Professional Irrigation Methods | Soil Types & Productivity: Irrigation is known as watering soil for plants or crop growth. In simple terms, watering a land with an artificial procedure is what we call irrigation. As our technology is progressing, our farming mechanism has also changed quite a bit. Now, we depend on a lot of machinery to get the job done. As a result, our productivity and area coverage has increased significantly.
So, we use machines to spread the water and cover the whole area. Even though it is pretty helpful, sometimes several issues like over-irrigation come into play. Thus, we will describe the proper irrigation methods and how is over-irrigation damaging the soil. Check out the review below to learn more about them.
What is Irrigation & Why We Need?
As we mentioned, irrigation refers to the artificial process of watering lands. Usually, if the land is close to a water source and not large then manual water is pretty easy. There are many farming methods to water them. But, the scenario is different if the land is vast but no water source is nearby. Even if such land is perfect for cultivation, it will be hard to provide enough water to the whole area evenly. That is the situation where we need irrigation.
There are many huge machines to perform irrigation over any size of land. You may need multiple machines if the land is that large. A bright side of irrigation is, we use machines to distribute a certain amount of water over the field. It is helpful to maintain a necessary amount of water regularly.
Different Types of Soil
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The irrigation method or watering level differs depending on different types of soil. There are 6 types of soil we may aim for harvesting.
- Clay Soil
- Sandy Soil
- Silty Soil
- Chalk Soil
- Peat Soil
- Loam Soil
Clay Soil
Clay Soil is a bit sticky as they preserve water for a longer period. Although, they become pretty hard when in a dry state. As they are already a bit wet and heavy, it is hard to cultivate them regularly. But, this type of soil has a higher nutrient value. So, if you use them, great cultivation results are possible.
Sandy Soil
Sandy Soil is a bit more flexible than clay soil. It can absorb more water and is not that sticky. Moreover, they also get dry pretty fast. Although, this type of soil has fewer nutrients. So, you have to provide nutrients like fertilizer or organic components to cultivate on this soil.
Silty Soil
This type of soil is one of the ideal types. They are soft and less sticky. Not only does it have more nutrients but also easy to drain water. Usually, this soil is heavily used for gardening. Besides, you can use more organic components to enhance its capabilities even more.
Chalk Soil
Chalk Soil is a bit stronger and mixed with hard components like chalk or limestones. Although, you need to control pH levels and other ingredients while using this type of soil. It is not suitable for all kinds of trees or crops.
Peat Soil
This acidic soil is mixed with lots of peat. If you want to use them then make sure to provide a lot of water and proper drainage. Moreover, it does not have so many nutrients. So, you need to provide additional nutrient components.
Loam Soil
This type of soil is a bit of a hybrid soil. It contains sand, silt, and clay. Because of such a versatile ingredient collection, it can be used for many purposes. You can use them in gardening, lawn, and shrubs. It has enough nutrients and also consumes a lot of water. Moreover, the drainage system is also pretty good. That makes loam soil the ideal type of soil for multi-purposes.
Irrigation on Different Soil Types
As you know the soil type and its features, it is easy to understand how the irrigation process should be. If the soil consumes water at a slow rate, you should proceed with the irrigation method slowly. So that the soil gets enough time to get the water. Some soils can consume water faster than you can do fast irrigation. Just like sandy soil or loam soil. Besides, if the soil reserves more water, then you hardly need to put in so much water. Just a few spreading will be quite enough.
It is also dependent on the drainage system. If the drainage system is not good enough then so much water will be left underneath the field. It will affect sooner or later. Certainly, the effect goes on the plant or crops. That is where over-irrigation comes. Let’s talk about it below.
What is Over Irrigation
Over irrigation means overwatering. As we know that every plant or crop needs only a certain amount of water. If you surpass the level and provide more water, it will harm their physical growth. As a result, the plant and corp will die.
How Over Irrigation Damage The Soil?
Just as we mentioned earlier, over-irrigation can happen in two ways. Either you don’t have a good drainage system or you are irrigating way too much. Anyway, it does the different types of damage that depend on the soil type. Different soil shows different signs of over-irrigation. So, the question we have is, how is over-irrigation damaging the soil?
Because of the water overflow, plants or crops can’t perform their breathing and food production system efficiently. If the plant can’t do these things, the leaves and other parts will not get enough food. Some plants may show different colors on different parts. Some may die from the root.
How To Prevent Over Irrigation
Preventing water overflow is pretty easy. You just need to consider what type of plants or crops you are growing and their water limit. Make sure to run the irrigation process under the limit. In case you can’t catch the issue, the leaves or different parts will show different color signs. Make sure to take immediate action. It will be better if you have a good drainage system. Then no water will be left as extra.
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Final Word: How is Over Irrigation Damaging to Soil?
Certainly, irrigation is necessary for cultivation. But, over-irrigation is just the opposite of helping cultivation. You will destroy the field and everything in it. So, You need to make sure that there is no water overflow while running constant irrigation. Considering the soil and plant type are necessary steps to prevent such an issue. For better safety, you can set up a proper drainage system. It will surely improve the soil condition and help the cultivation anyway. Follow our review to learn the soil type and irrigation effect. We have also described how is over-irrigation damaging to the soil. So, make sure to keep an eye on the plants.