3 minute read
Clogs 101 - Monitoring & Maintenance Best Practices
Excerpt from the Front Row Ag Blog
What Causes Irrigation Line Clogs?
A guide to irrigation system clogs in cultivation - their causes and effective solutions. Learn how to prevent, identify, and address blockages through best practices in water treatment, nutrient management, irrigation system design, monitoring, maintenance and more. 3 real life case studies are included!
Irrigation system problems are among the most common and costly issues faced by cultivators, leading to damage to crop health, reduced yields, and high labor costs for emergency repairs and replacements.
While hydroponic irrigation systems vary in design, this article focuses on the common issues found in precision drip systems (PDS), which are widely used in commercial controlled environment agriculture (CEA). These systems typically include mainline supply pipes, distribution lines, and small-diameter delivery tubes with emitters at each plant.
Proper flow in irrigation systems is essential for several key reasons:
○ Nutrient delivery: Adequate flow ensures that all plants receive the necessary nutrients in the right proportions. Uneven distribution due to clogs can lead to nutrient deficiencies and imbalances.
○ Uniform saturation and runoff: Irrigated volumes need to be consistent at each plant site to ensure that substrate water content and EC are correctly targeted, and to allow sufficient runoff at each plant for mineral replenishment.
○ System longevity: Clogs can cause undue stress on pumps, leading to premature failure. Maintaining proper flow ensures the system works efficiently and extends equipment life.
○ Labor savings: Dealing with clogs and poor irrigation uniformity impacts labor costs and reduces the labor availability for crop care.
Proper functioning of irrigation systems is required for optimal plant growth, nutrient uptake, and overall system health. Clogs disrupt flow, causing issues that negatively affect plant performance and system longevity. Beyond that, cultivators cannot effectively implement advanced irrigation techniques for comprehensive crop steering without uniform water/fertilizer delivery and consistent substrate conditions.
In the following sections, we will explore strategies and solutions to help cultivators address these common irrigation issues, ensuring optimal system performance and crop health.
TYPES OF CLOGS
As a cultivator, you may encounter three main types of clogs in your irrigation system: physical, chemical, and biological. Understanding the differences between these clogs is key for effectively addressing and preventing them.
PHYSICAL
Physical clogs are caused by suspended particles in the source or irrigation water. Sources of these particles include sand and other suspended debris that are too large to pump through the channels of drip emitters. These are the least common in hydroponic systems where source water is already quite clean (municipal) and easily ensured with basic sediment filters.
CHEMICAL/MINERAL
Emitter blockages often occur from chemical reactions due to...
Read the rest of this article at: https://www.frontrowag.com/blogs/info/clogs
