• Surface or subsurface emitters such as drip irrigation, soaker hoses, or root feeders.
• Overhead sprinklers with rotary, oscillating, or fixed heads.

Surface Irrigation

Drip Irrigation
For efficient watering of flower and vegetable gardens, hanging plants, shrub beds, and trees. Drip irrigation is the slow metered delivery of water directly into the soil at the plant's base. Drip penetrates deeply to moisten, not saturate, the root zone. Emitter hose may be buried subsurface or left on the surface year round and may be connected to an automatic controller.

Advantages of drip irrigation include:

• Easy to install and operate
• Less than 10% evaporation
• Maintains proper air/water balance in soil
• Drip rate adaptable to soil density

Soaker Hoses
Soaker hoses, also known as leaky pipe or leaky hose, are effective for small areas. These hoses ooze water through pores along their entire length, to soak the ground thoroughly without waste. Many of these hoses are made from recycled tires so you are conserving two resources when you use this type of hose.

Subsurface Irrigation

Root Feeders
Deep-rooted plants can dry out underneath the soil, especially in the summer when the sun is hot and irrigation cannot penetrate deeply into the soil. Root feeders are ideal for trees and shrubs.

Overhead Irrigation

Sprinklers
Common overhead sprinklers include impulse, travelling, oscillating, rotation, and stationary sprinklers. Look for sprinklers that apply large droplets close to the ground and have improvements such as wide, even water distribution and adjustable area coverage.

Automatic Systems
Automatic irrigation systems save water when designed and operated properly. Space sprinkler heads properly and adjust automatic controllers periodically for climatic changes. Sprinklers operating in the rain are wasteful.

Low Precipitation Head
Low precipitation heads apply more slowly and economically to large areas and clay soils, and prevent wasteful runoff.

High Precipitation Head
High precipitation heads apply water quickly, take less time, and are used in small areas to prevent unwanted overspray.

Shrub & Flowerbed Sprayer
For even water-saving distribution, lay out irrigation in zones. Group sprinkler heads with matching precipitation rates together, where they can apply water to plants with similar water needs.

Multi-cycling
Watering the same area more than once on the same day prevents runoff and allows water to soak deeper into dense soils between waterings.

Back to Top