Irrigation specialist provides innovative water management. When every drop counts

Finally everyone is beginning to see that water is our primary and most vital resource . At Irrigation Specialist VBS this awareness has been alive for more than thirty years. Managing Director Paul Van Breda was the first European to obtain several certificates as an Irrigation Professional.

The importance of good water management

In the mid-1990s of last century, few realized that good water management would one day become a "hot topic" in the Belgian green sector. After all, for the cause of water scarcity, we must not only look upwards, but also downwards, to the soil.   

Irrigation is all about the soil. Plants take up nutrients from the soil, and this requires water and oxygen. Healthy and well-fed plants purify the air through photosynthesis. With artificial irrigation, we do no more or no less than support photosynthesis by properly managing the water deficit. Manufacturers of irrigation products, including control and steering devices, have also caught on and are coming out with controls that make this water management easier.

The installer is central

In irrigation, water comes from a water giver, and that can be a sprinkler or a drip hose. Optimal irrigation is therefore not guaranteed by a manufacturer of irrigation systems and components, but rather by the correct implantation of the water givers and by the know-how of the installer of the system. It is precisely because of this know-how that Paul Van Breda is employed by PCLT and EDU Plus to teach green professionals the necessary expertise and train them to become good installers.

Garden contractors and architects can call on VBS to have a piping schedule, planting plan and detailed materials list prepared, ensuring uniformity and flexibility of the entire irrigation system.

Proprietary drip hoses

In 2021, VBS is expanding the range with some special products, which will once again make the installation better and once again put the garden contractor at the center. Due to the sharply falling price of drip hoses, manufacturers could no longer meet VBS's high quality standards and the company developed its own drip hoses, in two types. There is a 16-millimeter pressure-compensated basic version and a more advanced type equipped with a Drop Stop.

With the latter, the drippers open at 1.5 bar and close at 4 bar. Thus, when used on slopes or inclined areas, exactly the same amount of water will be dispensed everywhere and there will be no deflation when starting or stopping irrigation. VBS drip hoses are also more UV resistant due to their dark brown color. All conceivable fittings are also available, including insert fittings that guarantee fixed mounting up to 4 bar without additional clamps. In combination with a Rain Bird Battery Timer, the installation also works automatically.

Advanced valve boxes

If you have multiple zones in a garden, you will also need to install multiple control valves. And that's often where the shoe pinches. How do you get all those valves mounted neatly? Usually those valves are contained in what we call a Valve Box. Getting the valves into such a box without leaks requires some skill. VBS now removes this threshold with its new, pre-assembled Valve Boxes. Quick, simple and completely leak-free. These boxes are available with two or four pre-assembled valves, each with a hand valve. You can easily combine these boxes with a Rain Bird or VBS hydrant. They are also available with a Bluetooth controller. Just install the battery and you have a fully automatic irrigation, controlled via your smartphone. A better and more reliable irrigation system is hard to imagine!