Much more efficient irrigation systems have been studied in the low desert. Many are more efficient than drip and better suited for remote areas and environmental restoration.

1. Alternative (more efficient)
Irrigation Systems
David A. Bainbridge
Restoration Ecologist
1

2. Water shortage!
• The problem of water shortage continues to
grow - both locally and globally
• At the same time the need for restoration of
dry lands and more food production from
deserts and dry lands are both increasing
• This led to my twenty year adventure with
alternative irrigation systems

3. Desertification
3

4. Desertification
now affects 1 billion people
4
Northern Mexico

5. The First Step
• This is not a “new” problem so I started
with an extensive literature search
• I also interviewed scientists and farmers
who visited the Dry Lands Research
Institute (at UC Riverside)
• Several interesting systems have
emerged and proved useful!

6. Buried Clay Pot Irrigation
• One of the most studied, and very
effective systems uses a buried clay pot
full of water to irrigate plants
• The capillary flow of water through the
clay walls of the pot is regulated by
demand - so little water is wasted
• Highly recommended! For restoration,
gardens, landscaping, farming

7. Simple and Effective
• Clay pots worked well
even in the lowest,
hottest desert in
California
• Excellent for
seedlings or for
starting seeds or
cuttings
• Pot rim painted white
to reduce evaporation
7

8. Getting Started
• Regular red clay pots
work well
• Seal the bottom hole
with a rubber cork
• (or sealant)
• Use a lid with a small
hole drilled in it to
capture rainwater
8

9. Place the pot
• Set the pot in the soil
so the rim is above
ground
• You don’t want dirt
and leaves to wash
in
• Firm the soil around
the pot -- and plant
9

10. A Long Tradition
• A Chinese agricultural text describes the use
of buried clay pot irrigation in China more than
2,000 years ago
• Excerpts from this book provided my
inspiration -- writing does speak across time
• I later found work and use of clay pots in Iran,
Pakistan, Mexico and other countries

11. Fewer Weeds
• Another great advantage of buried clay
pots (and other deep watering systems)
is reduced weed growth
• In one study weeds were cut 87%
• Less work - and less wasted water!

12. Buried clay pots
• Buried clay pots have also proved to be
very effective when saline water must be
used - or when salt is a
problem in the soil
• The steady moisture reduces salt
buildup in the root zone and damage

13. Starting Cuttings
• Double clay pots are
ideal for starting cuttings
• The inner pot is sealed
and filled with water
• The moisture is
maintained in the soil at
an ideal level
• BCP are good for
starting cuttings in the
field as well
13

14. Deep Pipe Irrigation
• From India - water was placed in the hollow
stem of a dead plant to water deeper in the soil
• Subsequent research found one study and one
report from India
• This has been our best system for restoration
work -- cheap, durable and very effective
14

15. Deep pipe installation
• The pipe may be
about 14-16” long, 2”
diameter, set
vertically
• Small holes are
drilled on the plant
side below soil level
• A screen lid is glued
on to protect wildlife

16. Deep pipe drip
• Where a drip system can
be set up it can also be
used in a deep pipe
• Smaller pipes can be
used with the emitter
inserted in the pipe

17. No waste
• Little water evaporates because the
water is placed in the deep soil
• Little time is wasted because it is fast
and easy to fill the pipe
• It works very well on slopes
• It develops large root systems

18. Excellent Results
• Survival can be
good with very
little water
• Mesquite trees
were started with
a total of only 5
gallons of water
in the first year
• Not five gallons a
week or two
gallons an hour

19. Wick Irrigation
• Wick systems were also described in
reports from India
• Wicks were traditionally combined with
clay pots to water orchard trees
• After trying several types of wick
systems I think this may be the next
great thing!

20. Wick options
• Wicks can be used in a capillary form,
where water is wicked from a reservoir
to the plant through a raised section by
capillary forces (as little as 20 ml day)
• Or in a gravity feed form, with the
reservoir above the wick (a hose clamp
can be used to adjust the flow rate)

21. Wick options
• Wick with clay pot
• With a riser tube in
bottom hole
• Capillary wick from
buried bottle in
plastic tube

22. Gravity wicks
• Half inch diameter
gravity wick with
large reservoir
• Installed with
treeshelter and wire
cages for jack rabbit
protection
• Seedlings topped
treeshelter at 3
weeks!

