What is nebulization irrigation? | Gardening On

In the world of agriculture there are different types of irrigation that adapt to the environmental conditions and the needs of the plants to optimize the use of water and the development of the plants. In this case, we are going to talk about what the misting irrigation. It is a widely used irrigation in greenhouses.

In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about nebulization irrigation, what its characteristics and importance are.

What is mist irrigation

Misting irrigation is a system generally implemented in greenhouses to achieve the desired water and humidity levels for crops. Its mode of operation allows the water to be distributed evenly throughout the space through a mist. This technology provides many advantages for the space in which it is installed, with a positive impact on humidity control.

Misting irrigation consists of a system implanted in the aerial part of the greenhouse through a series of emitters. These pitchers are responsible for injecting the necessary amount of water, not directly into the crop in liquid form, but in the form of mist. This means that the plants that receive this humidity do so in their entire structure, from the leaves to the base of the plant.

The operation of the nebulization system is as follows:

• the nebulizer (emitter) provides high pressure water, but it comes out through a very small hole, so it creates more force.
• Instead of being distributed to crops, this water collides with concave walls responsible for breaking the fixed direction of the watersending it in all directions.
• The misty water runs down the area and ends up on the crops.

Generally, what happens is that the water breaks down into smaller droplets that are easier to handle. Thanks to this system, a fair distribution of water throughout the expansion is ensured, allowing the crops to receive the same amount of water. For the development of cuttings, for example, this is a very beneficial system because it makes it easier for everyone to maintain similar growing conditions.

The main uses of nebulization irrigation are:

• Irrigate crops evenly
• Increase the relative humidity in the greenhouse.
• If combined with a forced ventilation system, the greenhouse can be cooled.
• Apply automated treatments such as foliar fertilizers, phytosanitary products or any water-soluble fertilizer.

What are the advantages of nebulization irrigation?

Before implementing any irrigation system, we must assess the benefits it can bring to our planting work. In the case of nebulization irrigation, we can highlight the following advantages:

• Due to the working conditions used, fertilizers can be applied together with waterwhich makes this task easier.
• It helps maintain a balance in humidity issues throughout the space, helping certain types of species to develop properly.
• It is easier to lower the temperature inside the greenhouse, making the environment cooler and more pleasant.
• Since it settles in the air, no intervention on the crop is necessary.
• Due to the way the water is supplied, there is little chance of the water becoming stagnant.
• It improves the quality of the air that circulates in the greenhouse as it eliminates dust particles.
• It prevents certain types of insects from appearing, especially those that fly.
• Controls odors released by crops and any other odor circulating in the space.
• You can automate your work and avoid focusing on this task every day.

What are the disadvantages of this irrigation system?

Likewise, it is necessary to study the factors that can cause inconveniences, among which we have:

• This is a system that requires a lot of investment, so it is impractical for large-scale greenhouses.
• In addition, maintenance requires more money and work than other systems, although it does not need to be applied as frequently.
• Due to the small diameter of the injector, the injector can be easily clogged.
• It can only work properly under a certain amount of pressure. This in turn means higher energy consumption, since the pumps used to make it work are usually electric or combustion.
• It is necessary to pay close attention to humidity control since at some point can create the ideal conditions for certain types of pests, fungi or bacteria.

Materials to install a misting irrigation system

A misting irrigation system must be well structured to work indoors and be beneficial to the crop. Its components are:

• Pipelines: They will be in charge of distributing all the water throughout the greenhouse space, allowing it to be transported from the pumping system to the nebulizers.
• Nebulizers: they are the transmitters in charge of injecting water to the crops. They can be of different sizes, depending on the expected demand. These are in the final stages of the system.
• Filters: They are responsible for the particles that the water may contain are discarded before reaching the atomizer, thus ensuring that the outlet holes are not clogged.
• Pumping: This area is responsible for providing the necessary pressure so that the water flows through the entire pipe and reaches the atomizer.

The misting irrigation system is one of the most professional irrigation systems in agriculture. In fact, it is recommended that it not be installed without guidance from an agricultural engineer on the correct installation method. A misting irrigation system must have a system that can fertilize. Of course, the product used in this method must be water soluble to make it easier to drain through the dropper.

The idea is that a preliminary study of the greenhouse conditions can be carried out in order to subsequently adapt the automation system to the requirements. After everything is active, The benefits of choosing this system over other alternatives on the market will be very evident.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about nebulization irrigation and its characteristics.