One thing is constant in every lush green lawn you see and admire; they are all watered. You cannot run away from watering your yard if you choose to grow one. In this feed we will get to know about various types of lawn sprinklers and help you to choose the right one for you.
Some lawn types require watering every day, some even twice a day. Imagine the effort needed to pull that off. The good news is that you do not have to water it yourself; you can set up a sprinkler system to do the work for you while you sit on your patio enjoying the view or even take that long-awaited vacation.
Obviously can install drip irrigation in your garden and for trees and shrubs, that’s not ideal for a yard with a large surface to cover
Sprinklers are essential equipment to have in your garden if you want a stress-free gardening experience.
Now, several different types of sprinklers can serve you in your yard. But choosing the right sprinkler for your particular situation is essential.
Best lawn sprinklers have Rotary heads, sometimes known as sprinkler rotors, which are ideally suited for medium to large lawns with an irrigation system capable of producing a PSI of more than 30. Various factors are important to address before choosing the best sprinkler like the size of lawn, shape and system. Pop-up sprinklers, travelling sprinklers, Rotary sprinklers, oscillator, stationary, misting and sprinklers hose are some of the types of sprinklers.
7 Types of Sprinklers
While there may be several different types of sprinklers, here, I’ll be showing you seven of the most common and vast types of sprinklers.
1. Pop-up Sprinklers
They are sometimes called in-ground sprinklers and are a common type of sprinkler. It is useful in a house you own or plan to stay in for a long time as it is both expensive to install and stressful to remove.
That notwithstanding, it is still a favorite among gardeners because of its efficiency.
The pop-up sprinkler consists of an underground irrigation system with a sprinkler head fixed slightly below the ground’s surface. The head pops-up from the ground when turned on to water the area.
Here’s how to adjust a pop-up sprinkler head whenever you want.
2. Traveling Sprinklers
Traveling sprinklers are a specialized type of tractor sprinklers that move by harnessing the water pressure. It does not need gasoline or electricity to move. Neither does it require you to push it around.
This tractor sprinkler saves you the stress of moving around your lawn trying to water the wide area. It drives itself around your yard, watering as it goes.
Traveling sprinklers are best suited for large lawn areas.
3. Rotary Sprinklers
Rotary or rotating sprinklers have rotating heads that start spinning when turned on and deliver water to your lawn in a circular pattern.
The speed with which it rotates forces the water farther than it would usually reach, making it an ideal sprinkler to use in extensive gardens.
Rotating sprinklers, however, do not spray water as much water as most other types of lawn sprinklers does, so they are best for lands that take a lot of time to soak up water like clay lands. Rotating sprinklers need a high water pressure, ideally between 40 and 50 psi.
Here are the three main types of rotating sprinklers.
- Stream rotors: this sprinkler type sprays multiple rotating streams of water in different directions all at once.
- Gear-driven rotors: they have gear-driven heads that operate by utilizing the pressure from the flowing water to spin the head and spray water streams continually.
- Impact rotors:the head of this type of rotating sprinkler rotates from the pressure generated when the nozzle water stream hits the spring-loaded arm.
4. Oscillating Lawn Sprinklers
Oscillating sprinklers consist of a long tube and head with multiple holes. It may take a short while to build enough pressure after turning it on, but once the pressure is achieved, it will spray water in a rectangular pattern.
The force from the water forces it to sway back and forth, watering a larger rectangular area in the process.
5. Stationary Lawn Sprinklers
Stationary sprinklers are fixed and do not move. The water sprays in a particular pattern but can be sprayed in a half-circle or full circle.
Fixed sprinklers, as they are called in some climes, are best suited for lawn with straight edges. They can be put at the straight edge facing inside and turned on to spray in a half-circle.
Fixed sprinklers do not pack as much pressure as a rotary sprinkler, so they are only able to spray a smaller area at any given time. This makes them suited for small and medium garden sizes. They will also work well if your property’s water pressure is low.
6. Misting sprinklers
They are sometimes called micro-sprinklers because they deliver smaller amounts of water over smaller areas.
They are ideal for plants that need more precise and delicate watering patterns like flower beds. This type of sprinkler delivers a small amount of water per hour and can be useful in areas with compacted soil.
Misting sprinklers do not need high pressure to operate, and homes with low water pressure water can use them without issues.
7. Sprinkler Hose (Manual)
One can argue that these are not particularly sprinkler systems. They are a blend of hoses and sprinklers, and done manually by a person watering with them.
Here, “sprinkler heads” are attached to hoses and used to spray. They can be used manually or set at an angle to spread over a small area.
These types of lawn sprinklers does not have high pressure, so it will only water a smaller area and is best suited for watering small pots or flower beds. If you have trouble with water pressure, you may be able to increase the water pressure in the hose.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Sprinkler Type
Some factors determine the type of sprinklers to use in your yard; these factors will guide you to choose the best sprinkler type.
Here are the factors that determine the best sprinkler type for your garden.
- Size of your land: Your garden’s size is an essential factor to consider as it has a significant influence on the sprinkler type you finally select. If you have a large land area to water, you need a far-reaching sprinkler type to spray a farther distance. This will help save the cost of installing several sprinklers. For a smaller land, you can get away with using a sprinkler with a shorter reach.
- Water pressure at your property: This may seem like an inconsequential thing to consider, but it does have a massive bearing on which sprinkler you later install. If your property has high water pressure, you can afford to install more types of sprinklers. Your options reduce with lower pressure.
- The shape of your lawn: Do you have square land or land with curved borders? This information will guide you to the best possible sprinkler type to use. If you have areas around your lawn that should not be sprayed or you’re trying to conserve water, then you have to match the shape of your land to the best possible sprinkler type.
- The look of the sprinkler: Ask yourself how do I want my sprinklers to look? Would you be okay seeing sprinkler heads above the ground? If not, you have to install underground sprinklers that are barely visible above ground.
- Automatic or manual sprinklers: Automatic sprinklers are the type you can install and time to water your lawn whenever you like. They can water your lawn even before you wake up or when you’re away on vacation. Manual sprinklers, on the other hand, do not have timers, and you must have to be present to handle the irrigation.
These are just a few factors to look at before choosing a sprinkler type for your yard.
Wrapping it up
The type of sprinkler system you choose will determine the amount of extra work you put in, the amount of water you conserve, and a host of other things.
These types of lawn sprinklers vary in cost of installation but depending on your level of expertise; you can set them up yourself. Here is a concise guide to installing a sprinkler system.
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