23. Wick Material
• Fresh braided nylon or polyester (not
polypropylene) rope can be used if it is
washed with detergent to remove oils
• 7/16 inch wicks seem to be a good size
and fit well in 1/2” ID tubing
• Cotton is used in India, but tended to
mold in my early tests

24. Porous Hose
• This system uses a vertically placed
leaky or porous hose section
• It performs a bit like a clay pot--only it is
cheaper and smaller
• These hoses are made of recycled
rubber and hold up well but water
release is less predictable

25. Porous hose
• This can be fed by a
bottle
• Or attached to a drip
type line
• Both have worked
reasonably well
• A fast rate hose is
needed to work at
low pressure

26. Tree shelter
• Watering into a tree
shelter is also effective if
the base is sealed into
the soil
• This can be done by
hand from a hose, water
jugs or using a drip type
system
26

27. Perforated Pipe
• Sub-irrigation can
also be done with
slotted drain pipe
• The pipe is laid deep
in the soil and filled
with water using a
water truck
• Best for lines of plants
- good for windbreaks
and landscaping
27

28. Porous Capsules
• A modern adaptation of
buried clay pot irrigation
was developed in Brazil
• The clay is formed into a
capsule that can be
placed on a water line
• These worked well -- but
were more costly to
make
28

29. Types
• Porous capsule
made by gluing two
red clay pots
together (I would
use Gorilla glue)
• Porous capsules
made by a staffer
using a beer bottle
mold worked well
29

30. Porous capsules
• These are easy to plumb
in a system
• Or they can be gravity
fed from a bottle or tank
• These are very efficient
• A range of smaller
porous irrigation
systems are sold for
container plants
30

31. Microcatchments
• A microcatchment is a specially contoured
area with slopes and berms designed to
increase runoff and concentrate it
• Rain falling on the catchment area drains into
a planting basin where it infiltrates and is
effectively "stored" in the soil profile
• Used for millennia - very effective if it rains!
But can also be filled from a water truck if it
doesn’t rain

32. A Microcatchment
• Microcatchments
can be shaped to
look more natural,
but do entail
disturbing the soil
surface
• More appropriate in
agriculture - but has
worked well on
restoration projects

33. Problems with drip
• Drip irrigation has been very effective in
agriculture, but we can do better
• Water for drip must be filtered and
pressurized and maintenance is critical
• These alternatives may be 2-4 times
more water efficient than surface drip

34. Drip problems
• Drip is not well suited
for remote sites - due to
animal damage
• Even when open water
is nearby animals will
chew on drip tubing
• Insect and salt clogging
and other problems
also occur regularly

35. The best system?
• It depends
• All have been good for some situations
• Deep pipes have been used most often
• Perforated pipe is now used in some
situations (linear plantings Mojave)
• Wicks are promising

36. Container type
• The container type,
planting system and site
make a difference in
irrigation choice
• Tall pot, half high, deep
pot, plant band, cutting or
supercell?
• Ease of access
• Watering interval and
depth to groundwater
• Goals for survival and
growth

37. How efficient?
• My goal has been to irrigate plants with
minimal water use -- perhaps a quart a
month for species like mesquite
• This has been possible if they get a tree
shelter to moderate temperatures and
protect from the wind
• They won’t grow much - but they will
survive until it rains

38. Restoration in remote places
• My goal has been to
reduce water use
during establishment
to a low enough level
that it could be done
by hand carrying
water some distance
• Or using a mule, many
miles from the water
source
38

39. It is possible
39
Mesquite planting near the Salton Sea

40. More information
• A Guide for Desert and Dryland
Restoration 2007
• Gardening with Less Water 2015
• Bulletins and reports at
http://works.bepress.com/david_a_bainb
ridge

41. 41

42. You Can Help
• Try these systems -- figure out how to make
them better, cheaper and more efficient
• Find out what works and what doesn’t for you
-- and let me know at sustainabilityleader (at)
gmail.com
• Send money to support research (not a 501C3
so not tax deductible)
• Buy ten books and send them to Africa, India,
Mexico, Asia and your local library

43. Thanks
• To friends, students (AIU, SDSU, UCR,
WCIU), staff, funders, vendors and family who
have helped over the last 35 years
• To the traditional farmers who have shared
information and ideas freely
• Special thanks to Steve Mitchell, Wes Jarrell,
Ross Virginia, Mike Allen, Pam Beare, and
John Rieger who made this work possible