Planters, gardeners, landscapers, and farmers may have divergent job duties, but each environment requires a singular factor: irrigation.
No matter if a sprinkler, drip watering, or an older method is employed, irrigation must supply the precise amount of water - less to some plants and more to others - for proper nourishment, a good crop, or a beautiful lawn.
Although setting up and maintaining such a system is time consuming, it's essential to the task.
Out of all options, sprinklers and drip irrigation are both popular in the present.
The latter is ideal for plants, flower beds, vegetable gardens, trees, or ornamentals, as a smaller but focused amount of water is aimed at the root system.
Also called "trickle irrigation," this system allows water to go further down into the soil.
Considered an in-ground system, drip irrigation spreads out water through a network of sprinklers, which are attached to risers connected to pipes going through the surface of the lawn.
A drip system, with water piped from emitters to target plants' roots, may additionally be added.
Considered more cost-effective and convenient, drip irrigation is more precise, offers a better balance of water and air at the root level, and circumvents the effects of evaporation and wind - both of which are negative factors for standard sprinklers.
Once drip irrigation is operating, water waste is 70 percent less, and weed growth is reduced.
Sprinklers, on the other hand, are ideal for lawns.
Unlike the focused motion of drip irrigation, sprinklers spray water into the air.
Then, the droplets fall onto vegetation and the ground.
But, even within this basic motion is a wide-range of possibilities, from a single, focused stream to a programmable network of sprinklers.
What options does a homeowner or landscaper have? Fixed models tend to be better for smaller areas, while oscillating, impact, and rotating sprinklers move back and forth or in a circular pattern to cover a medium-sized or larger area.
Tractor, or traveling, sprinklers are a better choice for odder or less-typical lawns, while in-ground or pop-up systems involve multiple heads that can be programmed for automatic timing and flow control.
Hose sprinklers assist with watering localized or smaller areas.
As certain watering systems benefit some yards and not others, a homeowner or landscaper must consider multiple factors: the amount of area, the frequency of watering, climate, any difficult to reach spots, and the amount of time available to tend to the sprinkler or irrigation system and grounds.