Trying to keep their lawn and garden beautiful under the hot
summer sun, many
Georgians are hauling out the hoses. But some get tired of
constantly moving
sprinklers.
Permanent irrigation systems allow easy, complete watering any
time you choose. But
there is more to installing a good system than just hiring it
done.
“Get a plan,” said Kerry Harrison, an engineer with the
University of Georgia
Extension Service. “Don’t just go out there and start pointing
and putting in sprinklers.
And don’t buy a system based completely on the cost.”
Evelyn Sturgis, a Tift County homeowner, based her decision on
expense and is sorry
for it now. “Cost was a factor,” she said, “and I think if we
had it to do over, we
wouldn’t let that be top priority.”
Harrison said a well-designed irrigation system will be
expensive. “It’s going to be
more than you think it’ll be,” he said. “But that’s what it
takes to get an efficient,
quality system that’s installed correctly.”
Thinking about installing permanent irrigation? Consider four
points: design, quality of
material, installation and management. Without any one of the
four, Harrison said, the
system can’t be its most efficient.
No matter what system you choose, you have to manage it right.
“Excess water can cause disease and insect problems,” Harrison
said. “Too much is
almost worse than not enough.”
Georgia lawns require an inch to an inch-and-a-half of water
every week. Harrison said
watering half that amount twice a week provides the perfect
amount of water for most
lawns and gardens. It also allows nature to provide some water.
Rainfall could save you
both water and trouble.
“Of course as it heats up, lawns in full sun may need more than
that,” he said.
Harrison said the time when he sees the most sprinklers running -
– daytime — is
actually the worst time to water.
“Night is best,” he said. “From 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., you get the
best water pressure and
water supply. And you don’t extend the wet period on the
leaves.”
Grass leaves that stay wet invite disease organisms to invade
and cause problems.
Irrigation systems with timers offer solutions to many watering
woes. But prepare for a
bigger bill than you think.
