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Coop. Ext. Hosts Drip Irrigation Workshop

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

Irrigation specialist Jeff Meckley answers questions for Judy Gates about various drip irrigation equipment during a special workshop held last week at the Cooperative Extension office in Logandale. PHOTO BY MAGGIE MCMURRAY/Moapa Valley Progress.

Water is arguably the most precious resource in the desert. Hundreds of thousands of gallons are wasted each year through improper irrigation techniques but that doesn’t have to be the case.
A roomful of local residents took advantage of a wealth of information from irrigation specialist Jeff Meckley in a special workshop on drip irrigation held last week at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

Meckley is a retired Southern Nevada Water Authority employee who taught irrigation classes for years at the Springs Preserve and helped cultivate the desert demo garden.
Meckley began his class with the basics so that even beginners could see where to start. But his knowledge was so deep that he was able to answer questions for more seasoned gardeners as well.

Meckley reinforced the idea that planning is key. In order to put in a system that works, it needs to be planned on paper first, he said.
“If you’re going to have to put in an irrigation system anyways, you might as well put it in right so you have the best system on the planet,” Meckley said.

He then proceeded to tell class members exactly how to do that.As part of the planning stage, Meckley stressed that plants with similar water requirements need to be planted together in order to make irrigation zones efficient and not overwater or underwater the plants within the zones. He also taught the class that the difference between irrigation systems is rate of output. While spray emitters are measured in gallons/minute, drip emitters are measured in gallons/hour. It is important to choose the proper system for the proper plant, he said. Lawns and turf need lots of water and spray emitters are sometimes a better choice. Almost all plants, on the other hand, will thrive with a drip system instead.

Meckley then discussed how to construct a successful system starting with the valve box and manifold.
The first thing to install is a pressure vacuum breaker or a backflow preventer, Meckley explained. These are required by code to prevent contamination of the water system. Meckley covered the components needed to put an irrigation system together in a very logical and visual way so participants knew exactly what to buy. He talked about what types of pipe and line are best.

Meckley told the class that it mattered less where they bought their supplies than that they bought them all at the same place. Different pieces are color-coded and designed to go together differently. So it is important to stick with one supplier to avoid headaches later.

Meckley also encouraged the class to use only pressure compensating emitters because they guarantee every emitter throughout the zone will deliver the same amount of water, which is vital to an accurate irrigation system.

Class members were led through a step-by-step process of designing, building, and implementing a drip irrigation system.
Meckley taught how to distinguish soil types in determining irrigation times, how to program watering clocks, and how to troubleshoot systems. He told the group that unless they learned how to schedule their irrigation properly, all was for naught.
“More plants in this area die from overwatering than from underwatering,” Meckley said.

He went over a detailed sample irrigation schedule and gave every member of the class a practice sheet to work with when developing a successful schedule.
Class attendees were very pleased with how the class went and what they learned.
Wayne and Judy Gates also attended and were pleased with the presentation. “Drip irrigation was so intimidating to me that I’ve been hand watering with a hose for the last twenty years,” Judy said. “This class explained it so easily and logically that I am actually excited now to get started.”

More information on the technical aspects of a drip system can be found online at www.irrigation.org. Information on plants that thrive in this climate and how much water they need can be found in the regional plant guide available online through Cooperative Extension at 702-397-2604.

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