Tips for Irrigation

Tips for Irrigation

- For lawns, groundcovers, and large shrub borders, an underground sprinkler system will evenly soak every square foot with at least one inch of water once or twice a week.

- When there is no sprinkler system or drip irrigation available, use portable lawn sprinklers to water areas of lawn and garden. These are readily available and easy to use.

- For perennial borders, shade gardens, and hedging, a drip irrigation system delivers water right to the roots of plants instead of to weeds and walkways. The low flow rate ensures that plants are watered efficiently at the roots.

- For your vegetable garden, which typically needs thorough watering daily, a drip irrigation system is ideal. Now, connect that with a rain barrel that collects rainwater from your down spouts and gutters, and you'll have a great water re-use plan. Harvested rainwater does not contain chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals and is a great choice for watering vegetable and herb gardens.

- If you prefer hand watering your garden, then get one or two long hoses made from reinforced rubber/vinyl and a variety of portable lawn sprinklers, hose quick disconnect attachments, sprayers, nozzles, water wands and other irrigation accesories.  Store your garden hose correctly in a sturdy garden hose reel either wall mounted or on wheels.

- Installing rain sensors in your irrigation system is a smart investment since no one needs to water if it's raining.

- If you already have an irrigation system and don't want to pay for an entirely new system, try upgrading your timer to an automatic, programmable timer to get the most bang for your buck. These enable you to have more control over your watering system, conserving water and money.

- The shorter your grass is trimmed, the more water it will take to keep it moist, so raise the blade on your lawn mower.

- Sweep your driveway and walkways instead of spraying them down with a hose.