The USA Green Lady  

Irrigation

Water irrigation is necessary to keep lawns, gardens and parkways at their best.  Mother Nature provides the resources of rainwater, but sometimes a little added help is needed.  Effective water irrigation starts by appropriate planting and efficient irrigation systems that can reduce irrigation water use by 50% to 70% and overall water consumption by up to 25%.

The first place to start is with a reputable irrigation specialist who can assist you in designing your irrigation system.  The irrigation specialist will explain the reasoning behind the techniques needed for your specific property.  They will also walk you through step-by-step, so you that you will understand the maintenance needed on your specific system. 

There are many different types of systems ranging from portable lawn sprinklers to automatic sprinkler systems, drip irrigation and rain barrels.   Your lawn and garden can benefit from using each type of system because they each deliver water in a different way.

Underground or Automatic Sprinkler System

Automatic or underground sprinkler systems are a network of buried pipes interspersed with sprinkler heads that spray water above ground over lawns, plants, trees, and shrubs. In particular, lawns and ground covers are ideally suited to sprinkler systems.

Watering your lawn can be an easy task if you have an automatic sprinkler system on your side. However, remember that you should properly program and use it. If you try to ride throughout the year with just one timer setting, you're going to waste water and money. Instead, adjust the timer as the seasons and rainfall patterns change. As well, try to invest in a system that comes with rain sensors.  If it has a rain sensor or switch, the system settings will change on their own and the sprinklers won't turn on if there has been heavy rainfall.

An automatic system does require maintenance.  It must be properly winterized and “tuned up” in the spring.  When the ground freezes, so does the pipes buried within it.  Having your irrigation specialist check on it can save costly repairs in the future.

Drip Systems

Drip irrigation is watering at a slow rate (or drip) right at the roots of plants. Root irrigation is a good water conservation choice because it provides a deeper level of watering than surface watering, which is prone to wastage due to evaporation and runoff.

When you install drip irrigation lines they do not need to be buried (although they can be if you prefer), so you can easily move them about and make adjustments to the watering pattern as needed.

Portable Systems

When a little watering is all that is needed and it is in a remote area in which you do not have an irrigation system installed, a portable sprinkler can accommodate.  They come in a variety of sizes and have many levels to adjust for height and range of water.

What is the best time to water my lawn?

Watering in the morning when the sun is low, the temperatures are cool and the winds are calm ensures that the water will not evaporate before it gets to your lawn.  Watering in the middle of the day is not as effective.  If you water in the evening, your lawn can stay wet al night and invite fungal diseases.

Some steps to efficient water irrigation:

1. Group plants with similar water requirements on common zones to match precipitation heads and emitters.
2. Use drip irrigation for trees, shrub beds and areas of groundcover to eliminate evaporation losses.

3.  Choose low-volume, low-angle sprinklers for lawn areas.

4.  Select heads that fit the size and shape of the areas to be watered.

5.  Program automatic controllers for night irrigation to reduce losses due to evaporation and wind drift.

6.  Select controllers with adjustable watering schedules and moisture sensors to account for seasonal variations, and calibrate them during commissioning.

7.  Where possible, use gray water for irrigation.

8.  Use barrels at the bottom of rainwater leaders for manual irrigation of trees and shrubs.

9.  Place 3 to 5 in. of mulch on planting beds each spring to minimize evaporation.