Choosing the Right Irrigation for Your Landscaping

By B.E. Conrad

Every homeowner and business owner understands the importance of an attractive outdoor landscape, but even the most beautifully designed landscape will not look its best without ongoing attention. One of the most important elements of keeping that landscape looking its best is proper irrigation, especially during those times of year when sufficient rainfall does not arrive.

There are of course many ways to irrigate the landscape, but drip irrigation is one of the most efficient, and most attractive, options. Drip irrigation has a number of important advantages over other types of irrigation, including:

• Reduced water use
• Easily accommodates planters and hanging baskets
• Good irrigation for narrow and oddly shaped areas

In addition, many municipalities exempt drip irrigation system from restrictions on water usage imposed during periods of drought. This is because the efficiency of drip irrigation means that little water is wasted.

One of the best features of drip irrigation systems is relatively easy installation, and the installation of a drip irrigation system is well within the skills of most homeowners. The supplies and equipment needed to install such a system, such as piping, fittings, tubing, nozzles, valves and controllers, are readily available, and generally inexpensive, at all of the major home improvement stores and warehouses. In addition, many large garden centers carry a wide array of drip irrigation systems and parts.

Drip irrigation systems use a network of pipes and tubing to slowly and efficiently distribute water at low pressure. This low pressure distribution of water provides less waste than traditional overhead sprinkler types of watering, and in many cases this slow, steady water flow provides healthier and less disease prone plants.

Drip irrigation systems are far more efficient than traditional systems, with efficiencies often in excess of 90 percent. Traditional methods of watering, on the other hand, are only about 50 to 70 percent efficient.

This high efficiency helps to improve the growth of flowers and plants by helping to maintain the proper balance of air and water in the soil and the roots of the plants. In addition drip irrigation avoids the problem of standing water on the leaves and flowers, which can in turn lead to outbreaks of disease. There are many reasons why so many gardeners are turning to the efficiency and ease of drip irrigation for their home and business landscapes.

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