Rain Hose Irrigation System
Rain hose irrigation system with laser punched holes is an affordable irrigation system for overhead irrigation. Rain hose irrigation system uses nano technology to convey water to the plant. It has a series of holes spaced at intervals which sprays water flow by gravity, or from a water pump is initiated. Our 0.5mm thick rain hose pipes […]
Adjustable Button Drippers For Irrigation
1. What is a button drip emitter?
Adjustable button drippers for irrigation are irrigation accessories attached onto a high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe. They deliver a consistent and uniform amount of water the crop by regulating the flow. Button drippers in Kenya, button drip are common in fruit trees, forestry and hedges irrigation
2. How do you install button drippers?
A perforation is made on the HDPE pipe with a drip punch, then the button dripper’s pointed end is pushed into this hole. This punching is done at the point where the tree crop is. But it will be away from the trunk to ensure that water flows to the roots below. The button dripper will be 3-6 inches away from the trunk. This will also prevent fungal infections and other types of diseases.
For younger tree crops, a single button dripper or emitter is sufficient. However, with older larger trees, 2 or more button drippers are provided according to the plant’s water need. In this case, have them equally on the opposite sides of the tree crop to promote even root growth. Two or multiple button drippers ensure that if one is blocked, the other one or the rest continue to water
3. How do you use an adjustable button dripper?
Once in place on the irrigation line, you will adjust your button dripper from 0 discharge to 70 liters per hour flow of water. This is done by turning the dripper to achieve different flow rates as per the crop water needs
4. How long should button drippers run?
Your adjustable button drippers for irrigation will run for 30 minutes to an hour. This is guided by the moisture requirement of the soil, as per the prevailing weather conditions
5. How many button drippers can I run on one line?
This is determined by the diameter size of the irrigation pipe. The larger it is, the more water it ferries over a longer distance. Therefore, the greater the number of button drippers. The other factor is the flow rate of the adjustable button drippers themselves. If adjusted to maximum flow rate (70L per hour), then the line will have less. If the adjustment is to half of that flow rate, then a similar line will carry twice as much
6. How do I increase the pressure in my button drip irrigation system?
They are several ways to raise the irrigation water pressure in your button drip irrigation system
i. Divide the farm into blocks, each of which is irrigated separately. This way, irrigation water is channeled to particular block under high pressure
ii. If it is by gravity flow, then by raising the storage elevation. This will work where raised water tanks are the source of irrigation water
iii. By introducing an external source of pressure, such a s water pump to boost the flow of irrigation water in the system
Adjustable button drippers for irrigation price in Kenya
The cost of a button dripper is Kes 12 a unit
The cost of a button dripper irrigation system per acre depends on the tree crop spacing. In the tabulation below, we provide 3 examples
Avocado | Passion / Paw Paw |
Apple / Tree Tomato | ||
Spacing | 5M x 5M | 3M x 3M | 2.5M x 2.5M | |
Cost per Acre | Kes 85,000 | Kes 100,000 | Kes 115,00 |
Cost Of Drip Irrigation Per Acre
The cost of drip irrigation per acre in Kenya varies from crop to crop. Grekkon Limited is the top most of all drip irrigation kits suppliers in Kenya. Our drip irrigation system price in Kenya depends on the crop type. For tree crops and hedges, button drippers are installed. In vegetable crops, pre-perforated drip pipes are laid. The emitter spacing on the pre-perforated drip lines is either; 15cm, 20cm, or 30cm. A grower selects according to the vegetable crop type spacing.
