SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION FOR GARDENS

BY SAMUEL MUHUNYU, NECOFA-KENYA

Background

The Western region of Kenya receives short rains in the months of October to December. It is for these rains that NECOFA planned and established a 0.1 Ha demonstration plot. The project was to demonstrate on the effects of liquid manures in cabbage/tomato production.

A month into the growing season; the rainfall unexpectedly failed. It therefore became necessary to look into cheap possibilities of irrigating the crop to maturation. A number of approaches were employed but most of them were either too expensive and/or too labour demanding. Eventually the system below was developed:

Requirement/Materials:

"Waste" plastic bags
Support sticks
Nylon twine/wooden rail/rope
Rubber bands (car tube slits)
"Waste" sponge
Needle and thread
Watering can

Methodology

Thread was tied around a small piece of sponge. The thread was passed through the eye of a needle and passed through the bottom of waste plastic bags (that would otherwise have been wasted)

The plastic bags were fasted onto waste plastic bottles whose bottom had been cut off.

The plastic bottles were fastened onto nylon twine (rope or wooden rail can be used) that was tightly fastened on support sticks. Each plastic bag hangs above each cabbage/tomato plant.

The thread was left hanging from the bottom of the plastic bags.

The bags were filled with water which trickled down through the sponge onto the thread and down to the crop.

Observations

Without the piece of sponge, the plastic bags were refilled every after three days.

With the pieces of sponge refill was after two weeks.

The crop was successful while the neighbourhood experienced crop failure.

Conclussion

The technology needs further exploration with the aim of making it drip to reduce evaporation loses.

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