~This post was originally published December 4, 2014~
When Upstart Farmer Tracy Holz first started growing with his ZipGrow towers, he was getting tons of clogs in the 1/8″ irrigation tubings that delivered water to the top of the towers.
Initially, he used very long pieces of tubing that snaked up and down before water was finally emitted.
Then his wife took a look and pointed out the issue: the long, bending tubes allowed for settlement, causing clogs.
In this video, Tracy explains how cutting the tubes to be just long enough solved his problems.
At the Bright Agrotech greenhouse, we also make sure our 1/8″ irrigation lines are just long enough. They stop at or above the top of the media.
These are the narrowest points in your system irrigation, making them the most prone to clogging, especially in an aquaponics system. You want to minimize their size (and minimize your clogs!).
At yet another farm, Haydn Christensen of Bayberry Fresh uses a similar tube length with drip emitters on the end for his hydroponic system. Periodically, the drip emitters are opened up and cleaned to keep water flowing.
Now that Tracy’s irrigation is working well, what is he growing? He recently shared a two-month update on his green wall – and take a look at that bok choy! (We really love the Joi Choi variety.)
Remember: the best advice comes from your fellow farmers. What quick tips do you have to share?