Depending on your climate, an automatic sprinkler system for some or all of your garden is either a nice luxury or a near necessity. While a well-designed system can save you time, energy and water, it can also be expensive, often up to $5,500 for an average-size yard. Planning and installing it is complex and best left to the experts. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Decide how much of your yard needs irrigation beyond normal rainfall. Lawns are probably the biggest water hogs. Vegetables and flowers need constant moisture during the growing season. Shrubs and trees with deeper roots can get by with less frequent watering. You can irrigate all of these plants with the same system, set at different intervals and employing various types of sprinkler heads.
2. Consider an underground system for the parts of your yard whose basic layout won't change every year--lawns and large planted areas of trees, shrubs and flowers. These systems are constructed of pipes installed several inches underground, with sprinkler heads placed at intervals. Divide the system into different zones, depending on varying water needs.
3. Sketch the whole area, indicating planted spaces and existing watering systems.
4. Hire a pro by checking online or in the Yellow Pages under "Irrigation Systems and Equipment." Home improvement centers can provide design and installation as well as parts. Talk to landscape contractors, plumbing-supply stores, and experienced residential gardeners.
5. Study online tutorials even if you have turned the project over to a professional. One good source of information is Lowes.com.
6. Make sure you understand the automatic timer. You'll be the one adjusting and changing it with the seasons. Timers cost $50 and up, with cost determined by quality as well as the number of zones the timer serves.
7. Consider low-tech solutions such as soaker hoses to supplement underground sprinklers.
8. Look into drip or micro-irrigation systems (low volume, low pressure), which work very effectively in flower and vegetable beds that change from year to year. Drip-system kits, starting at $25 or so, are easy to install; use underground emitters that drip slowly or above-ground emitters that drip, mist or spray at a low-pressure rate.
9. Use drip lines and emitters to water container plants, especially if you are often away from home during the growing season. You'll find inexpensive kits designed for just this purpose.
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