We provide our growers a choice of single or double emitter drip irrigation tapes. Double emitter drip lines are helpful in high saline irrigation water locations where salt precipitates form and clog drip emitters. When one emitter is clogged, then the other one continues to irrigate at the same rate. Drip irrigation pipes for sale in Kenya by Grekkon Limited are PVC, and HDPE types
Cost of Drip Irrigation Per Acre
Determining Factors
- Crop type.It determines the crop spacing. Is it a fruit or vegetable garden? Fruit trees and fruit vines or runners such as melons 🍉 take less drip tape per acre. So they have the least cost. Vegetable crops take more drip lines, and are thus more expensive
- Pipe type. It is a PVC or HDPE mainline, and sub-mainline? The former is more expensive to work with
- Water pressure available. The higher the pressure, the less the number of irrigation blocks. Less irrigation blocks per acre means less fittings and accessories, so it’s less expensive. With low pressure, more irrigation blocks are created, at a higher unit cost
I. An Eighth To One Acre Drip Irrigation Kit Prices
Crop Type | Drip Lines Per Bed | Acreage | Cost in Kes |
Watermelon | 1 | 1/8 | 15,000 |
1/4 | 25,000 | ||
1/2 | 45,000 | ||
1 | 85,000 | ||
Tomato, cabbage, chilies, capsicum, green beans, peas | 2 | 1/8 | 25,000 |
1/4 | 40,000 | ||
1/2 | 75,000 | ||
1 | 140,000 | ||
Onion, garlic, herbs, spices, strawberry | 1/8 | 27,500 | |
3 | 1/4 | 45,000 | |
1/2 | 85,000 | ||
1 | 160,000 |
II. Fruit Tree Button Drip Kit Irrigation Prices
Crop Type | Acreage | Cost in Kes |
Tree Tomato/ Pawpaw/ Passion/ Coffee | 1/8 | 15,000 |
1/4 | 25,000 | |
1/2 | 45,000 | |
1 | 85,000 | |
Avocado | 1/8 | 15,000 |
1/4 | 25,000 | |
1/2 | 40,000 | |
1 | 70,000 |
FAQS
a. How much does it cost to install a drip irrigation system in Kenya?
The tabulated cost of drip irrigation per acre in Kenya includes the cost of installation by our technicians. We conduct our installations in all of east Africa, for every grower. After installation, our agronomy team provides 4 months of free agronomy training for new farmers.
b. How much does drip irrigation cost per hectare?
The cost of drip irrigation per hectare is 2.5 times the cost provided per acre
c. How many drip lines per acre?
This is determined by the crop type. 3,000M for 1 drip row per bed, 6,000M for 2 drip rows per bed, and 8,000M for 3 drip rows per bed
4. What is the maximum length of a drip irrigation line?
Your 16mm drip irrigation line will run for 25 to 27M under gravity flow, where the head is below 10M. From 10M head, this will go up to 50M
5. How far apart are drip irrigation holes?
Our emitter spacing is; 15cm, 20cm, and 30cm
6. How do I calculate drip irrigation?
- Determine the emitter spacing, for example 15cm
- Divide the drip length by this spacing to determine the number of emitters per roll. In our case, 1,000M divided by 0.15M= 6,667 emitters
- Multiply the emitters by the number of rolls per acre, for example 6 rolls, so 40,000 emitters per acre
- Multiply the emitter flow rate by the total number of emitters to get the amount of water discharged per hour. For example 1.5 litres per hour x 40,000= 60,000 litres per hour
7. Which pipe is best for drip irrigation?
HDPE pipes are the best as main and sub main lines because they have UV treatment. This means that they will be used either as surface or sub-surface pipes
8. Can you run a drip line uphill?
Yes. But the head of the flow must be higher than the vertical height of the slope
9. What pipe size should I use for drip irrigation?
The size of the pipe installed is determined by the area under irrigation. The larger it is, the larger the pipes used
10. How do I know how long to run drip irrigation?
This is determined by the existing level of soil moisture. Run it for 20 minutes to 1 hour according to the amount of water needed
11. How do I increase the pressure in my drip irrigation system?
They are several ways to raise the irrigation water pressure in your drip irrigation system
i. Divide the farm into blocks, each of which is irrigated separately. This way, irrigation water is channeled to particular block under high pressure
ii. If it is by gravity flow, then by raising the storage elevation. This will work where raised water tanks are the source of irrigation water
iii. By introducing an external source of pressure, such a s water pump to boost the flow of irrigation water in the system
Pixie Orange Farming And Irrigation
Pixie orange farming and irrigation in Kenya is a high investment, high returns farming venture. Pixies originate from California, USA where they were developed as a cross between oranges and tangerines. They are yellow-orange in colour, sweet and seedless fruits rich in vitamin C. They boost the immune system and increase collagen production which is great for the skin. In this piece, we answer commonly asked questions on pixie orange farming and irrigation by growers in Africa
1.How do you grow pixie oranges in Kenya?
