A beautiful and well-groomed lawn or a flowering flower bed near the house today is not uncommon even in a megalopolis. But keeping them in a tidy condition requires some effort, especially watering.
For many owners of private houses, watering a lawn, garden or garden at first may bring joy, but subsequently it becomes a burden, a job that there is no desire to do. At such moments, the idea arises that an automatic lawn watering system is a salvation from hard work.
Manual method of watering the lawn
Watering the vegetation in the infield is carried out in two ways - manual and automatic. Manual watering include:
- If you have a small flower bed or lawn, you can use the simplest type of watering - from a watering can.
- A garden hose with a sprayer irrigates the root system of the grass well enough, so the lawn can be watered infrequently. The disadvantage of this type of irrigation is that the hose must be manually transferred every half hour to the next part of the lawn. If the site is large, then watering takes a lot of time.
- A perforated hose accelerates this process, since water from pressure holes spray most of the area under pressure. The hose must also be carried manually.
- It is not practical to use sprinklers, as watering will have to be carried out frequently. In this type of irrigation, the topsoil is moistened, and the roots remain dry. The only plus is an imitation of rain, in which the soil does not erode, as happens with jet irrigation.
This is how a do-it-yourself automatic watering lawn system looks like. All of these methods require the presence of a person and his physical efforts.
Automatic watering
The most convenient is the automatic watering of the lawn, especially if it is large. To do this, you can use:
- A circular sprinkler consisting of a platform with a sprinkler. Spatter in such irrigation can cover a small lawn at the same time. If irrigation of a large area is required, then several circular sprinklers are used at once. To make this type of irrigation fully automatic, you can purchase a timer and set the irrigation time.
- An automatic lawn irrigation system in the form of a rotating sprinkler is an opportunity to adjust not only the power of the jet, but also its distance. This is convenient when, for example, benches or a table with chairs are located on the lawn.
- For large flowerbeds and lawns, a pulsed sprinkler is suitable that can irrigate immediately up to 70 m 2 of land. It can be used both on slopes and on uneven soil. It has a butt joint.
- For large areas of the correct square shape, an automatic lawn irrigation system with oscillating sprinklers is used. In this case, irrigation takes place evenly, and the diameter of the drops and the irrigation area are entered manually.
- For a fully automatic irrigation system, all of its parts are laid underground, and sprinklers remain on the surface. They can be firmly fixed or recessed into the soil until the next watering time. Recessed sprinklers are more convenient as there is no risk that they will be broken when cutting grass. It is important to remember that an automatic lawn watering system is installed before it is planted.
- Computer-controlled automatic irrigation is the most convenient and reliable option, consisting of the underground part of the system, sprinklers, a pump, large water tanks and a computer. The program settings even have a function to automatically turn off watering if it rains. A computer system for automatic watering the lawn, the price of which (from 160,000 p. To 350,000 p.) Is the highest of all these options, however, and the most reliable. Such an installation is set once, but has served its owner for decades.
All types of automatic irrigation require the preparation of a preliminary plan so that the irrigation really covers the entire lawn and is effective.
Watering scheme
Before drawing up an irrigation scheme, it is necessary to take into account what requirements the plants themselves put forward. For some, drip irrigation may be suitable, while for others, rain irrigation. Also in the scheme should be taken into account:
- plot scale, conditionally divided into irrigation zones;
- number of sprinklers and their categories;
- sprinkler installation sites , taking into account the area that they can irrigate;
- how many divorce points are required for pipes;
- number and length of pipes;
- the place of installation of the pump and its power, if there is a threat of a weak pressure of water;
Even on a small scale, this scheme will help you see how the overall automatic lawn watering system will look like. You can set up simple irrigation automation with your own hands, for a more complex one, when you need to lay pipes underground, you need specialist knowledge.
The necessary equipment to create a do-it-yourself autowatering
When the scheme is drawn up and everything is taken into account, the next step is the purchase of irrigation equipment. The number of necessary components depends solely on the size and shape of the site and its "inhabitants":
- For a plot of up to 20 acres, plastic pipes with a diameter of 15 and 32 mm are required. If the lawn is larger, then the size of the pipes should be 25 and 40 mm.
- The shape and type of sprinkler depend on the effect that is required to be obtained by irrigation.
- Connectors and valves are sized for pipes and sprinklers.
- Water tanks and a pump of the required power.
- Water supply and pressure regulators.
- Controllers and sensors for soil moisture.
- The water filter, so that the system does not have to be cleaned often, especially if fertilizers are fed through it with water.
The tools necessary for installing an automatic watering system are a shovel and a welding machine.
Installation of an automatic watering system
Installation of an automatic lawn watering system begins with earthwork. If the lawn has not yet been equipped, then you just need to dig trenches for laying pipes. If the lawn is planted, then you need to work more carefully, since prolonged contact of the grass with the ground leads to its drying. After all the work will have to “repair” the green spaces. To avoid this, it is recommended to lay the film along the entire trench and lay the earth on it.
When the ditches are prepared, it is time to lay the pipes. In places of their divorce, previously marked on the diagram, connectors are inserted into which sprinklers are mounted. When the entire trunk is assembled, it is connected to the water supply system. Water under high pressure flows through a pipe of a larger diameter and is distributed to smaller outlets.
Possible problems
In order for the system to work without interruption, it is important that the main pipe of the highway be of the appropriate size, and the sprinklers should be so distributed over the site that its full coverage is obtained.
To do this, calculate in advance under what pressure the water is supplied and at what distance the drops fall. If everything is done correctly, then extra sprinklers will not be installed, and the plants will receive full watering.
Gardena Auto Watering
To obtain a guaranteed high-quality result, the Gardena automatic irrigation system is suitable. Sprinklers of this company give excellent irrigation even in areas with difficult terrain. They are made of high quality materials and are very durable.
Gardena irrigators can be installed even by a person who does not understand anything in lawn irrigation. A wide range of companies allows you to choose any type of irrigation: from drip to circular with retractable sprinklers.
Hunter Irrigation Products
Hunter automatic lawn irrigation systems are a real technical complex, for managing which it is enough to enter the necessary parameters, and he will do the rest on his own. The whole mechanism and its components are laid underground, only control sensors remain on the surface. This company produces irrigation systems for large lawns, parks and golf courses.