After being recommended by Dafydd and Andrew Joseph of Dingle Nurseries, Welshpool, Mark Bebb, managing director of Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury approached us to design and supply an irrigation system at a new plant. The plant centre will complement their already bustling caravan and leisure sales complex. The design involved providing a suitable sized water storage tank with a pump to supply water to the various different irrigation systems – sprinkler, drip and hand watering, which were installed across the centre.
We were requested to find an installer as the weather and other factors had caused delays meaning that it would not be feasible to meet the Easter opening deadline. We worked in conjunction with one of our colleagues to complete the installation which included some reworking along the way to take into account changes in layout and design.
Pump and Tank
We opted for a galvanised steel water storage tank complete with steel roof and a 1mm EDPM liner for longevity. The pump supplied was a variable speed Lowara unit to accommodate the differing flow rates resulting from the differing irrigation types. The pump and filter were located in a pump house. The water was pumped to the plant area via a 50mm underground header.
Outdoor Beds
There were 35/40 raised beds to be constructed in three separate areas. Each of these areas where equipped with their own underground header pipe onto which we installed the control valves for the separate blocks. During the installation of the infrastructure we laid conduits with draw cords for the control system cables. The control valves were then connected to sub-headers with a take-off for each raised bed.
Shade Area
The shade area was equipped with a similar header and valve system to operate micro sprinklers suspended from the timber framework over each bay.
Drip on tree and specimen plant area
The areas of the larger plants and trees where equipped with a drip system allowing the number of drip points per plant to be altered depending on the pot size. This area is controlled by a single valve.
Hand Watering Points
We also installed several hand watering points throughout the centre with quick coupling connectors for hoses and lances.
Control System
All of the valves are connected back to a central irrigation controller located in the plant centre office. This allows the irrigation system to be operated automatically when the centre is closed. Irrigation can be automatically applied several times. The controller is expandable to accommodate more stations should the centre expand in the future.