What Garden Irrigation System is Perfect for Your Clients?
As an irrigation specialist, your customers will depend on your expertise when helping them design a garden irrigation system and making decisions about what type of irrigation system is right for their lawn or garden. You will need to know what factors to consider in order to form a professional opinion and make the right recommendations. The team here at Hydro-Rain® tries to keep irrigation contractors informed so that they can stay on top of their game and have the confidence to make the right decisions for their clients. Let’s discuss the best suggestions for clients looking for the perfect lawn or garden irrigation system. but more than that we also offer free online irrigation training to help new contractors learn the ins and outs of the industry and to help existing contractors to stay in the loop with the industry’s most up-to-date practices.
What Size is Your Customer’s Garden?
First off, you need to consider the size of the garden that your customer has. It is best practice to communicate with your customers to keep them informed of what factors you are considering. By measuring the space of the garden as well as the amount of plants you can determine how many sprinklers will be needed to make sure everything gets watered. You can also let your customer know that you use high quality irrigation products to reassure them that the sprinkler system that you plan on installing will get the job done.
Drip Irrigation vs. Sprinkler Irrigation
The type of soil in your customer’s garden can determine whether it requires drip irrigation or sprinkler irrigation. Different soils will retain water in different ways. Soils that retain water well would benefit from sprinkler water, since they don’t need as many applications, whereas soil that does not retain water as well would be better off with drip irrigation so it has a frequent application of water. Drip irrigation is better for smaller lawns or gardens and is water efficient, while sprinklers are better for larger lawns or gardens and tend to reach more areas. Drip irrigation also works best in areas with low humidity or high winds since those areas are more prone to evaporation. Another consideration for drip or sprinklers is the type of plants in the garden. Different types of flowers, vegetables, and other plants will benefit from different water applications.
Rotor Sprinkler Heads vs. Spray Sprinkler Heads
As the irrigation expert, you will need to be able to identify the size of the garden and the type of soil that it contains so that you can determine whether to use drip irrigation or a sprinkler system. If you determine that a sprinkler system would be best, you can then decide whether their garden needs a spray nozzle, which produces a constant stream of water, or a rotor head that rotates around in the watering area.
Water Source and Water Quality
The source of the water being used in the irrigation system is crucial to ensuring that there can be a steady use of water. Additionally, you need to make sure that the water source is providing good quality water with a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. It is important to test that the water has an appropriate pH level and that it doesn’t contain chlorine or any other chemicals, which can be harmful to the plants in your customer’s garden. It helps to know the local weather trends as well. Areas that are prone to high levels of rainfall will not require irrigation applications as frequently as areas that have dry spells and low levels of rainfall. Make sure the schedule of the irrigation system is considerate of the local weather patterns.
Contact Us for Help with Irrigation Systems
Whether you are an irrigation veteran, a new irrigation contractor, or are interested in becoming one, considering these factors will allow you to find the perfect garden irrigation system for your clients. Please feel free to contact us today for any questions that you have about these tips, our irrigation products, or our Hydro-Rain® Academy for irrigation contractors. Hydro-Rain® offers free online training for irrigation professionals so you can become a master at your craft!