How to Choose the Right Sprinkler and Use It Correctly

Your lawn needs at least an inch of water per week to stay green and healthy. The easiest way to make sure it gets the right amount of water is to set up a sprinkler system with a timer. Here are some tips to help you choose the right sprinkler and use it effectively.

Which Type of Sprinkler Is Right for Your Lawn?

If you have a small or medium-sized lawn, set up a hose-end sprinkler that waters in a rectangular pattern.

A rotary nozzle, rotator, or stream spray sprinkler system sprays water in a slow and even stream. This type of sprinkler is good for watering on a slope and is designed to work with low water pressure.

An in-ground sprinkler system is the most effective kind. You can water your lawn efficiently with low-volume, low-cycle heads and adjust the heads to spray water as close to the surface of the lawn as possible. If you see mist or fog coming from the heads, that means the pressure is too high.

You can use a timer that adjusts the amount of water used based on rainfall, temperature, and the rate of evapotranspiration, or how fast the grass loses water.

How to Water Your Lawn

Water your grass before dawn. That will minimize the amount of water lost to evaporation. Do not water at night because that can encourage diseases to develop. It is best to water your lawn deeply and infrequently to encourage the grass to develop deep roots.

You need to base the amount of watering on your lawn’s soil type. If there are puddles on your lawn after you water it, the soil probably has high clay content and needs several short watering cycles. Sandy soil needs to be watered more frequently. A soil test can tell you what type of soil you have.

Grass in a shady area needs less water than grass in a sunny area. Grass under a tree needs more water, however, because it has to compete with the tree’s roots for moisture.

A lawn that is newly sodded or seeded needs to be watered more than established grass. A newly sodded lawn should be watered every day for the first week and then less often so the grass can establish deep roots. A newly seeded lawn should be watered twice a day to keep the top inch of soil moist until the grass has been mowed once or twice.

If you need to water a slope or a hilly area, you may need to adjust the timing and frequency. Use short watering cycles spread out over a period of time to allow the grass to absorb the water.

Dig into the soil from time to time to see how far down the water is penetrating and how deep the roots are growing. If they are only 2 or 3 inches deep, the soil is probably compacted and needs to be aerated. Healthy grass should have roots at least 4 inches deep.

Make Sure Your Sprinkler Is Watering Efficiently

You need to know how much water your sprinkler system is spraying on the lawn. You can figure this out by setting at least six straight-sided containers on the lawn, measuring how much water they collect in 20 minutes, and calculating the average.

Look at where water is wasted by your sprinkler. If water is landing on your driveway or walkway or if it is forming large puddles, adjust the settings to use it more efficiently.

Adjust your sprinkler system settings with the changing seasons. You should water your lawn less in months with more rainfall and more in drier months.

Where to Order a Sprinkler System and Timer

Sprinkler System Store sells sprinklers and timers from many top manufacturers that can help your lawn consistently get the amount of water it needs. This can keep your grass healthy and green and encourage it to grow deep roots. Order a sprinkler system and timer today.