An automatic irrigation system is a great addition to a yard or garden. It can help keep your lawn, plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables healthy and looking good. While watering by hand is a perfectly fine option for smaller outdoor spaces, or if you only have a few plants, it can be difficult to keep larger yards watered, especially if you’re often away from home in the summer.

At Watson Supply, we carry a wide range of lawn irrigation supplies and equipment, and have the experience necessary to help you choose the right type. To start, it’s important to know the different types of residential irrigation systems and what their advantages and disadvantages are.

Custom Irrigation for Your Unique Yard

No two outdoor living spaces are alike. Even yards of the same size will require unique lawn irrigation materials and layouts according to the types and quantities of plants and grass. Thankfully, there are several different types of automatic irrigation that suit different needs:

• Bubbler Irrigation: Bubbler-type irrigation gets the water directly to the roots of your plants with little to no waste through evaporation or run-off. You can choose the location and frequency of bubbler outlets, which makes bubbler irrigation perfect for large yards with spread-out plants, trees and shrubs. Simply plan your irrigation piping to allow for bubbler placement right where your plants are. If you’re looking to water your lawn, bubbler irrigation is not well suited, since it releases water in specific locations. Choose bubbler irrigation supplies for “point” watering, such as flower beds, groups of shrubs and individual trees.

• Drip Irrigation: A convenient way to deliver the right amount of water to certain parts of your garden is with drip irrigation. These automatic irrigation systems are easy to regulate, meaning you can precisely control the amount of water your plants and garden are getting. By carefully placing the drip nozzles close to your plants, you can virtually eliminate water waste and reduce strain on water resources. Drip irrigation is especially practical when you have groupings of plants and bushes scattered around your yard, and it works equally well in planters. Drip irrigation requires large amounts of piping and nozzles, making it less suitable for lawns and very large gardens.

• Pop-up Sprinklers: The most common type of permanent, automatic residential irrigation, pop-up sprinklers (also called rotors, thanks to the spinning action of the heads) are ideal for watering lawns, fruit and vegetable gardens and large tree, shrub and flower groupings. Automatic pop-up sprinklers can be programmed to control time, quantity and even direction of water spray. This type of automatic irrigation system requires significant work to plan, install and maintain. They can be added to existing yards and gardens, but when possible, it’s helpful to include a pop-up sprinkler system in your hardscaping and landscaping project from the beginning.

Remember, you can always include a variety of irrigation types to cover different areas of your yard. We will work with you to choose the solutions that will give you the most effective water coverage and most economical water usage. Contact our Watson Supply garden irrigation equipment experts today, and we’ll help you keep your grass healthy, flowers blooming and trees leafy and green so you can fully enjoy your outdoor living space!