Drip irrigation materials, layout, and challenges (Watermelon series)

Hey Hivers👋❤️,

Right now I feel good sharing my experience as it allows me to express myself via writing other than talking or making a video. It feels different. Cheers to me as I am glad I can continue with this series, it shows I am being consistent. I appreciate the support and love so far.😘

So when it came time to set up drip irrigation for the watermelon field, the reality of our water situation became impossible to ignore. On paper, drip irrigation is one of the most efficient ways to grow watermelon, especially in the Southwest Nigeria where rainfall can be unreliable during the month of February/March. In practice, however, a drip system is only as good as the water feeding it. And water was our biggest constraint.

Before installation began, we first took stock of the materials required for the irrigation setup. For a standard open-field drip irrigation system, the essential components included water storage tanks, main delivery pipes (PVC), sub-main pipes, drip tapes, connectors, control valves, end caps, elbows, tees, filters, and basic plumbing fittings such as reducers and clamps. Because we were working with gravity-assisted flow as much as possible, tank positioning and pipe sizing mattered a lot. Filters were particularly important to prevent debris from blocking the drip emitters, especially given the quality of water we were sometimes forced to work with.

The next challenge was water itself. As earlier mentioned, the farm had a borehole, but it was designed primarily to supply the greenhouse tomatoes. Due to the absence of electricity, pumping depended entirely on a generator. Even with fuel, we struggled to fill up even a quarter of a tank consistently. This made it clear very early that relying solely on the borehole for open-field watermelon production was not realistic.

That was when the external water supply became critical. The Department of Water Resources stepped in as a secondary water source, supplying water weekly using tanker trucks. Each delivery came with a full tank, and this water was used to fill seven field tanks positioned around the watermelon plots and also that of the tomato greenhouse which I will talk on later in another series. Without this external support, the drip irrigation system would not have functioned at all. From a water management perspective, this meant irrigation had to be carefully planned around availability, not convenience. Every drop counted.

Before laying any pipe or drip tape, the land had to be properly mapped. Mapping is a step many people underestimate, but it determines how effective the entire system will be. The field was measured to determine plot length, spacing between rows, and the direction of water flow. Because the land surface was not perfectly uniform, slope and elevation differences were taken into account to avoid uneven pressure distribution along the drip lines. In theory, drip irrigation works best on level ground, but in real fields like this one, adjustments are unavoidable.

Tank positions were selected based on proximity to plots and gravity advantage. From each tank, main pipes were laid out to feed sub-mains that supplied the drip tapes. Care was taken to minimize sharp bends and unnecessary pipe length, as these reduce water pressure. Control valves were installed to allow sections of the field to be irrigated independently, which was necessary given the limited water supply.

Once the pipe network was in place, attention shifted to the drip tapes themselves. The drip tapes were laid along the ridges where watermelon vines would grow. Because the ridges were not perfectly uniform, additional support was needed to keep the tapes in position and prevent movement during irrigation. This led to the use of bamboo pegs, locally sourced and cut to size. These pegs were driven into the soil at intervals to hold the drip tapes firmly in place, ensuring consistent water delivery close to the root zone.

This method may not appear in textbooks, but it worked. In many parts of Southwest Nigeria, bamboo is readily available, durable, and cost-effective. Using it to support drip tapes reduced displacement caused by pressure changes, wind, or foot traffic during field operations.

Water management throughout this phase required discipline. Because tanks could not always be refilled on demand, irrigation scheduling had to match plant needs without waste. Over-irrigation was avoided not just to protect the crop, but to conserve limited water. For watermelon, this meant focusing irrigation during critical growth stages—early vine development and flowering while avoiding waterlogging on the clay-influenced soil.

This stage of the project made one thing very clear: installing drip irrigation is not just about laying pipes and tapes. It is about understanding water as a limited resource and designing a system that respects that reality. In theory, drip irrigation promises efficiency. In practice, efficiency only happens when layout, pressure, timing, and water availability are all aligned.

By the time the system was fully laid out and tested, it was clear that this was not a perfect setup but it was a functional one. And in real farming, functionality often matters more than perfection.

The next phase would reveal how well this system supported the crop once planting began and vines started to spread.