Is watering necessary?
Yes. Our climate is erratic, so cannot rely on rain to keep soil and plants in good condition.
So how do we cope with this?
An automatic irrigation system.
What type of system is suitable?
Large grass areas – large pop-ups.
Flower borders – tall or small pop-ups.
Small borders & wall beds – rigid riser sprays.
Window boxes & hanging baskets – drippers.
How does a system work?
A simple system uses mains water supply and is
operated by a battery powered controller.
A regular system with pop-ups will need a reservoir tank
and water pump linked to an electronic controller.
A pop-up system can also be serviced via a bore-hole water supply,
or water taken from a river.
How much water is used?
In comparison, a whole system is far more efficient than a hose-pipe and far more beneficial to planting.
Why?
Because amounts of water are little and often and therefore soil is kept moist at crucial growing times.
Will all the garden get watered at once?
No, it cannot be. Grass areas will generally be serviced separately from flower borders.
Why?
Depending on type of soil, grassed areas will usually retain moisture and therefore may only need watering every other day, unlike flower borders, where the soil can dry out quicker, they may need watering each day or sometimes twice a day.
At the design stage it is essential to establish dry, damp, shady, sunny parts of the landscaping, so that each area can be zoned and water controlled accordingly.
How long will it take to water my garden?
Again, depending on soil type, timings can range from 3 minutes to 10 minutes, or longer, if necessary. A whole average sized garden can be done in this time. However, if there are a number of zones, or stations, each one will take this time.
How do we know how much water to use?
This will be determined by the skill of the installer, who will monitor proceedings initially to gain a balanced precipitation rate.
What about maintenance?
Virtually maintenance free while working. Accidents can happen though – spikes can damage pop-ups or surface pipes – not common. The system must be shut down in the winter. The pump and associated pipework must be drained to prevent frost damage. All plastic fittings, i.e. pipe work, pop-ups and above ground units are free from pressure or locked in water, so need no special attention.
At the start of the season, pop-ups will need rudimentary cleaning around the top of the unit to clear away out of season grass growth and ingress of soil. The pump will need to be filled/primed and put back into service, then the whole system will be run up and checked.
Surely I will be wasting water if there is sufficient rainfall?
This can be avoided by installing a "Rain Sensor" which will automatically switch off the system and automatically reactivate the system once watering becomes necessary.