Choosing automated watering systems for your lawn and garden

If your garden gets parched because you do not have time to set up the sprinklers as often as you would like, consider automating at least part of your watering system.

An automatic irrigation system that is installed correctly will not only save you work, but will water more regularly and evenly, and yield a lush lawn and healthy plants. Such watering encourages deeper and healthier root systems, which in turn produce healthier plants.

A properly installed system is nearly invisible and is tailor-made for your property so that every bit of lawn and every garden plant will get just the right amount of water.

• The installation requires meticulous calculations and techniques, so choose a contractor who is experienced in sprinkler systems.
• A typical automatic system will have several zones, meaning that sprinklers will come on in different areas of your yard at different times.
• A timer will control each zone.
• The system can then water not only large expanses of lawn, but also perennial and annual beds as well as shrubs and trees.
• With careful planning, even vegetable gardens can be automatically watered.
• Drip emitters and microsprinklers make it possible to water your container plants automatically, too.

There are some ingenious and inexpensive alternatives to a fully automated system on the market.

• Made of old automobile tires, a soaker hose is perforated with tiny holes. Lay it on the dirt or under mulch along a hedge or through a flowerbed, and attach it to a regular hose. Turn the spigot on and the soaker hose will slowly water an area up to a few metres (several feet) on either side of its length.
• A manual-on, automatic-off valve turns the sprinkler off at a preset time. Once you set up the sprinkler and turn on the water, you can go on about your business.
• A mechanical timer valve is an inexpensive device for turning a sprinkler on and off automatically at preset times. Fitted between the spigot and the hose, the timer allows you to water when you are away or in the very early morning hours when water evaporation is least. It also prevents you from forgetting that the sprinkler is on and wasting water.

You'll love the results you get when you automate your watering system. Not only will it be less work, but you'll enjoy a more efficient, dependable system that you can customize so everything is watered just right.