Cauliflower requires a high level of soil moisture for maximum yield and quality. Most farmers use sprinkler irrigation to establish transplants, and either continue with sprinklers or switch to furrow or drip irrigation for the remainder of the crop. After the transplants are established, the sprinkler irrigation is usually applied weekly during the spring and summer.
Some farmers who have drip-irrigated lands use 2m-wide beds with three lines of plants per bed and two lines of drip tape between the plant rows.
Drip irrigation provides easier access to the lands during harvest, especially on heavy soils with limited drainage.
If you are growing furrow-irrigated cauliflower, you will need between 1 500m water/ha to 2 000m water/ha; if you are using/ha to 1 500m/ha. Furrow-irrigated crops require about 2 000m/ha. Drip irrigation may reduce water-use by as much as 25% on soil types prone to run-off or on sandy soils, which have a limited water-holding capacity.
