Rain Hose Irrigation

Grekkon Limited is the commercial pioneer of rain hose irrigation kits in east Africa, and is the largest supplier and installer of rain pipe systems in the region. This is done through the company’s 6 branches countrywide in Athi River, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nyeri, and Nyahururu. Before installing  a rain pipe irigation system in a farm, we conduct a site visit to assess:

• the water volume available 
• crop acreage
• crop type
• land dimension
• farm topography and lay out

This is the information that guides us on the design of the irrigation system to set up. If the water volume for instance is low, we recommend a more water efficient method such as drip irrigation. Alternatively, we’ll advice on a water harvesting technique to increase the water volume

Rain pipe irrigation system requirements

• The system requires a pressure head of 30M, and above
• When using a water pump to power the rain hose irrigation kit, the discharge rate should be from 45 cubic litres per hour 
• The rate of water discharge is determined by the diameter size, and number of pores on the rain pipe. For instance, a rain pipe with 5 holes per cluster discharges less water than the one with 7 holes in a cluster
• It irrigates in opposite directions at a radius of 3M for the 32mm pipe, 5M for the 40mm pipe, and 7M for the 50mm pipe
• The vertical height of this water jet is 1M

Irrigating a newly transplanted crop with a rain hose pipe

Rain hose irrigation system is for the following areas and on these crops

1. Crop nurseries; vegetables, fruit trees, forestry
2. Short vegetable crops (knee-high and below); cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, kales, spinach, collards, broad beans, carrot, strawberry, and others
3. Pasture; grass and legumes

When choosing the crop to irrigate using this method, consider its susceptibility to foliage fungal infections predisposed by leaf surface wetness. Tomato, potato, peppers, peas, green beans, and chili easily succumb to foliage fungal infections when overhead or a rain hose system is used for a long time

 Pasture irrigation with a rain hose

Rain Hose Irrigation Versus Drip Irrigation

1. Rain pipes irrigate in an overhead fashion, drip lines irrigate to the root zone
2. Drip tapes are water efficient, rain hose kits require large water volume 
3. Rain pipes have a higher pressure requirement than drip pipes
4. Drip lines have emitters, while rain hose kits have pores done with nano technology
5. The discharge rate for drip lines is 1.2 to 4 litres per hour per emitter, while the rain hose pore’s is from 7 litres per hour per emitter
6. The cost of a drip kit installation per acre is from Kes 100,000, while the rain hose is from Kes 75,000
7. The rain hose pipe’s minimum diameter is 25mm/ 3/4″, while drip tape’s is 8mm

Advantages Of Rain Hose Irrigation

• water saving and cost effective
• It is easy to install, use and maintain
• Ran hose nanotechnology punched holes are less prone to clogging
• It is used in a broad range of crops
• Rain hose pipes are light and easy to move about
• It irrigates uniformly
• It works under both low gravity and high water pump pressure

Rain pipe FAQs

a. What is the difference between a rain hose irrigation system and a sprinkler system?

• The technology. The rain pipe irrigation system is designed using nano technology
• The mode of spray. A sprinkler sprays its water in one direction, a rain hose pipe sprays in 3 directions (vertically, horizontally, and diagonally)
• Placement. A sprinkler is placed upright on the surface or sub-surface (for pop up sprinklers). A rain hose is laid on the ground

b.  What is the pressure in a rain pipe?

The minimum operating pressure is 30M head / 3 bars

c. What is the spacing for rain hose irrigation?

The distance from one rain pipe to another is from 1.5M depending on the operating pressure, and pipe diameter

Grekkon limited is the largest supplier and installer of rain hose irrigation systems in Kenya, and in the east and central Africa region