3 Tips For Water Conservation With Automatic Sprinklers
Posted on: 26 January 2023
Water conservation, especially when it comes to irrigating the lawn and landscape, is an important facet of a sustainable home. The right automatic sprinkler system can help you save money while maintaining a healthy yard.
1. Choose Water-Saving Emitters
There is a range of options for sprinkler emitters. When water conservation is the goal, choosing an emitter that provides good coverage without losing water to over-spray or evaporation is key. Emitters that spray low to the ground tend to use the least amount of water as the moisture soaks into the soil more directly rather than being lost to air evaporation.
Drip irrigation emitters result in the least amount of water loss. These are most suitable for flower beds and around trees and shrubs. Bubbler emitters are similar to drip emitters, except they provide more water and work well for tree and shrub plantings. Fixed spray emitters work well in lawn areas, as they have a low, even spray that soaks into the soil quickly.
2. Zone For Optimum Watering
The installation plan must take into account watering zones in the yard so that the emitters and lines can be placed correctly. To determine zones, divide the lawn into regions that are determined by water needs. For example, full-sun areas of the yard may require more water than those in the shade, or there may be a landscaping area featuring plants with higher water needs compared to a neighboring area.
Installing the system with these differing watering zones in mind means that your system can be programmed by zone. Each zone can be set to different watering duration and frequency as necessitated by the watering needs of the specific plants in the zone, so there is no longer any concern of over or under-watering.
3. Install a Monitoring Device
A timed sprinkler system means you won't have to manually turn it on when you need to water, and can instead set up the timer on a watering schedule that meets the needs of your landscaping. Of course, rain, long periods of drought, and other environmental moisture concerns can mean the timed schedule is insufficient for the watering needs of the landscape.
Hooking a moisture meter into the system solves this problem. Moisture meters are installed in the ground throughout the yard and hooked into the control system for your sprinklers. The sprinkler system will turn on automatically only if the meter readings indicate that watering is needed, and the system will shut down once those watering needs are met.
For more information on sprinkler system installation, contact a professional near you.
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