(512) 277-9435
sales@progreenlandscapesolutions.com
Given Austin's warm and mild climate and Progreen's niche in the landscaping industry, we discuss the benefits of irrigation all year! But from May on, we think our customer base will feel a different sense of urgency. Summer is approaching, and your lawns need that water! Generally, we break irrigation down into two categories: drip irrigation and sprinklers, each with strengths and weaknesses. For many homeowners, sprinkler systems are the more economical choice because they require less ground disturbance and are a more straightforward installation. But there are essential questions to ask when setting up your system. Today, we'll review those preliminary questions to get you thinking in the right direction.
How Large of an Area?
Before we design and install a sprinkler system, you'll need to decide how large of an area you'll be watering and if there's anything within that area you want to keep dry. Some irrigation systems are better at watering a large area than others. Drip irrigation can be spread over as significant an area as you need, but we must run piping throughout it.
We can lay out sprinklers to accommodate any size, but some sprinklers are built to cover larger areas with more dispersed spray coverage.
What is the Shape of Your Space?
Yards come in all shapes and sizes. And while you may have known intuitively that the size of your garden or lawn would significantly affect the design of your sprinkler system, your property's shape may not have been a factor that was top of mind. So why does shape matter? Many sprinkler heads spray water out in a circular pattern. So often, they are pretty efficient at watering that entire area. But unfortunately, they're not as good at watering a square or rectangular space.How's the Wind?
You can't control the weather, but you can affect it, or at least you can affect how it affects you. That's kind of what homes are for - protecting us from the weather. Depending on your elevation and the structures present in your yard, the wind may have a significant or minor impact on your property. If you frequently experience high winds, we'll need to factor that into your sprinkler system design. Strong winds can blow your water off course, especially if your stream goes out high to cover a wide area and the pressure from the sprinkler is low.Do You Have Good Water Pressure?
While drip irrigation systems don't rely on water pressure, there are some sprinklers where high water pressure is essential to their operation. For example, any sprinklers that spray water out over an ample space from a single location will require a certain amount of pressure. Likewise, impact sprinklers require powerful water pressure to operate correctly. So the water pressure in your home can limit the irrigation systems you can use.What Plants Need Watering?
What you plan to water is just as relevant as where you're watering. That's because different plants have different water needs. So if you have a plant ecosystem with multiple species, it's vital to plan a design that waters everything the correct amount. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is with drip irrigation, but we can also use sprinkler systems when we lay them out correctly.What's Your Slope?
Water goes downhill, so if your land is sloped (and most land has some angle), that will affect how much water your plants' roots will be able to absorb. Therefore, it's essential to have a professional, experienced irrigation contractor install your irrigation system to ensure that they factor in the angle when setting up your system.
Often, drip irrigation is the wise choice when you have a lot of gravity to fight.