In horticulture, water is vital for plants. An important source of water is rainwater, which can be collected in a water basin. Such a basin can be placed either inside or outside the greenhouse and is an efficient way to store large quantities of rainwater. This reduces the grower's dependence on a water manager and allows him to use the stored water to water the plants.
Construction of a water basin
When constructing a water basin, the size of the basin is first determined depending on the amount of water needed for the crop. Then a hole is dug and the excavated soil is used to build an embankment around the hole. That way, you don't have to dig deep to store a lot of water. The dike should not be too steep to prevent calving. The basin is lined with a foil layer to prevent the water from sinking into the soil.Storage of de-ironed spring water
A water basin can thus generally be used to collect rainwater, but sometimes also as storage of de-ironed spring water. When calculating the size of the water basin, a closed soil balance is assumed, with the released soil being used for the basin embankment around it. The utilisation rate of the water basin can be increased by withdrawing more basin soil from the production area, but this may be at the expense of the land available for cultivation.Tarpaulin
A water basin can be sealed with a tarpaulin to prevent dirt and leaves from entering the water and to prevent evaporation. If all the rainwater that falls in a year can be stored in the water basin, there is 100 per cent utilisation. So in an ideal situation, the volume of the water basin is determined by the size of the farm. But large basins require a large land area and in many places land is scarce, so often the volume of the water basin is determined by the available land.Curious about how we can help you?