When we talk to our Northern Virginia landscape maintenance clients about garden irrigation systems, we don’t limit the discussion to lawn irrigation. We present ideas for an overall landscape irrigation design plan that employs multiple devices in multiple zones to apply water to turf, garden beds, trees, and shrubs that have different moisture needs
In an intensely planted landscape, you want to be able to control which areas get water, when, and how much.
Following smart irrigation best practices, we strike a balance between the amount of water we use and how frequently we apply it. It may surprise you to learn that watering infrequently stimulates root growth and makes your lawn and garden plants better able to withstand dry periods.
Irrigation picks up where weather leaves off
Regular precipitation in late winter and early spring is critical to landscape plant development. A prolonged dry spell at this time of year can be destructive to plants because they are just coming out of dormancy and putting all their stored energy into growth. About 80% of landscape plants do most of their growing from March to mid-June. Aside from autumn, this is normally the time of year when we expect most of our rain.
But…. “normal” has been somewhat elusive in recent years. Some years, we’ve had excellent precipitation during winter and into early March. That, combined with unseasonable warmth, has caused our dogwoods, redbuds, and lilacs to bloom early–and all at once! But then rain abruptly stopped with next to nothing until May. Not good.
Established trees and perennials, especially natives, aren’t much affected because they can withstand dry periods. What we are most concerned with are the newly installed plants from the previous year. They haven’t had sufficient time to fully develop their root systems.This is when you will appreciate having a well-designed landscape irrigation system, good equipment, and a top-notch landscape maintenance services company to manage it.
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The well-designed lawn and garden irrigation system
Modern garden irrigation systems are designed around zones. A zone is a section of the system served by a single control valve and is comprised of plants with similar soil types and water requirements.
A well-designed irrigation system follows the pattern of a well-designed garden. Robert Latham of Atlantic Lighting & Irrigation says that landscape architects and garden designers understand plant water usage requirements and tend to group plants according to their sun, shade, and moisture needs when they design beds and planting areas.
However, in terms of designing the irrigation system, he says, “When it comes down to making calculations and being specific about which nozzle and which device goes where, that’s where people like me come in.”
Latham says the first step is to make sure the water delivery system matches the moisture requirements and location of the plants. There are a variety of water delivery devices.
Here are some of the basics:
- Pop-up sprinkler head. These are used to irrigate lawns. Each sprinkler head can be adjusted to spread water in a pattern covering 4 to 15 feet. Small areas would use a smaller “misting” type nozzle to avoid overspraying.
- Rotor spray head. Rotors create the effect of a gentle rainfall. They are used to cover large lawn areas because they can throw a spray of 30 to 40 feet. Direction and spread are adjustable.
- MP rotor nozzle. This is a new type of spray nozzle developed by the agricultural industry. This versatile rotating nozzle can be set for multiple streams short-medium-long from 8 to 30 feet. It distributes water more uniformly and efficiently than traditional rotors.
- Drip line. The most efficient delivery method. Used in planting beds to apply water close to roots underneath the mulch. The slow delivery allows plants time to absorb water before it can drain away. Also, evaporation loss is drastically reduced because the line runs under a protective layer of mulch.
Smart irrigation systems are getting smarter
The device that manages water delivery rates and makes the various parts of the irrigation system work in harmony is the controller. The controller automatically opens and closes valves according to a preset schedule.
Most controllers have a rain sensor or a water budget (seasonal adjust) that allows your landscape maintenance provider to fine-tune water usage to what’s expected to happen in the weather. The more high-end systems have smart rain sensors that signal the controller to stop watering when it rains.
Grasses and plants do better when they are a little stressed out because their roots will go look for water. So that’s what your contractor is there for—to manage that relationship. Robert Latham, Atlantic Lighting & Irrigation
The garden irrigation systems favored by landscape maintenance pros are manufactured by Toro, Rain Bird, and Hunter. Each manufacturer offers a variety of systems to fulfill a variety of landscape irrigation needs. Some of them get very techie with Wi-Fi enabled controls and smartphone apps that allow the maintenance service provider or homeowner to adjust settings remotely.
Latham says he uses a Rain Bird system at his home that functions like “a miniature weather station.” It tracks rainfall and recalibrates the preset watering schedule if conditions change: “If we get an inch of rain one night, it will tabulate that inch of rain plus figure out how much is being lost per day due to evaporation—so it could be a week before my system turns on again.”
A simple rain sensor doesn’t have that capability. It has controls that can be adjusted manually to make it more or less sensitive to rain. So, for example, it won’t let the system run at the same time as it is raining.
Maintaining your landscape irrigation system
Spring maintenance is most important. It’s common for spray heads to get pulled out of adjustment due to freezing and thawing in late winter. Your landscape maintenance provider will test the lawn and garden irrigation system to ensure there are no leaks or clogged nozzles and that the coverage areas are correct.
They will also reprogram the settings on your controller, such as start time, run time, and rain sensor sensitivity. It’s worth it to keep up with this maintenance because it can improve the efficiency of your system by as much as 30%-40%.
If you are thinking about installing a garden irrigation system or would like us to assess your current system, please feel free to schedule a consultation with one of our garden management specialists.
Perhaps you’ve been wondering how to bring out the fullest expression in your landscape and gardens. Our eBook: Choosing the Right Kind of Landscape Maintenance Firm, is full of valuable information to help you understand the fundamental differences between landscape maintenance companies.