Placing Control In Your Hands
Efficiently and precisely irrigating vines and protecting them from
spring frosts not only ensures that fruit grows to the optimum size and
flavour, it saves money too. Enjoy cost effective and water efficient
irrigation and frost protection with a bespoke control and automation system that suits your individual requirements and budget.
Why choose a Sprinkler system?
- Target specific zones
- Low investment cost per hectare
- Significant savings on operating costs compared to other systems
- Long life span of materials, sprinklers, and the control system
- Works for both advection frost and radiation frost
- Can be combined with our drip irrigation system to irrigate and fertigate vineyards
- Environmentally friendly
- Low noise and zero fumes during operation
- Prevents against frosts down to -8 degrees
- With the correct water hydraulic calculations, the system will offer the same level of protection across the entire protected area
How does it work?
- The temperature of the water being sprayed is higher than the air and the vine, creating a warmer microclimate around the vine itself.
- The water sprayed creates a thin layer of ice and as the water freezes, latent heat is released. As long as the water is continuously applied, the freezing process will continue.
- The ice layer creates a barrier around the plant and as it is continuously freezing it will release heat. This ensures the bud doesn’t reach the damaging low temperature of the air.
- Plantex 360 automation gives you the option to target specific sections in your vineyard which are affected differently by frost. The use of in-field sensors means the system will automatically detect your specified temperature and humidity level, giving you peace of mind that your water and energy usage is as minimal as possible. Saving on time, labour and water/energy usage.
We stock and install two types of Frost Protection sprinklers, the 'Pulsar' and the 'Flipper'. Both systems reduce incidences of frost damage to crops very effectively.
Pulsar™ Sprinklers
- Effective frost protection: Delivers several pulses of water per minute, ensuring continuous watering over a large area for many hours.
- Water and energy efficient: Specially designed to use less than 50%-70% of the water required by full-coverage sprinkler systems, it protects larger areas with a given amount of water and saves energy consumption too.
- Lowest system cost: Pulse technology enables great water coverage with the lowest possible flow rate – lowering operating costs by up to 30% compared to other systems.
- Uniform water distribution, irrespective of topography: Achieves optimal results even with sloping terrain and long laterals due to a unique flow regulation mechanism.
- Low maintenance, high performance: Pulsar emitters are simple to install and are made to withstand agrochemicals and adverse weather conditions.
- Ability to apply water to only the treeline lowering wastage.
Flipper Sprinklers
- Spreads water in a very long and narrow strip, targeting the vine rows only
- Saves up to 70% of water compared to conventional overhead systems
- Large droplets minimize the cooling effect when starting the system
- Safe operation under frost conditions
- Optional flow regulator for hilly terrain or long rows
- Low installation and pumping costs
- Dry pathways reduce waterlogging and facilitate access for workers and equipment soon after operation
Our 'Flipper' sprinkler system uses water effectively, which is beneficial to both you and the environment. Combined with our 'Drip Irrigation System', you can protect your vines from extreme weather changes in the UK, such as sudden drops in temperature and droughts.
Control Boxes
One of the key factors in operating a successful frost protection system is the control equipment. We build bespoke systems for each specific site and project where we ensure all elements work together correctly. Therefore, we build everything into one easy to use control system.
Here are some of the key areas that our system can control;
- Borehole pumps
- Sub pumps
- Rainwater harvesting
- Water transfers
- Reservoir or tank filling
- Aeration for large water areas
- Filter management and cleaning
- Pump control and monitoring
- In field valves, pressures, and flows
- Dew point sensors
- Auto system operation
- Alerts and monitoring
- Data collection
- App control
Pump Houses
Our pump houses are built to specification for each project, this can either be in an existing building or we can provide a timber building on a galvanized steel frame, this allows for the fit out of the pumphouse to mostly be carried out on the Plantex site and then the complete unit is transported to the project site, the connections are made and the pumphouse is commissioned for use.
Our purpose made units are built to a high specification and include:
- Tanalised timber
- Galvanised steel base
- Fibreglass roof
- Steel security door
- Optional extras can include lighting and soundproof insulation
Water Storage
The water supply and storage of water is a vital part of the system, there are many options and solutions available for this. A site visit is usually needed to work out the best option for the project. The volume of water storage required is calculated from the size of the vineyard needing frost protection and by how quickly the water supply can re-fill the storage area.
Some typical solutions include:
- Bore holes
- Pumping from rivers or streams
- Rainwater collection
- Plastic tank storage
- Steel tank storage
- Reservoirs