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Irrigation Systems
Watering your lawn and garden with an irrigation
system can save time and labor
and can even
care for your yard while you
are gone.There
are several types of systems
and options
to choose from. Consider the
following when
buying an irrigation system:
- Area to be watered - Begin by deciding what you want to automatically
water. Irrigation systems are designed to
water large areas of lawn or garden or selected
spots such as containers on decks and patios,
planting areas along fences, or individual
planting beds.
- Method of water dispersal - There are two ways for irrigation systems
to disperse water:
- The most common irrigation system uses on
and off valves and an underground grid of
pipes attached to sprinkler heads. Sprinkler
heads can be either the spray type, which
emit a fan shaped pattern of water, or rotor
units that rotate streams of water back and
forth. Spray heads are recommended for most
residential use. For safety reasons, it is
best to install pop-up style sprinkler heads
that rise up out of the ground when in use
and then retract below ground.
- Less common but more efficient are drip irrigation systems, which are particularly suited for desert-like
climates and anywhere there are watering
restrictions. Drip systems work by slowly
applying water (at the rate of about one
gallon of water per hour) directly to the
soil so that water soaks into the area at
the plants’ roots rather than sitting in
puddles on the surface where it can evaporate
or run off. When buying a drip system, look
for a system that includes a filter that
prevents the small openings of the drip emitters
from clogging.
- Control system. Most systems are controlled by an electronic
or electromagnetic timer that will turn the
water on and off at preselected times. If
buying a timer system, look for the ability
to water several times a day (such as morning
and night), the ability to manually activate
the system, and easy controls for shutting
the system down during rainy periods or at
the end of the growing season. More advanced
digital systems allow the connection of moisture
sensors to automatically skip watering cycles
during rainy periods and also integrate into
a computerized home monitoring system.
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