7 Best Practices with a Sprinkler Irrigation System
A sprinkler irrigation system is a system that mimics the pattern of rain. Farmers and landscapers cannot control the rainfall, but a sprinkler system offers them control of their irrigation. They are the most popular irrigation systems available today as they save water.
The advantage of using sprinkler irrigation systems is that they deliver only the required amount of water to plants and prevent wastage. They help farmers and landscapers reduce the water losses due to evaporation and seepage into the ground. GreenGardenist reviews lots of equipment for maintenance of lawn and garden.
However, users need to know the best practices to use the sprinkler systems most efficiently. Here are some practices that you can use to make the most out of your sprinkler irritation systems...
Water in the daytime
It is best to run the irrigation system in the predawn hours to make the watering more efficient. Watering the plants in this way allows the roots to absorb the required amount of water and prevent evaporation. However, you should not water the lawn in the night as it will keep the grass wet making them vulnerable to fungal diseases.
Perform the basic maintenance
You need to check the working of your sprinklers at least once a month to detect any defects. Sprinklers if not maintained get leaked or clogged. Checking them periodically helps you find the defects and fix them easily. In case of clogging, you can easily unclog the pores by using a thing metal wire.
Sometimes the sprinklers start leaking and you need to replace the valves. Also, the sprinkler heads gets aligned in the wrong direction that you need to check and fix them in the right direction.
Leaks, broken pipes, and misdirected sprinklers are blamed for wasting water and dollars. When one section of your lawn has puddles and another region is completely dry, a runoff or misdirected head of the sprinkler could be suggested. Figure out which one is the problem and repair it.
Reset your watering schedule
The lawn and garden will not need the same amount of water in spring as they do in mid-July. When the temperatures drop in the fall, you should set your irrigation system to provide less water or lower your output speed.
Furthermore, there are different watering needs in different parts of your land. For example, as the part of your yard that is in full sun all day long, your lawn that faces north and is in the shade has half the watering needs. Adjust the areas to meet the watering needs of each area.
Adjust to fix the misting
The water turns into tiny droplets when the lawn sprinkler has high pressure misting and gets carried by the wind or forms a cloud of mist at the location it is intended to spray. By installing a pressure system to control water pressure, you can solve this problem.
Slopes and slant locations
If you have clay soils or if your sprinkler is on a slope, change your sprinkler timer to cycle and soak. It takes more water to percolate deep in the soil when the sprinkler is on a slope or when you have heavy clay soil. Set the system to run off in 7-minute cycles to solve this issue and decide if that is the right amount of time before the water starts running off. This time can be changed based on how long it takes to start run-off.
Water wise landscape irrigation
Do not spray water in the bark or on leaves when watering trees and shrubs as doing so don’t carry water to the branches and leaves. You should water below the edge of the canopy of the plant that is known as drip line. The roots are there. Place many of them along the drip line if you are using drip emitters. When you spray water manually, contour your landscape so that water gathers under drip line of your shrubs and trees.
Smart irrigation systems
Consider installing an irrigation system that can sense the watering needs of plants and lawns. There are many sprinkler systems available in the markets that use a combination of data to know the irrigation requirements. They make use of weather data, location and types of plants to optimize the watering schedule for a landscape. Users can monitor these irrigation systems from their smartphones. Installing smart irrigation systems helps you to monitor your watering needs, offers adequate water to crops and prevents wastage of water.
Final Words
These are some best practices using your irrigation equipment. The key to make the best use of your irrigation system is to know the watering requirements as per the type of plants, and climatic conditions. Moreover, using smart irrigation and sprinkler systems enables farmers and landscapers to know their watering needs and fulfill them. Following these irrigation practices will enable users to maintain their watering systems and preserve water.