Garden Irrigation Systems

Obviously, watering with a bucket of water is not a very effective means of keeping your lawn green, but if you have one or two specific plants that have been newly added to your garden, or in a separate area where nothing else needs watering, then it is an acceptable alternative to spraying the whole area.

Garden hoses with sprinklers attached is probably the most common means of irrigating your garden. There are several different styles of sprinklers that can be attached, and some are more efficient than others, but all of them have one characteristic in common - that being, they spray water into the air before it ever hits the soil. Oscillating sprinklers (the ones that go back and forth) are good for covering rectangular areas of garden. Some of these have size and direction adjustments. Pulsating sprinklers can cover large areas in a circular pattern, distributing the water closer to the ground. Rotating sprinklers often have adjustments for direction of spray and these can be good for small planted areas. There is also the hose nozzle that is directed by hand and comes in a variety of choices for spray direction and water flow speed.

Then there are soaker hoses, and these are good for slowly distributing water to odd shaped or difficult to water areas. The hoses can be draped over obstructions if necessary. These hoses have tiny holes along their length to distribute water slowly in a fine mist and can be attached to a regular hose to help reach the specific area you want to use it on.

Underground irrigation systems have become very popular with homeowners as they can be set on a timer, and the homeowner doesn't have to waste time watering. There is a variety of styles of these systems, some better at conserving water than others, and some with wider choice of time scheduling. On most of these systems you can also attach a rain detector which will automatically skip the cycle if it is raining, thus avoiding over watering. They are great if you live in an area where irrigation use is restricted to late evening or early morning hours.

Drip irrigation is the most efficient for water conservation if you have an area where plants are spaced out. For a bed of closely planted annuals, you may not be reaching the roots of all the plants using a drip system, but for sloped rock garden areas they are ideal as the hoses can be obscured by rocks and plants, and only distribute water where there is need for it. They are also ideal for shrubs that have no plantings under or around them. The drip irrigation system will deliver the water to the shrub roots only and avoid watering empty ground.

Here are some of the pros and cons. Study them and decide which features you need and which would be luxuries from the pros list. Then compare them to the cons list and see what you may have to give up, to get what you desire. Then of course, there is always the question of budget and pocket book! For now, just try to understand what choices you have first, and which would be the best for your garden and your lifestyle.

PROS
Hose and Sprinkler
This method is the least expensive to get started and the most adaptable to changing garden patterns. It is also the least amount of work to set up in the beginning.

Soaker Hose
Inexpensive to start. Adaptable to changing gardens spaces. Adaptable to difficult terrain. Slow flow good for areas susceptible to erosion.

Underground Irrigation Systems
The homeowner spends very little time actually attending to irrigating the garden. Quite an efficient method if separate zones are set up for the garden spaces. Can be timed to come on at night or when you are not home; timed to have maximum watering effect in minimum time. You can also have it shut off when it is raining.

Drip Irrigation
Drip Irrigation is the most efficient watering method for spaced plantings. Less expensive to set up than underground systems. No digging through planted spaces. Much easier to repair and maintain than underground systems. Gets the water right to the roots.

CONS
Hose and Sprinkler
Very inefficient means of getting water to the roots. Much more opportunity for loss of water due to evaporation. Depending on the sprinkler style you use, may not reach all corners of the planted area, causing over watering in some con-joining areas.
Have to spend a lot of time attending to the watering yourself. Constant unrolling and rolling up of hoses; changing of sprinkler styles to match the area you are watering; keeping track of how long the sprinkler has been running. Requires storage organization for all the paraphenalia used.

Soaker Hose
Time and energy involved in moving around unless you set it in one space and leave it. Loss of moisture due to evaporation in the air before water hits the ground.

Underground Irrigation Systems
Costly to install. May have to dig through planted areas to install or repair. Requires regular attention to maintenance. Have to drain for winter so pipes do not freeze and burst, usually requiring the help of a professional to blow the system out.
If you change the plantings in the area, you may also have to change the underground layout. Plants and shrubs may grow to block the spray head, thus stopping the flow from covering the area efficiently. Requires regular maintenance checks to ensure there is are no over-spray area or clogs in the spray heads.

Drip Irrigation
Requires some checking of pipe to be certain that the holes have not been clogged by debris. Connections occasionally come apart. Not always a good choice for close-planted areas. Can look unattractive if no at least partially concealed.

Well - that's the way I felt anyway! I kept reading about all this stuff and had a hard time keeping the information in my brain when I looked at my garden, so that I could make a decision that was relative to the space I was working on. So here are some pictures to help make sense of what is what.
This list won't cover all the possibilities by any means, but just give you something to compare to.

Hose Nozzles:

they come in varying shapes and sizes, but here are some things you should look for to make life easier;
- adjustable spray,
- comfortable grip handle,
- ability to set to stay "open" so your hand doesn't get tired,
- good quality manufacturing to last a long time.

