp is used for clamping the netafim tubing. Next, we ran the water for a minute to remove the any debris that may be clogging up the netifim tubing.  Finally, we added 3-4 inches of mulch to the top layer of soil. We were also keeping in mind not to place the mulch close to the base of plants to prevent rotting.