Drip Irrigation FAQs

Drip irrigation delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone of plants through drip lines and small emitters. It is the most common form of controlled irrigation for Kenyan vegetable farms, greenhouses and orchards because it applies water where the crop uses it, which can reduce losses from evaporation, wind drift and runoff. Start with our full overview: how drip irrigation works in Kenya.

Water moves from the source (borehole, dam, river or tank) through a pump that builds pressure, into filtration that protects the emitters, then through mainline pipes to submains and finally to drip lines laid alongside the crop. Emitters in the lines release small, even amounts of water at the root zone. Pressure regulators and valves keep pressure consistent and let you irrigate section by section. See how drip irrigation works for the full breakdown.

Drip lines are heavier, multi-season pipes (typically 16mm, 19mm or 22mm) built to last several seasons. Drip tape is a thin, single-season membrane (typically 16mm or 19mm) that is cheaper per metre and ideal for row crops with dense spacing like onions and leafy vegetables. Compare them in detail in drip tape vs drip line.

It depends on the crop's spacing and water needs. As a common starting point: one line for wide-spacing crops like watermelon, two lines for tomatoes, cabbage and most vegetables on standard beds, and three lines for densely planted crops like onions and garlic. The final count comes from the crop's in-row spacing and the emitter spacing — our design service works this out for your specific crop and bed width.

There is no single price — cost depends on farm size, crop, drip lines per bed, water source, pump, filtration and terrain. In the current market (early 2026), a complete one-acre system is commonly quoted in the region of KSh 95,000–200,000 depending on those factors; equipment prices change, so treat figures as indicative. See drip irrigation cost in Kenya for what drives the price, and request a farm-specific quotation.

A typical one-acre kit — mainline, submains, drip lines, a filtration unit, valves and fittings — commonly falls between KSh 95,000 and KSh 200,000 depending on lines per bed, crop and whether a pump is included. A kit for a specific crop works out differently (e.g. onions usually need more lines per bed than watermelon). We size the kit from your crop and water source rather than selling a fixed box — see drip irrigation for 1 acre.

The upfront cost is real, but it's best weighed against what the system does: it can reduce water losses, saves labour versus manual watering, and lets you grow in the dry season or extend the season. Gravity-fed systems (tank on a hillside) cost less than pump-fed ones. The biggest avoidable cost is a poorly designed system that needs rework — that's why we assess the farm first.

Compared with overhead sprinklers or flood/furrow irrigation, drip systems can improve water-use efficiency because water goes to the root zone with less evaporation, drift and runoff. The actual saving depends on climate, crop, soil and management — it's not a fixed percentage, and honest quotes won't promise one. For a factual comparison see drip vs sprinkler irrigation.

Yes. Borehole water typically needs a pump to provide pressure, and while it's often cleaner than surface water it can carry iron or fine sediment that will block emitters over time — so filtration is still specified, usually a disc or screen filter. We size the pump from the borehole's yield and the lift required: irrigation pumps.

Yes, but surface water carries more risk — silt, algae, insects and debris — so heavier filtration is standard, typically a sand or media filter, sometimes combined with a disc filter. A river intake also needs protection from seasonal silt loads. The filtration guide covers matching filters to water sources.

Yes, if your water source sits high enough above the field to generate enough pressure — roughly 1 metre of height for about 0.1 bar, so a tank 10–15 m above the field can push a small drip system without any pump. Gravity systems are cheaper to run and maintain, which makes them popular for smallholders with a hillside tank. See smallholder irrigation options.

Size the tank to cover the daily irrigation demand of your planted area for several days, plus dry-season drawdown from the refill source. Demand depends on crop, area and weather — which is why tank sizing is part of the design rather than a rule of thumb. If your system includes automation, the buffer also protects against pump or power outages mid-cycle.

Three things: right filtration for your water source (the number one cause of blockages), regular flushing of the line ends, and clean fertiliser in the fertigation tank. A maintenance routine is inexpensive compared with replacing lines — see how to maintain drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation with two lines per bed is the standard for both field and greenhouse tomatoes, usually combined with fertigation because tomatoes take significant fertiliser over the season. Emitter spacing follows plant spacing (typically 40–80cm in-row depending on variety and training system). Full details: drip irrigation for tomatoes.

Yes — drip is the preferred method for most avocado orchards, with the number of lines per tree increasing as the canopy grows (commonly from 2 lines for young trees up to 4–6 for mature trees on standard spacings). Avocado also dislikes waterlogging, so drip's control over volume and frequency is a real advantage. See drip irrigation for avocado.

Fertigation is the delivery of water-soluble fertiliser through the irrigation system, so water and nutrients reach the root zone together. It improves fertiliser efficiency and makes feeding large areas practical. It requires the right equipment (injection point, tank, metering or injection method) and correct handling — see what is fertigation.

Frequency depends on crop growth stage, soil type, season and line flow. Sandy soils dry faster and may need shorter, more frequent sessions; clay soils hold water longer. As a general principle, irrigate on a consistent schedule matched to the crop's peak demand rather than ad hoc. Our design includes a starting irrigation schedule for your crop and soil, refined through the season.

Yes — we serve farms, greenhouses and nurseries across the country. The locations page covers our main service areas including Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Naivasha, Murang'a, Meru, Machakos, Eldoret, Kisumu and Mombasa. For other areas, send your location with the quote request.

A standard one-acre vegetable system typically installs over a few working days once materials are on site; larger or multi-zone systems take longer. Timeline depends on farm access, terrain and whether the crop is already planted. We confirm the schedule after the site assessment.

Yes. We handle repairs (blockages, leaks, pressure loss, pump faults), scheduled maintenance, and upgrades such as adding zones, improving filtration or adding automation to systems that aren't ours.

Useful details: location, farm size (acres), the crop you grow or plan to grow, water source (borehole, dam, river, tank, or none yet) and roughly where the water is relative to the field. Photos of the field help. You can send all of that through the quote form — or just the location and crop, and we'll follow up with a few questions.