How do you plan to keep your new plants alive during hot and dry months?
Joan wrote the following to us at Plantingtogrow.com:
Dear Jeff,
I love the look of your plantings on the Campus. The Round-About garden on Old Taylor Road is just glorious.
I am seriously thinking about adding a sprinkler system to my yard in hopes of keeping plantings for more than half a season. What do you suggest?
Joan,
I think investing in a sprinkler system for the yard makes good sense if installed and managed correctly. In the hot summers of Mississippi watering is vital to keep the landscape going and looking it's best. There are many options when it comes to developing the right system for you.
If the budget is very tight, you may be looking at soaker hoses and drip lines. I have found both systems use less water than spray heads, but in the long run they require more up keep and maintenance. Don't expect your soaker hoses to work forever. I've used them at my house on some out of the way areas and they work well for a couple of seasons. I don't use them on sites that need a dependable and consistently good look. Over time they tend to wear out and will need to be replaced.
Drip irrigation is the most efficient, easiest to design, most forgiving, and easiest to install, type of permanent irrigation system. I have used drip irrigation. It has it's applications on a patio and watering hanging baskets, but placing it in the shrub beds can be challenging. If you put in pine straw twice a year chances are your going to break or accidentally pull off the drip lines. Yes, they are easy to repair, but you usually don't notice you have an issue until a plant begins to show stress. It takes some patience to find the breaks and the pulled off emitters.
Traditional underground pop up spray heads and rotary pop up spray heads have been my favorite over the years. Generally they will cost more to install, but they cost much less to maintain each year and it is much easier to check the system quickly. Be sure to separate sprinklers from shrub bed irrigation and turf irrigation systems. It may require a little more money up front to do this, but after doing this for 22 years, I have never been happy with a system that waters both shrubs and turf on the same zone. The systems I use, plug into a standard electric outlet and are fairly simple to program and operate. For installation you may need to hire a professional, or some handy homeowners will be able to install their own.
One last point to consider, is your water source. Where will you be getting your water from? You need to ensure that you have a good clean source that has enough pressure to deliver the right coverage.
Thanks Joan for your excellent question!
How do you plan to keep your new plants alive during hot and dry months?
Joan wrote the following to us at Plantingtogrow.com:
Dear Jeff,
I love the look of your plantings on the Campus. The Round-About garden on Old Taylor Road is just glorious.
I am seriously thinking about adding a sprinkler system to my yard in hopes of keeping plantings for more than half a season. What do you suggest?
Joan,
I think investing in a sprinkler system for the yard makes good sense if installed and managed correctly. In the hot summers of Mississippi watering is vital to keep the landscape going and looking it's best. There are many options when it comes to developing the right system for you.
If the budget is very tight, you may be looking at soaker hoses and drip lines. I have found both systems use less water than spray heads, but in the long run they require more up keep and maintenance. Don't expect your soaker hoses to work forever. I've used them at my house on some out of the way areas and they work well for a couple of seasons. I don't use them on sites that need a dependable and consistently good look. Over time they tend to wear out and will need to be replaced.
Drip irrigation is the most efficient, easiest to design, most forgiving, and easiest to install, type of permanent irrigation system. I have used drip irrigation. It has it's applications on a patio and watering hanging baskets, but placing it in the shrub beds can be challenging. If you put in pine straw twice a year chances are your going to break or accidentally pull off the drip lines. Yes, they are easy to repair, but you usually don't notice you have an issue until a plant begins to show stress. It takes some patience to find the breaks and the pulled off emitters.
Traditional underground pop up spray heads and rotary pop up spray heads have been my favorite over the years. Generally they will cost more to install, but they cost much less to maintain each year and it is much easier to check the system quickly. Be sure to separate sprinklers from shrub bed irrigation and turf irrigation systems. It may require a little more money up front to do this, but after doing this for 22 years, I have never been happy with a system that waters both shrubs and turf on the same zone. The systems I use, plug into a standard electric outlet and are fairly simple to program and operate. For installation you may need to hire a professional, or some handy homeowners will be able to install their own.
One last point to consider, is your water source. Where will you be getting your water from? You need to ensure that you have a good clean source that has enough pressure to deliver the right coverage.
Thanks Joan for your excellent question!