Lucky is the home owner who can boast about having a lawn sprinkler system installed. It’s one of the best labor-saving devices a Dallas-Fort Worth resident can have. Not only do sprinklers take much of the work out of lawn care, but they also ensure that the landscaping will be irrigated efficiently, effectively, and regularly. With watering in many areas of North Texas on a restrictive schedule during drought or dry conditions, the timer takes care of the “when” and the “how much” of periodic watering, meaning the grass stays green.

Because of the clay and gumbo prevalent in North Texas, having a sprinkler system eases the tendency of the soil to shrink and crack, which helps to alleviate foundation problems.

An additional advantage of a fully automated landscape watering system is its coordinating drip irrigation system that supplies water to foundation plantings, floral beds and borders, and containers and trees. Such systems can be zoned and timed differently and adjusted to meet the varying water needs of local vegetation.

Simple but Sophisticated

Automated systems today are sophisticated and, for the most part, foolproof. Drip systems can be easily installed using readily available simple parts and small diameter tubing. All it takes is a little patience. Many such systems can be operated simply by tying them into an exterior hose bib and installing a simple timing device.

A full lawn sprinkler system is more complicated and must be installed following a well-designed plan for reaching all areas of the landscape. It requires trenching, a grid of flexible or rigid piping, pop-up sprinkler heads of some sort, and more precise timers. Most often installed by professionals before laying sod or seeding a lawn, these systems are designed to deliver the kind of spray needed by every area of lawn without wasting water or allowing runoff. Over time, the cost of such a system is recouped in water bill savings. An additional payoff of this regular, scheduled watering is the satisfaction of having an attractive landscape.

Easy to Maintain

Systems, once installed, are nearly maintenance free. When mowing, of course, it is wise to be aware of the location of pop-up sprinkler heads. Children and animals should be taught not to play with or disturb the sprinklers. Occasionally, one will malfunction, break, or leak, but parts can be easily and quickly replaced either by a home owner or by the installer. Infrequently, a power outage will affect the timing device but that can be easily fixed. All systems have a manual override in case of a severe problem.

New installations in newer housing often locate the control panel in the garage, thereby eliminating any possible concern with tampering or vandalism. Even if the power box must be outside, it is usually small and unobtrusive; it may be hidden by shrubbery or even covered with an attractive box.

Sustainability in all areas of living today is important to residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It is only logical then for residents to take steps to conserve water as an important natural resource and to use it wisely to enhance the surroundings. This goes along with green practices and the trend toward planting native plants and drought-resistant species.

There is nothing as pretty, in North Texas or anywhere else, as a manicured expanse of green lawn. If only it didn’t need regular mowing!

Photo Source: Robert Couse-Baker

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