Maintaining Your Lawn – Choosing A Sprinkler

Watering a lawn properly will keep it looking healthy and beautiful. Natural rainwater is the best way to keep your grass hydrated, although during the spring and summer you may not get enough rainfall to keep your grass looking green. This is when sprinklers come in handy. There are many different types of sprinklers you can use for watering your grass. Here are a few choices:

Handheld nozzle sprayer - Really easy to use. Simply screw it onto the end of a hose and operate by hand. These sprinklers allow you to control how much water comes out of the nozzle. The one drawback is that it may take a very long time to water your lawn by hand. Sometimes a handheld sprayer doesn't distribute water evenly, causing patches of your lawn to get more water than others, leading to an uneven lawn.

Soaker hose - This watering option evenly distributes water and soaks the grass deep down to the roots. Sometimes this type of watering device, however, isn't constructed very well and may begin to rot over time. The irrigation pattern may not be even, which is another drawback. You may want to use this type of watering device in your garden instead of on your lawn.

Fountain sprinkler - A simple sprinkler with a hose-end head and holes that spray upward. This is a great device for watering smaller areas. It's also easy on the wallet and simple to set up.

Oscillating sprinkler - This sprinkler is a great option for lawns because all you have to do is hook it up to the end of a watering hose and water will disperse across your lawn as the sprinkler moves back and forth. If you have a square lawn, the sprinkler works particularly well for even water distribution. The only drawback - if you have a larger or irregularly shaped lawn, you’ll have to move the sprinkler around several times. This sprinkler is also known for its high evaporation rate.

Impulse sprinkler - To achieve a broad spray, this hose and device is the perfect solution. It breaks the water stream up so that you can water at a much higher rate than would be possible with other sprinklers. Just make sure you have high water pressure so that this kind of sprinkler will work properly. For smaller lawns, this may not be the ideal choice simply because the sprinkler may be too strong.

How do you know when it’s time to water? When your lawn needs water, it will become stressed and may turn a silvery blue color in certain areas. This is the first indication something is wrong, before the grass turns brown. Another sign to look out for - footprints showing up on the lawn. Healthy grass springs back up after you step on it, so footprints may be a sign that your lawn is in need of some tender loving care.

A severely stressed lawn can take water at any time of the day, but if you want to carry out proper maintenance you should make sure you water your lawn in the morning. Don't water in the late evening or middle of the day. Late night watering encourages the growth of fungus, while watering during the hottest time of the day is just wasteful. In the morning, the sun is not hot enough to waste your watering efforts and the lawn has enough time to dry before the evening arrives.