They grow in most soils, but the best are deep (at least 18 inches or 42 cm deep) fertile sandy loams with a pH range of 6.5 – 7.3
2. How do you plant pixie oranges?
The dimensions of the planting holes are 2ft x 2ft x 2ft. This allows for water conservation and deep root penetration as the tree grows. mix the top soil thoroughly with well decomposed manure especially in weak soils
3. What is the spacing for pixies?
Row to row 5M, plant to plant 4M to give an average population of 200 plants per acre. A mature full-sized tree tree is 6M – 9M tall, and equally wide with an extensive root system
4. How long do pixie oranges take to grow out?
Pixie oranges take 2 years to their first fruiting season, but full maturity is between 3 -5 years
4. How many oranges will one tree produce?
The first fruits (30 – 50 fruits) come in the second year, then 250 -300 in the third to fifth years. By the eighth year, the tree bears 500 -600 fruits annually. To produce this commercial quantity all year round, irrigation must be undertaken
5. How many pixie orange trees per acre?
200 trees on average
How To Irrigate Pixie Oranges In Kenya
Pixie oranges require a high amount of water to grow because they are ever green. Under rain fed production, it will be at least 1,000mm of rain annually. However, to produce commercially, irrigation will be done to supplement rain. A tree will have 20 litres at planting, and thereafter, ensure that the soil is consistently moist, but not soggy. The root system must not be allowed to dry out, and neither should there be standing water. Irrigation is at the root zone, away from the trunk
Pixie Orange Farming And Irrigation
Methods
I. Sprinkler Irrigation
Micro sprinklers at the base of the plant are the most efficient or all overhead irrigation methods. Micro sprinklers are low-pressure, low to medium volume irrigation equipment that deliver water directly to the crop root zone. They provide full scale surface irrigation, and localised watering of trees
II. Button drippers
This is the most water conserving and efficient irrigation system. The water loss to evaporation is less than that of micro-sprinklers, and it requires lower pressure to operate
How To Install Rain Hose Kits
Grekkon Limited’s manual on how to install rain hose kits in Kenya is an easy to read step by step guide. It details every aspect of rain pipe assembly in the farm to provide understanding to farmers. As the pioneer of rain hose kits in Kenya, we are keen to that farmers receive the full benefit of rain pipe irrigation. Rain hose pipes work under high gravity pressure (from 6M or 0.6bar), and with high volume water pumps. The discharge rate of the water pump is from 40 cubic litres per hour. These water pumps are surface solar, electric, petrol or diesel powered
How To Install Rain Hose Kits
- Trench where the poly vinyl chloride (PVC) main line will be laid. This is not necessary for the high density polyethylene (HDPE) which are surface pipes. PVC pipes are sub-surface pipes because they have no UV-treatment, and will thus degrade easily under the sun. HDPE pipes have UV treatment and will be surface pipes
- Connect the PVC or (HDPE) main line to the water pump or high tank. This pipe evacuates water from the source to the farm and is the largest in diameter. The larger the pipe diameter, the more the water it delivers. .
- Join the HDPE or PVC sub-main line to the main line. The sub-main line is smaller in diameter, and so carries less water. It is joined to the main line through PVC or HDPE accessories such as; tees, elbows, saddle clamps, adaptors or valve sockets
- Connect the rain pipe to the sub-main line or the main line where a sub-main line does not exist. This is done with a rain hose connector or a saddle clamp
- Spread the rain hose along the length, and close the terminal end with an end cap
- Connect one rain pipe to another with a connector
A drilling tool is the only tool used when installing a rain hose kit. This is to create an opening on the main or sub-main line to insert the rain pipe ball valve
Tomato Drip Kit Price
Tomato drip kit price in Kenya by Grekkon Limited is by acreage. Our drip irrigation prices range as; kitchen gardens, 1/8th acre, 1/4 acre, 1/2 acre, 3/4acre and 1 acre. The components of these tomato drip are; HDPE pipe. The diameter ranges from 1″ to 1-1/2″ according to the size of the area HDPE fittings. […]
Types Of Sprinkler Irrigation Systems
Grekkon Limited’s has all types of sprinkler irrigation systems for agriculture. From the giant flange type rain guns, to the tiny micro sprinklers. Here detail how each works, and the prices
Types of Sprinkler Irrigation Systems: Price and Specifications
1. Rain gun sprinkler prices and specifications
These are for broad acreage
Type | Make | Inlet
Diameter |
Max Spray Diameter | Min Head (Pressure Rating) | Max Flow Rate | Price in
Kes |
Flange | Metallic | 2″ | 60M | 40M | 60M3/ Hr | 65,000 |
Flange | Metallic | 1.5″ | 40M | 40M | 45M3/ Hr | 50,000 |
PY 50 | Metallic | 2.5″ | 45M | 30M | 25M3/ Hr | 19,000 |
PY 40 | Metallic | 2″ | 35M | 30M | 17M3/ Hr | 17,000 |
PY 30 | Metallic | 1.5″ | 30M | 30M | 8M3/ Hr | 15,000 |
RM | Metallic | 1.5″ | 30M | 30M | 8M3/ Hr | 17,000 |
Plastic | Plastic | 1.5″ | 30M | 25M | 7M3/ Hr | 5,000 |
RM | Metallic | 1″ | 20M | 30M | 6.5M3/ Hr | 6,500 |
2. Impact sprinkler prices and specifications
For smaller acreage, open filed crop
Make |
Inlet Diameter |
Max Spray Diameter | Min Head (Pressure Rating) | Max Flow Rate |
Price in Kes |
Plastic | 1″ | 12M | 10M | 3M3/ Hr | 1,250 |
Plastic | 3/4″ | 7.5M | 10M | 2M3/ Hr | 750 |
Plastic | 1/2″ | 5M | 10M | 1.5M3/ Hr | 450 |
3. Pop up sprinklers
For lawns, parks, and gardens. The are sub surface units, which under pressure rise (pop up) to irrigate.
