Simple Pasture Irrigation Setup

No matter what you've planted, pasture lands need only a simple pasture irrigation setup to keep pasture crops happy and productive. Over or underwatering can be a hazard in any crop irrigation, but thankfully pasture crops are easy to manage.

The biggest challenge is in determining how much to water, and when. Going by past experience is a gamble – weather patterns change from year to year, and the best time to water last year may be the worst time to irrigate this year. The best method is to water when the soil demands it. Consult a guide to your soil type to determine when the soil's moisture has depleted to the point where it needs irrigation.

Once you've determined the moisture level at which you need to water, keep a journal and track moisture loss. Once you have that data, you'll be able to determine when your pasture needs irrigation. You may find that the methods you've been using up until now are less effective than they could be. A newer, simpler pasture irrigation setup may yield better crops.

This will mean changing your habits, however. You may find that the times you've been applying water weren't the times when your pasture needed it most – watering late in the season, for example, may not have been necessary because the growing season was coming to an end and the crop actually needed less water at that point. Soil monitoring will not only save you money where time and water is concerned, it can improve your crops and cut down on the potential for infestation from water-loving pests.

Tracking your soil's moisture and managing your irrigation is easy and good for your crops. With a simple pasture irrigation setup and savvy soil monitoring, your crops will yield healthier plants, too.