Lawn Sprinklers and Irrigation
To keep a lawn healthy and beautiful, watering needs to be done properly. Simply spraying the grass quickly will not give the roots what they need to grow deep and support strong healthy grass blades. Lawn irrigation is a process that allows the water to go deep and keep the roots strong. There are several ways to irrigate a lawn, and the right way depends on the type of soil and the climate. The right amount of rainfall can keep a lawn alive, but that is not available everywhere. Also, sandy soil drains water faster than clay soil. A local professional lawn care company will be able to tell you exactly how your lawn needs to be watered.
Lawn sprinklers are an easy way to irrigate a lawn. There are several different types of sprinkler heads, each having a different distributing radius. A large or small area can be watered with one sprinkler. Rotary sprinklers have a spinning head that sprays the water in a full circle. Fixed spray sprinklers spray a fan shape in one direction. If several sprinklers are used at one time, the entire lawn can be watered simultaneously.
A lawn care professional can recommend an automatic sprinkler system. These systems conserve water, because they can be turned on and off automatically for a prescribed time. They can also be programmed to target the lawn roots with a specific amount of water for a specified amount of time. This is especially good for people who travel. They don’t have to worry that their lawn will die while they are away. Automatic sprinkler systems have a control panel that can be set to turn sprinklers off and on that are situated in different areas of a large lawn. To conserve water, a rain sensor can be attached to an automatic system that shuts down the next watering cycle if there has been an earlier period of rain.
A healthy lawn takes a lot of water. Shifting a sprinkler attached to a hose around every so often to water different areas of grass is the most inefficient and wasteful way to water your lawn. Having a lawn care professional arrange for an irrigation system will greatly reduce your water consumption. These systems come for various prices and the cheapest is not necessarily the best choice. Ask your professional lawn care company about the quality of the components. Worn out parts and cracked lines will waste even more water.
During the hottest time of the year, most lawns need one inch of water a week. Watering heavily once a week is better than giving a light sprinkling everyday. Light watering will not allow the roots to go deep and increases the chance of burn during dry spells. Watering at night encourages fungus and mold to develop and watering during the day sends 30% to 40% of the water in evaporation. Watering in the morning before 10 am is the best time. If you want to be sure you are giving enough water, use a rain gauge or a pie plate to collect the water when the sprinklers are on.