Setting Up an Irrigation System

 
            Hi everybody and welcome! Normally during the summer months, Mother Nature leaves us with enough daily rain to keep our lawns green and plush with only a minimal amount of manual watering. Most of this beneficial rainfall falls during the months of June, July, August and September. The remainder of the year can often leave our lawns and yards with a serious deficiency of water. This either requires us to water our lawns by hand or use portable sprinklers. The problem with this is that you have to move the sprinklers around the yard in order to get even coverage. Another alternative is a home irrigation system. A well-planned in-ground system can be easily controlled with a timer box and can even shut itself off when it rains to conserve water. The drawbacks of an in-ground system are maintenance and cost. Even a good system will require regular maintenance to maintain efficiency. The good news is that the system will eventually pay for itself over time with what you will save on landscape maintenance.

            To design a good system, you should start out with a map, drawn to scale, of the area you wish to irrigate. Be sure to include all the details including plants and buildings. Then, draw in the diagram of the route you are going to use for the PVC pipe. Mark off the spots where you will install your sprinkler heads and consider whether you need a full, half or quarter spray and also the distance needed to cover that segment. Be sure your segments overlap to ensure you have no dead spots. You can draw this out on graph paper or you can buy special kits that guide you through the planning process.

            The next thing that must be considered is how many zones you will have on your system. If you try to put too many sprinkler heads on your system, the water pressure may be too low to operate that zone correctly. You may only want to put 4 or 5 sprinkler heads in one zone or even less if you have poor water pressure. The various zones will be rotated automatically by the electronic water timer. In fact, more zones give you more versatility when it comes to managing your system.

            The best water source for your system is to have a separate well and pump to feed water to your sprinklers but for some people this is not in the budget. You can use an existing well and pump that you use for your home water supply with good results. If you happen to have an onsite pond or water retention area, you can recycle this water by pumping directly from these sources.

            One important part that should be installed on your system is an automatic rainfall override. These inexpensive devices automatically shut off your system when sufficient rain falls and satisfies the adjustable sensor. These devices not only save water and electricity but they also prevent your lawn from getting watered too heavily. In fact, they are required by code in many counties.

            There are three basic pumps that are most frequently used to power irrigation systems: A surface centrifugal pump, a jet pump and a submersible centrifugal pump. The most commonly used pump for home use is a jet pump. These pumps can be used for both shallow and deep well applications. For very deep well applications, a submersible centrifugal pump may be used. The disadvantage is if the pump needs to be serviced it has to be removed from the well.

            One last consideration is the quality of the water being pumped from the well. If the water has a lot of sediment or sand, it will be necessary to install a sand filter inline before the water reaches the sprinkler heads. This will help prevent clogging of the sprinklers and will provide more enjoyable and trouble free operation of your system.

            The bottom line: A well designed water system can save you loads of time and take the worry out of getting the proper amounts of water to your lawn. In the long run, it can pay for itself over time by saving you money on lawn maintenance. There is also one added bonus; you can install an inline device that will actually allow you to fertilize your lawn directly through the water system! This can be a real time saver and convenience option.

            That’s all for this week and I hope you found the content interesting and informative. I will see you next week with more great gardening tips!

Common Palms

            Hi everybody. One of the best ways to add some tropical flair to your yard is through the use of palm trees. There are dozens of choices out there some common and some very exotic (and expensive). Today I want to talk about a couple of the more common varieties that you might want to try in your landscape.

            The Queen Palm is probably one of the most common palm tree varieties that is found in our area. These palms are native to Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina. This palm is very commonly used as a landscape accent. Queen palms have been assigned the name Cocos plumose.

            The Queen palm is a very hardy plant that is cold tolerant down to 20 degrees. The tree is also relatively draught tolerant and requires little in the way of watering once the plant is established. The Queen palm can grow upwards to 50 feet.

            The Queen palm boasts a smooth straight trunk that is marked with evenly spaced leaf scars. The top of the tree is marked by a large canopy that consists of feathery like fronds. The leaves are a dark green and have a very graceful and tropical appearance.

            The Queen palm also has a spectacular display of fruit and flower clusters that give this tree a very unique appearance. In each fruit is a seed with three spots.

            Queen palms can be used in many landscape environments including lining a pathway or driveway, grouped together to form a tropical hammock, used individually to accent a garden area or for an accent on your front lawn. The uses are endless and the beauty is amazing.

            There is one downside with these palms. Over the years, there has been a fungus disease that is affecting some of the tees. Personally, none of mine have ever been affected.

            Another common palm that this found just about everywhere is the Areca Palm. The Areca has feather-like green fronds that radiate from several trunks, which make this a good choice for use as a border. Areca palms are slow growing plants that will grow wider before they get taller.

            One common problem that you can encounter with these plants is the browning out of the plant tips. This is normal and will happen in almost all cases. These palms require bright indirect light and if you use the plant indoors, keep it within 5 to 8 feet of a bright window. If you plant the palms outdoors or use them as a border, plant them on in a part of your yard that gets some shade, either from the structure or from larger trees that might be in the yard. If the Areca receives too much direct sunlight, it will cause browning of the leaves.

            The Areca palm requires a fair amount of water but it will not do well in an area that does not drain properly. It does not like to sit in standing water. In addition, over time you may notice a slight yellowing of the leaves. This is normal with these palms and using simple Epsom salts around your palms can often offset the yellowing. Use about a half-cup around each plant and water in. Apply the tonic around your plants about every month or so. This will help keep the lush green color intact.