GROW! officials teach irrigation basics

Story has been updated for accuracy.

BONNERS FERRY — Gardeners for Regional Organic Wellbeing, or GROW!, put on an irrigation system teaching for the public on June 30 at the GROW garden.

Gray Henderson, GROW! president, demonstrated how the irrigation system works and how to best meet the needs of one’s garden.

The orchard at the GROW! garden has four long rows of fruit tree saplings.

Irrigation tubes or lines were placed between each of the four rows of trees. The ground goes slightly downhill at the end of the rows, which is where the stops are placed for the end of the irrigation lines.

In order to water the orchard, Henderson and other GROW! board members taught those present how to make a T-branch, which contains a dripper. A T-branch is made out of irrigation tubing, about 1/4-inch thick. The branches are made by cutting tubing into lengths about one foot to 18 inches long.

A device is used to poke a hole in the line and the emitter is inserted into the hole, which allows water from the main line to water the trees. Henderson said that drills can be used as well, but he prefers the tubing punch hole.

If the T-branch is not formed tightly enough, then the attachments will blow apart from the water pressure.

Henderson said that the irrigation system is semi-permanent and pretty maintenance free. The irrigation lines can stay all winter. In the fall, the lines are blown out by an air compressor. The drippers should be inspected in the spring and can be replaced with new ones.

Water pressure can be calculated by turning on the water and seeing how long it takes to fill up a gallon jug with water. This will give you an idea on the duration the timer should be on.

For example, if the water pressure is 4 gallons of water an hour and the desired amount is 2 gallons of water per tree, then the timer should be set for 30 minutes.

As trees grow and get larger they require more water and, so depending on water pressure the timer may need to be set for longer or a second T-branch and emitter can be added to water the tree.

Henderson said before adding more trees to the orchard, one has to know the basic water flow through the main line.

He added that when choosing irrigation products, it is best to stick to one brand, especially when it comes to compression reasons and making sure the equipment fits together.

A trick to get the attachments connected to the tubing is to place the cut tubing for the T-branch in hot water, Henderson told the group. Those at the training learned that this helped with dexterity.

For this irrigation system, GROW! officials cautioned that if the water source is not clean that a filter will first have to be installed to protect the water lines from being damaged.

If the irrigation line is damaged, it can be repaired by cutting out a piece and connecting the line with a coupling fitting. The line can be coupled back together. Make sure the water is turned off before repairing, Henderson said.

The GROW! Community Garden is located on the grounds of Trinity Lutheran Church on Buchanan Street in Bonners Ferry. The public is welcome to visit.

Little Free Gardens around the community are open to the public to harvest.

The mission of GROW! is to support and expand the local food system while encouraging sustainable agricultural methods in Boundary County. They strive to enhance the availability of local healthy food to the community by providing the opportunity to grow organic food in a community garden and by distributing organic produce to local community groups.

For more information, visit their website www.growboundarycounty.org.