Mist, Sprinkler, and Drip Systems 101

Water is life! We all know how essential water is for growing our crops. At Greenhouse Megastore, we sell the systems you need for misting, sprinklers, and drip irrigation setups. There are many components to an irrigation system, and it can get overwhelming, including just knowing what system is best for you.

Drip systems offer the benefit of eliminating water waste as the water is dripping directly into the soil, while sprinklers are on the other side, often having some waste, especially in hot areas, as water may evaporate before hitting the soil/plant. Hand watering is a way around this, but can be very time consuming, especially when you have a large area to cover.

One consideration is around seed starting, where hand watering and misting are more prominent while drip systems are used mainly with established plants (gardens and potted plants).

Regarding the various components within any of these systems, below is a breakdown of the key factors to consider below starting with your water source.

Water Source
Irrigation Timer or Controller
Filter
Pressure Regulator
Distribution pipe or tubing
Misters or Drippers

Water Source

It’s important to consider where your water is coming from. Is it city (tap) water? Well water? Both of these could impact water pressure, which matters to the system, just like whether there is a lot of sediment in your water.
Where is your hose bib/spigot located? How far away is it from your garden/greenhouse? This matters as you think about how you will make the connection from your spigot to the components below. For my drip system, I use a 10ft hose from the spigot and connect to a timer using a 3/4 in. Garden Hose to 3/4 in. NPT Female Connector.

Irrigation Timer or Controller

Timers are the simplest way to automate your system. The timer I use for my drip system is the Orbit One-Dial Garden Hose Digital Water Timer, which is simple. You can set up to 4 start times per day with a watering duration of up to 4 hours per start time.
For multiple zones, you will need to consider an irrigation controller and solenoid valves. This is a bit more sophisticated and mainly used by larger nursery and greenhouse operations.

Filter

Filters are important, especially if you are using well water which could have the sediment aspect mentioned above. You’ll want to use a 120 mesh filter for drip and sprinkler systems.

Pressure Regulator

Pressure regulators are necessary to bring your PSI down to the appropriate level for your system. Our Automated Garden Drip Irrigation System uses a 15 PSI pressure regulator. Netafim’s sprinkler’s use a 35 PSI pressure regulator.
It is important to check with the manufacturer of the sprinkler nozzles you choose in order to determine the appropriate PSI you'll need and if you'll need to raise or lower it.

Distribution pipe or tubing

Your distribution pipe for a drip system will be a combination of white PE tubing and drip tape. For sprinkler systems you might use a combination of PVC pipe and PE tubing.

Building Your System

Mist and Sprinkler Systems

Netafim’s Sprinkler Design Guide is very helpful when building your system.

See links below for the components:

Drip Systems

We have a variety of drip kits that have been put together for your convenience. For example, we've designed an Automated Garden Drip Irrigation System kit, which I use in my garden and it works really well. We have also put together an automated drip kit for containers. And finally, one of our vendors (DIG Corporation) has put together several kits (see below). Please keep in mind if you need to expand or add to any of these kits, we can help you find those individual items.

DIG Kits:

- Sarah H., Greenhouse Megastore Team