Use of distributor drippers

‘Distributor drippers’ are additional dripper nozzles that are attached to the end of the Tropf-Blumat tubing, and which are used to divide the single Tropf-Blumat dripper location over several dripping points.

The distributor drippers are connected to approximately 20-25 cm long sections of drip tubing. At the end, there is an ‘end distributor’ with only one connection.  
Alternatively, in the 'raised bed rows', the distributor drippers are connected with 8 mm pipe pieces, but placed at shorter intervals. Here, it is more about row irrigation of seed rows or rows of plants with small plant spacing, such as is often the case with the cultivation of vegetables.

Using Distributor Drippers with Drip Tubing:  
These additional distributor drippers allow for the use of fewer Tropf-Blumats, because a greater surface can be irrigated without additional sensors. However, it is advisable to use them only where they can be observed and tested, since, depending on the water quality, they have a tendency to clog; cleaning at the end of the season is useful or often necessary. In the case of very calcareous water, it is better to work only with the Tropf-Blumat without a distributor dripper.  
Each Tropf-Blumat requires the attachment of 2 distributor drippers (i.e. 1 distributor dripper + 1 end distributor dripper or 2 distributor drippers + 1 end cap). For medium-sized bed plants, for example, tomatoes or peppers, 2-3 distributor drippers per plant are sufficient. This amount is enough to water both sides of the plant.

Distributor drippers often result in a greater amount of water being distributed than expected. This is due to the Tropf-Blumat being set wetter since there is a greater resistance in the dripper chain (see Settings). As a rule, these drippers only distribute the amount that is allowed to pass through the watering head.
An irrigation ring with 5 distributor drippers at a distance of 25 cm results in an inner diameter of 40 cm, which is suitable for a bucket with a diameter of 60 cm. The distributor drippers should be held in place with Blumat supports, so that they are mostly horizontally aligned, thus assuring a certain amount of uniformity during dripping. Nevertheless, due to the design, slight differences cannot be avoided, but it is usually not necessary to compensate for such differences, for example, in a ring-shaped irrigation of potted plants. However, a weak dripper can be corrected effectively if the adjusting screw is unscrewed by 1-2 turns; however, this should preferably remain the exception.
 

Use of Distributor Drippers with Connective Pipes:  
Due to the lower resistance, the wider connecting pipes allow for the use of up to 10 distributor drippers; these should be arranged to stand vertically in the line of pipes. This can bring a small advantage for reducing the risk of blockages, since the outlet can dry during the watering pauses, while the pipe remains filled.  
Distributor drippers are placed at shorter distances – 10 and 15 cm – and are therefore not targeted to individual plants, since the goal for small plants is a continuous band of moisture. For example, in the case of seed rows with just emerging seeds, the soil surface should not dry out. To achieve this, the Tropf-Blumat must be set to very moist, whereby the insertion depth of the clay cone must also be taken into consideration (see Settings).