Lawn sprinkler systems can be efficient and cost-effective if you give a lot of thought on how they are set up. Regardless of the type of sprinkler system you want to install, there are a few things that you should keep in mind:
Before installing your pipes, figure out exactly where your grass, shrubs, trees, and other plants are going to be. Plants with the same watering needs should be placed together. Don't put your drought-tolerant plants next to plants that need a lot of water. It's also important to use the same sprinkler heads on the same valve. Spray heads and rotor heads give different amounts of water, so you should use only one kind of sprinkler head for a group of plants with similar watering needs.
Different sprinkler heads are suitable for different needs. Spray heads are best for small areas covered by shrubs or flowerbeds. Since they are capable of giving out a lot of water for a short amount of time, spray heads are ideal for flat, sandy soils.
Rotor heads apply water with more uniformity than spray heads. They can also cover wide surface areas, making them suitable for grass. However, they have a lower water output rate than spray heads. This means that they can be used for both sandy and clay soil types.
When installing a sprinkler system on a newly seeded lawn, use a "riser extension" to mount the sprinklers higher than the level of your lawn. This prevents the sprinkler heads from washing away the seeds.
The rule of thumb when laying out multiple sprinkler heads is to keep spray heads 18 feet apart at most. Rotor heads, on the other hand, should be kept 35 feet apart at most. It's also better to overlap sprinklers rather than letting certain spots on your lawn remain under-watered.
You can also set up a drip system for certain areas of your lawn. Unlike the use of sprinkler heads, drip systems are made out of pipes with holes that put water directly into the soil. You can use them in combination with the above sprinkler heads, but you should limit drip systems to non-turf areas, vegetable gardens, or closed flowerbeds.
Automated timers can be useful for a lawn sprinkler system. You can adjust different settings for different seasons, and you should have different timer settings for different areas of your lawn that need different amounts of water. Set your timers to work early in the morning for a lower evaporation rate. By doing so, more water will go to your plants than back into the atmosphere.
