July is Smart Irrigation Month: An In-Ground Irrigation System Can Conserve Water and Save Time and Money

There’s no better time than July for Smart Irrigation Month, as the importance of smart irrigation solutions becomes crucial for lawn success during this sweltering season.

As the seasons change from spring to summer and into mid-summer in July, rainfall can become scarce, posing a big risk to lawn health. Coupled with the scorching sun and increased humidity, which can cause your cool season grass to go dormant, keeping your yard growing and green can become a challenge.

Trying to supply your yard with the weekly inch or two of water that it needs to grow and compete with the heat of the summer also becomes challenging, not to mention time-consuming. Whether it’s using soaker hoses throughout your property or simply watering with a garden hose, you may find yourself losing hope in the possibility of maintaining your lawn’s beauty throughout the long summer months.

This feeling is just one of the many reasons why homeowners are considering and switching to in-ground sprinkler systems.

What Are In-Ground Sprinkler Systems?

Lawn sprinkler systems are made up of an underground arrangement of piping that moves water throughout your yard to irrigate the grass. Sprinkler and rotary heads bring this water to the ground level, delivering different amounts of water to your lawn based on its needs.

Today, in-ground sprinklers are becoming increasingly advanced. Some feature Bluetooth technology that allows you to activate your sprinkler systems, anytime, anywhere. Other modern sprinklers come with moisture and weather sensors, as well as timers, to increase irrigation efficiency.

While installing a lawn sprinkler system may sound like quite an investment, you’ll notice over time that you’re paying less on your water bills, which is good for your wallet.

What’s the Cost?

When it comes to installing a sprinkler system, some of the biggest considerations have to do with cost: what’s the price? How invasive will installation be for my lawn?

While these factors will be different for each lawn, you can get a sense of the cost for an irrigation system in your lawn with these fast facts:

• Depending on varying factors, the price of an in-ground sprinkler system can range anywhere from $1,740 to $3,400, but the average price is around $2,460 on a ¼ acre lawn. (Numeric estimates provided by HomeAdvisor.com)
• There are many factors which affect the price of an irrigation system including: type of system, yard size, quality of materials for the system, who installs the system, the landscape of the yard, the amount of zones to be irrigated, and the conditions of the yard.
• Irrigation systems in the northern regions of the U.S. where the temperature can dip below freezing are sometimes more expensive as piping and equipment must be strong enough to resist bursting in this weather.
• Sprinkler systems are best installed in spring or early fall.
• Installation of these systems almost always involves digging up some portions of the lawn to serve as trenches for burying the piping. Thankfully, most professional installers will usually replace or repair displaced plants and soil. Nevertheless, your lawn and plants will need time to reestablish and regrow.

Ensure that you get the most of your irrigation investment by following these guidelines for sprinkler systems.

Guidelines for an Irrigation System’s Success

Maintaining your in-ground sprinkler system is the first step to establishing a healthy lawn and a system that will last a long time. Here are some ways that you can keep your irrigation system up to par:

• If there’s plenty of rain one week, supplying your lawn with at least one inch of water, then you can give your irrigation system the week off, as your lawn has gotten its weekly watering needs fulfilled.
• Remember, you want to water your lawn in the early morning or the early evening, as there will be less water evaporation during these times and the moisture won’t stay on the grass overnight. Doing this will also help ensure that you don’t use too much or too little water from your irrigation system.
• Your property’s watering needs change every season. In the early spring and fall, you won’t need as much water output as you do during the summer months. So, make sure you readjust how often and how long your sprinkler system runs according to the season.
• Be sure the nozzles of the sprinklers and rotary heads are pointed so that they water the grass not your sidewalk or driveway.
• Check the water pressure and nozzles of the sprinkler system each month to confirm that the products are working properly.
• If you are new to the process of irrigating your lawn with an in-ground sprinkler system, be sure to get a professional to open and close your system each season until you are familiar enough to do it yourself.
• Finally, if your lawn already has a sprinkler system, get it calibrated with sensors and timers for effective and advanced watering.

Whether you have a small yard or a property with many acres, a lawn sprinkler system can help you to conserve water and save precious time and money.