Irrigation 101for Small Farms

Bob HochmuthMulti County Extension Agent

UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley

Irrigation SystemsWater is Critical

Small Acreage

• Sprinklers

• Drip

Irrigate larger areas

Reduces disease

Aids in fertilizer application

Can use many small pumps and wells

Frost Protection

If you need sprinkler irrigation for frost

protection:

• Design is critical

• Large pumping demand for constant water supply

• Need 0.25 inches per hour

• One acre – inch of water = 27,154 gallons

• Equals 113 gallons per minute for one acre

Simple Irrigation Systems

• 1 acre drip zone = 40 gallons per minute• If 4 zones per acre = 10 gallons per minute

Irrigation Management

Drip Irrigation Schools

T0-1h T0-2h

T0-4h T0-8h

Ro-Drip

This presentation brought to you by the Small Farms/Alternative Enterprises Focus Team.

Thank YouFor more information visit

the Small Farms web at http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu

Take a virtual field day tour by visiting the Virtual Field Day web at http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu