Drip, Drip Hooray!

At Progreen, we love to help you improve your North Austin properties. And as professional landscapers, we do everything we like to offer our customers every trick we know to give them a leg up in their landscaping. Of course, there are probably infinite answers to the question of "what is the best thing you can do for your yard," but we're firmly in the camp that the answer is to add an irrigation system. Drip irrigation, especially, can be beneficial to your yard. Sprinklers are more commonly known by laypeople, partly because as they're above the ground, they're more visible, but today Progreen is celebrating drip systems. Drip, Drip, Hooray! What is a Drip Irrigation System? Drip irrigation is a low-volume method (also known as mico-irrigation) that places pipes above or below the ground near a plant's root systems. The water comes out naturally or "drips" out. How Is It Different Than Sprinklers? In contrast, sprinklers are high-volume irrigation that shoot water out over the plants. Sprinklers are a more familiar and sometimes less expensive method of irrigating. They're also more beneficial if you want to cool off on a hot day. You won't find anyone running through a drip irrigation system, at least no one larger than a grasshopper. What Are an Irrigation System's Benefits? All irrigation is healthy for your plants. Your plants need water and consistency. When humans water plants, we tend to over or underdo it. It's hard to pick the perfect amount and account for all the factors determining a plant's water needs. Irrigation systems provide the necessary consistency your plants need because they always send out the right amount. Sprinklers can be set on a timer to water at a particular time (typically the time of day that's best for your plants). You can also set some irrigation systems to respond to water conditions so they constantly water the correct amount based on the weather! What Makes Drip Special? Sprinklers are great for some plants, and irrigation of any kind is better than nothing. But sprinklers shoot water into the air over a large area of land. That makes them less than ideal for many situations. In contrast, drip irrigation is located near the plants' root systems. As a result, the water comes out consistently, typically through a gravity feed where your plants need it. Because of that, plants on drip systems absorb more of the water they get. How Do You Drink a Glass of Water? When you think about watering plants (manually or with sprinklers) is not an efficient method. Plants drink from their roots, so watering from the top is a little like if you had a glass of water by standing on your head and then asking someone to pour a cup over your feet so you could catch what came down! As you can imagine, you wouldn't get all of it! Sloping land and evaporation causes plants to lose additional water when watered from above. When we water from below the ground or just above it, less of the water is exposed, and it goes directly into your thirsty plants' roots. What Plants Need Drip? There aren't really plants that won't benefit from irrigation. And drip systems work well all around. A better question than "what plants need drip" might be which plants can get away with a sprinkler system instead of drip. When the landscape is uniform both in plant species and grading, sprinkler systems can work. That's because you won't need to worry as much about gravity rolling water away from the plants that need it or water not spreading out properly. What's the Best Time to Install A Drip System? If you don't have an irrigation system and want to start drip irrigating, we recommend getting one right away! They're a significant benefit to any plant life. But, if you are also planning to do some plant installation, hardscaping, or excavation, you should plan accordingly. It's especially easy to install an irrigation system when installing other landscaping. So the next time you plan a plant installation, why not schedule an irrigation install too? Drip, Drip, Hooray! TV Guide used to have an annual feature called the "Best Show You're Not Watching" to highlight a high-quality program that wasn't on readers' radar. Drip irrigation is the best landscaping tool you're not using. It's low maintenance, effective, and a great way to keep your plants healthy. If you're interested in taking the plunge, let your professional green team install and maintain your irrigation system.