Make |
Inlet Diameter |
Max Spray Diameter | Min Head (Pressure Rating) | Max Flow Rate |
Price in Kes |
Plastic | 3/4″ | 12M | 10M | 3M3/ Hr | 4,500 |
Plastic | 1/2″ | 7.5M | 10M | 2M3/ Hr | 2,500 |
Types of sprinkler irrigation systems: Others
Other smaller sprinkler types for small gardening are butterfly sprinklers, and micro sprinklers. They have low coverage and an inlet of 1/2″
Micro sprinklers today irrigate large acreages of orchard. They are attached to a sub-main line, taking the pace of button drippers
How To Select The right Type of Sprinkler Irrigation System
- By crop. Lawn grass will thrive better with pop ups
- Water availability. Rain gun sprinklers demand the most amount of water
- Generation of pressure. Micro sprinklers work with the least pressure
- Budget. Pop up systems are the most expensive , and sophisticated
Drip Irrigation System
Every drip irrigation system in Kenya by Grekkon Limited supported by a HDPE or PVC line. We are the largest drip irrigation kits suppliers in Kenya, reaching the highest number of farmers. At the very bottom we do simple drip irrigation systems, also known as kitchen garden drips. It advances to 1 acre drip irrigation kits, 5 acre drip irrigation systems to hundreds of acres. Our drip pipes for sale in Kenya are the double emitter drip irrigation pipes
Drip Irrigation Kits Prices In Kenya Are A Factor Of
- Crop type
- Bed spacing
- Terrain
Drip Irrigation System Cost Per Acre In Kenya
Crop Type | Lines Per Bed | Acreage | Cost in Kes |
Watermelon, sweet melon, butter nut | 1 | 0.125 | 15,000 |
0.25 | 25,000 | ||
0.50 | 45,000 | ||
1 | 85,000 | ||
Tomato, cabbage, chillies, capsicum | 2 | 0 | 25,000 |
0.25 | 40,000 | ||
0.50 | 75,000 | ||
1 | 140,000 | ||
Onion, garlic, herbs, spices, strawberry, green beans | 0 | 27,500 | |
3 | 0.25 | 45,000 | |
0.50 | 85,000 | ||
1 | 160,000 |
Drip Kit Components
- The main line. This is a PVC or a HDPE pipe. The choice of pipe thickness is according to the pressure of the water in it. A farmer with gravity flow has a thinner pipe than one with a high pressure water pump
- Water filter. To remove impurities that will otherwise block the drip pipe emitters
- Gate vales. They control the water movement from one point to another by opening or closing
- Main line fittings; tees, elbows, adaptors, connectors, saddle clamps, reducers, and end caps. They are either PVC or HDPE as per the pipe. Their size depends on the pipe size
- The sub main line. This is connected to the main line, and is the origin of drip lines
- Sub-main line fittings; tees, elbows, adaptors, connectors, saddle clamps, reducers, and end caps. They are either PVC or HDPE as per the pipe. Their size depends on the pipe size
- Drip pipes. These pre-perforated pipes have emitters that supply water to the crop directly
- Drip fittings; starter connectors, off take connectors, drip to drip connectors, rubbers, mini-valves, and end caps