Home Sprinkler and irrigation systems
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
The key for a successful garden
Irrigation systems that allow you to water plants easily and properly are key to a successful garden. And because your garden will mature – and climate will change – your irrigation system must also be flexible.
It can be anything from a simple spigot and hose to a complex automated irrigation system (or some combination of both). There’s no one system that’s right for all gardens. If your landscape plan includes more than one Water Zone – or if your site is anything other than a small flat piece of ground – you may need to use several types of irrigation methods to water everything properly.
Whatever the configuration, you’ll want an irrigation system that’s flexible and as water-wise as possible. You have four basic options:
1) hand watering with a hose, using either a nozzle or a sprinkler
2) overhead sprinklers on automatic controllers,
3) low-volume systems and
4) drip systems.
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
Types of Irrigation
Overhead Sprinkler Systems
Overhead sprinkler systems are systems that water plants from above. Overhead sprinkler systems on automatic controllers free you from having to remember to water your garden. Automatic controllers, though, must be monitored and adjusted to weather conditions and plant needs, and of course, they must be maintained.
A power outage causes some controllers to reset to a default schedule of 10 minutes of watering, everyday of the week – a watering regime that is generally wasteful and unhealthy for most plants. Although it is best to water in the early morning, it is essential to check your system often, so set it for a time that you will regularly see it running.
Drip Systems
Drip systems are helpful for potted plants, but like the low-volume system, they are fragile - tubing may break and drip heads may clog. Since they are small and often hidden, you may not notice their failure until your plants are suffering from lack of water. Furthermore, drip systems provide water to a limited area and may not distribute it evenly to the plant’s root system.
Whatever is the choice of sprinkler and irrigation systems for your home, an important consideration is that as your plants grow, the system will need to be adjusted to accommodate larger plants. Reviewing your irrigation system twice a year is a good practice to ensure your landscape looks it best always.
It’s also important to check that irrigation systems feed specific plants and don’t waste water on dead space or sidewalks. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, overhead sprinklers water effectively about 50% of the time, whereas drip irrigation, zeroed in on its target plants, is effective nearly 100% of the time. In fact, current California laws restrict outside irrigation for new construction unless it’s delivered by drip irrigation.