Rotating sprinklers come in more shapes and sizes than I can even think of right now, but some points you should check;
- can you adjust the direction of the spray head,
- do they have enough weight to them so that they won't tip over when you turn on the water,
- do they have enough holes to give complete coverage.

In my experience, this type is too lightweight for me. I have to pin it down with a rock or else everytime I turn the hose on it tips over! The holes are only at the end of the arms, so unless I have the water turned on forcefully, it doesn't cover the area very well. And having had only a couple of summers of use, it is getting cracked from the heat of the sun.

Who wants to buy new ones all the time? Not me.

Adjustable rotating sprinklers are much less wasteful and easier to "aim" than the simple ones with no adjustments. This photo is an example. The black spray heads can be turned clockwise/counterclockwise to aim the spray either higher or lower as it circles. I have found this style to work quite well when I have a 'round-ish' area to water. This one happens to have about 6 holes in each spray head, allowing water to be released over the 2" length of the head; has a broad enough base to not tip when the water is turned on - although it still misses the very center of the circle. But, the plastic is fairly strong and it has had several years use without problem.

This sprinkler is an oldie! It has a spike that just gets pushed into the ground, and a slit for the water to exit the head in whatever direction it is facing. It sprays in a fan shape and can be functional if the area to be watered is small. It's actually pretty good for getting those spots that the circulating sprinklers miss, and you don't have to stand and hold it like a hose nozzle.

What it is not, though, is water wise. It sprays a fairly fine spray which can easily be lost to evaporation before it reaches the ground. It serves its purpose, but don't plan to water the whole garden with one.

These are functional for large areas, but not particularly efficient. They can be set to cover large areas and left to soak the ground, bit by bit, but there is quite a loss to evaporation in hot weather. They do bring back memories for me personally though, of the pulsating sound associated with commercial irrigation of fields and orchards. They can generally be set to cover a 360º circle or a small arc and can serve their purpose depending on the shape of area you are covering. Round, of course, is best - anything else will cause overlap and over-watered areas.

Underground sprinklers come in an amazing variety of choices and they are best dealt with by hiring a contractor who is experienced at designing the zone system and installation. Yes, you can do the work yourself, and there are some great links below to help you make the decisions of which ones and where to put them. But the most effective method is to hire someone else. You need to plan the zone system, know which kind of sprinkler delivers water to that type of area best, install with the right grade, know what pressure will work best, install and set the timers to cover the area most efficiently. There is also the fact that some areas require a permit for such installations (check with your Municipal Office) and you must be completely aware of any underground utilities that you may encounter. It is illegal (not to mention dangerous!) to dig in to underground utility cables. Unless you are really determined or have had experience, hire somebody! You will get a more efficient system in the end.

Many of the big companies that sell irrigation parts (ie. Rona or Loewes and many others) will have information on do-it-yourself installation. These are great to check out before you make any decisions because most of them list the steps to take very clearly. They tell you what you have to know before you do make the decision, and they walk you through the process. It is best to be informed even if you are not doing it yourself, then you can ask the contractor the right questions, and have the information the contractor needs to do a good job.

One such information spot is http://www.doityourself.com/stry/undergroundsprinkler
You can find many others by doing a search for "underground irrigation systems". Check them out and learn the process. It never hurts to be well informed. Especially when there is an outlay of money involved. A few minutes of reading could save you money and frustration in the long run.

And don't forget that these systems have to be maintained. You need to do regular checks to be sure the sprinkler heads haven't been damaged; that plant growth is not obstructing the spray; that there are no leaks resulting in wasted water, and they have to be blown out in Fall if you live in an area that gets below freezing in the winter. Otherwise you will have a re-do in Spring as you dig up and replace broken lines.

Underground systems can be extremely efficient watering systems, saving you time and water consumption, if they are installed with knowledge. The most important part of the process is careful planning - educated planning!

Fall is a great time of the year to take one last look around the garden and make a note of the problems you ran into this last summer, or what changes you would like to see in spring. Keep a small journal (or a really big one if you are an avid gardner) and make note of what you would like to change at some point in the future. Then when Spring comes, you haven't gone ahead and planted things where you forgot that you were going to dig to fix or change an underground irrigation system.

It is also an opportunity to gaze thoughtfully at the colours of your Fall garden. Have you planted things that are still colourful? Make some notes, then go wandering the nurseries to see what is offered; check the catalogues and magazines to see what the hot trend is; consider what changes you may have to make to your irrigation system next spring.

And, finally, check to be sure all of the sprinklers are in good working order; the hoses have been put away; the underground sprinkler system turned off and blown out for the winter, and if necessary, mark where the heads are so you won't damage them when shovelling snow!

Now you can go back inside and relax in your favourite chair and gaze out the window at the garden as you will see it in the winter. Want to make any changes from that perspective? Write it down in your garden journal.

Below is a great link to tutorials on how to (and how not to) prepare your system for winter weather for those of us who live in cold-weather winters.