Drip Irrigation vs. Exudation Irrigation: Which is better for your garden?

If you have an orchard or garden, you know that one of the most important, and sometimes most complicated, issues is irrigation. And if you’re looking for a sustainable way to keep your plants healthy and save water while you grow, choosing the right irrigation system becomes even more important.

Therefore, today we bring you and explain two methods widely used in organic farming: drip irrigation and drip irrigation. Stay and let’s see what they are, how they differ and which one is more suitable for your orchard or garden.

Irrigation systems: drip or exudation

Both methods, drip irrigation and drip irrigation, are aimed primarily at delivering water directly to plant roots in a controlled manner, reducing waste and promoting more sustainable agriculture. However, each works differently, making them more or less suitable depending on the type of crop, the soil or your personal preferences.

Next, let’s take a look at how each system works, its advantages, limitations and important considerations:

Drip irrigation

Drip irrigation is a system that delivers water directly to the base of each plant, through pipes with small integrated drippers. These drippers can be fixed flow (always the same amount of water) or adjustable, which allows us to adapt the irrigation to the needs of each type of plant.

This method is especially useful in various types of crop configurations such as:

• Varied crops. Allows the flow rate of each dripper to be adjusted individually, so that each plant receives only the amount it needs.
• Row orchards. Allows placing a dripper right at the base of each plant. Avoiding wetting unnecessary areas of the soil, maximizing water efficiency.
• Gardens with pots or planters. Allows connecting several drippers through a single tube, distributing water accurately without having to water by hand one by one.

One of the main advantages of this irrigation system is that water is used very efficiently. It only waters the root zone, which minimizes evaporation and prevents weeds from growing between plants. In addition, we can easily automate it with a programmer and forget about manual watering.

It also helps prevent plant diseases. By watering directly at the root, excess moisture on the surface of the soil or on the leaves is avoided, which reduces the appearance of fungi, rots or bacteria that proliferate in poorly managed humid environments.

Exudative irrigation

Exudative irrigation, also known as exudation irrigation or porous hose irrigation, works differently: instead of having drippers, the entire hose “sweats” water. That is, water is released little by little over the entire surface of the hose, creating a continuous strip of moisture on the soil.

This system is particularly effective when a constant and uniform humidity is to be maintained over a larger surface area, such as in:

• Densely cultivated terraces. It allows to hydrate the whole area in a homogeneous way. Unlike drip irrigation, the exudative tube releases moisture along its entire surface, soaking the soil continuously and favoring a more balanced root development.
• Light or sandy soils. It provides constant and slow hydration, which allows the soil to better retain moisture and reduces water stress in plants.

It is a very simple system to install, especially on straight land or without many obstacles. However, it does not allow you to adjust the flow rate plant by plant, so it may not be the best option if you have very varied crops.

In addition, with this system it is important to watch out for excessive water accumulation, because if the system is left running for too long or if the soil does not drain well, it can create waterlogged areas that favor the appearance of fungus, mold and even the development of root diseases.

Therefore, although drip irrigation provides uniformity, it requires a good planning of irrigation time and frequency.

Comparative Table

Which system saves more water in the long run?

When it comes to water efficiency in the orchard, both drip and drip ir rigation are a great improvement over more traditional methods such as hose or sprinkler irrigation. However, if you are looking to minimize water consumption as much as possible over the long term, there are some key differences to keep in mind.

Exudative irrigation is, under optimal conditions, the system that saves the most water in the long term. Its main advantage is that:

• It operates at very low pressure, which reduces energy consumption associated with pumps or mains pressure.
• It releases water very slowly and steadily through a porous hose.
• Water is not sprayed or dripped, but diffused directly into the soil by capillarity, avoiding losses due to evaporation or runoff.

According to technical studies of efficiency in organic farming, drip irrigation can save up to 70-80% more water compared to traditional sprinkler irrigation, and 10-20% more than drip irrigation if the system is well installed and the soil has good retention capacity.

However, this system requires certain conditions to function properly:

• Loose or sandy soils (that do not retain too much moisture).
• Well leveled ground so that water is evenly distributed.
• Hose lengths not excessive (to avoid pressure drop and uneven distribution).

If the soil is clayey or uneven, potential savings are reduced, and areas with excess or lack of moisture may appear.

For its part, drip irrigation remains the most precise and versatile system, especially when the flow rate of each dripper is adapted to the type of plant or its stage of development. It is also very effective in reducing evaporation and avoiding irrigation of non-cultivated areas.

In contexts with very varied crops, pots, or urban gardens, drip irrigation remains more practical and almost as efficient in terms of water use. In addition, it is better suited to sloping or hilly terrain, where the drip system cannot guarantee uniform distribution.

So, which one should you choose?

• If you are looking for the most economical system in a uniform terrain with dense crops, drip irrigation is your best ally.
• If you need flexibility, grow different species or have difficult soils, drip irrigation will give you better control with equally important savings.

Both systems, when used well, consume only 20-40% of the water you would need with traditional methods. So whichever you choose, it will be a step towards a more sustainable and resilient garden. Of course, once you have decided, the next step is to have the right materials so that everything runs smoothly.

Here is a selection of useful and durable products that will make your work much easier.