Automatic Irrigation: How It's Planned and What to Know Before Installation
In a Tbilisi summer, hand-watering a garden is either a waste of water and time or — more often — the slow death of your plants. An automatic irrigation system solves this once and for all, but only if it's designed correctly.
Why everything starts with the water flow rate
The first step of system design is calculating the water debit — how many litres per minute your source delivers, and at what pressure. A system designed without it either can't water half its zones or the sprinklers collapse when pressure drops.
The flow rate determines:
- How many irrigation zones the garden must be split into
- Which emitter types can be used
- Whether the system needs a reservoir and pumping unit
The irrigation plan — zones and hydraulics
A good plan divides the garden into zones by water demand: lawn, shrubs, flower beds, and trees each need a different regime. Sprinklers for the lawn; drip lines for shrubs and beds; individual drip points for deep-watering trees.
Drainage — the invisible part that protects the system
Wherever water goes in, it must come out. A drainage system protects plant roots from waterlogging and the system itself from winter freezing — drain-down points are essential in our climate.
Smart systems
Modern controllers are Wi-Fi managed and weather-aware: a rain sensor pauses watering during precipitation, and seasonal adjustment trims water use in spring and autumn. The result — 30–50% less water for the same or better outcome.
Common mistakes
- Designing the system without measuring the flow rate
- Combining lawn and shrubs into one zone
- Skipping drainage and winter drain-down points
- Cheap components that don't survive a second season
Where to start
The Dr. VERDE automatic irrigation systems team starts every project with a water flow-rate calculation, builds the irrigation plan, installs drainage, and adds smart control where needed. For the agricultural side — vineyards and orchards — see drip irrigation within agro projects.