Drip Irrigation in Mexico

Bienvenidos from sunny Mexico! I'm writing from our vacation home near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, where my wife, Nancy, and I were recently fortunate enough to have a guided tour through Wirikuta, a dazzling cactus theme park located nearby. 

For those who may not know, cacti are a large family of hardy succulents requiring little water to survive. An ideal candidate for drip irrigation, the many varieties and beautiful forms of cactus make it an eco-friendly choice for arid or tropical settings. Though it's always wonderful to escape the cold northern California winters, our visit to Wirikuta has been a wonderful and memorable part of this trip.

Photo courtesy of animalpolitico.com

Designed by Austrian born horticulturalist and landscape architect Joseph Schrott to honor the indigenous culture and tradition of the Huichol Indians' deified ancestors, Wirikuta is named for a sacred site high in the mountains of central Mexico, between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Zacatecas ranges. To this day, the yearly pilgrimage to the original Wirikuta remains one of the highlights of the Huichole's religious year.

Schrott has created an extraordinary park where thousands of cactus and succulent plants from deserts around the world are grown and reproduced directly from seed. At Wirikuta you can walk among a wide variety of species facing extinction in the outside world, making it the most important cacti and succulent botanical garden in the country. 

Home to 1,500 species and more than 750,000 plants including a Hopi labyrinth of 1,000 bougainvillea, the Wirikuta's design includes three seven-level pyramids built from 2,304 massive granite boulders. The abundance of crystalline quartz in the granite is said to impart a unique rejuvenation energy to the site. The grounds are also dotted with delightful statuary, helping to make every vista a feast for the eyes.

In addition to nearby Wirikuta Park, we have the good fortune to have great neighbors in our community of Laguna Hills. Here are a few pictures (below) to show some of the plants and landscape watered using a DripWorks system. Because of the hard water here, the clog-resistant Take-Apart Emitter is product of choice in nearly all situations and automating the system with a timer helps maintain a regular and efficient watering schedule.

Drip Irrigation at the Mendelsson's

Well, I hate to rub it in but it's getting a bit warm where I'm at. Maybe I'll sit out back awhile and just watch the cactus grow.