Maintaining your lawn looking healthy and green requires fertilizing, weeding and, of course, watering. Numerous lawn sprinklers exist, and selecting the right one to use depends on various factors, including lawn size, yard shape, types of landscaping plants and how fast you want to get the task done. Understanding the various types of residential lawn sprinklers can help you narrow down your choices to your ideal choice for you.
Stationary Sprinklers
Stationary sprinklers distribute water through holes situated along the sprinkler head. These simple, cheap and easy-to-use sprinklers are available in various sizes, shapes and designs so you can choose that spray pattern works best for your yard. Stationary sprinklers distribute water also unevenly to effectively water large lawns, but typically do a fantastic job of watering smaller regions. Stationary sprinklers distribute large volumes of water, which lets you finish the chore rather fast. But you must keep a watch out for the sprinkler and move it very often.
Traveling Sprinklers
The traveling sprinkler rolls together on gear-driven wheels guided by garden hose placement and powered by water pressure. This kind of sprinkler covers a huge lawn area without you having to keep a close watch on it after the initial setup. Traveling sprinklers water deeply and evenly but must have enough water pressure to function properly. All these sprinklers typically work best in very big or very long lawn areas. The ground must be level and tough enough for it to keep on traveling, however. Avoid using traveling sprinklers to water soft soils or newly seeded lawns.
Oscillating Sprinklers
The hexagonal yard sprinkler employs a long plastic or aluminum tube that goes back and forth to supply a wide fan spray. This kind of sprinkler quickly waters large regions of lawn up to 20 feet by 30 feet. The rotating spray pattern can easily be corrected to water smaller regions and tight spots, however. All these sprinklers function well in large, open areas without trees that are overgrown. The high spray put out by these sprinklers is gentle enough to water landscaping flowers and plants. The high spray, however, also suggests that the water may disappear quickly on warm or windy days. Use an oscillating sprinkler only when the weather is calm and cool.
Impact Sprinklers
Impact sprinklers utilize a powerful flow of water pressure to move the sprinkler arms in a circle and then spray water over a huge distance. You can adjust just how much the water sprays and just how much of a circular pattern it covers, typically from 15 to 360 degrees. This type of sprinkler works nicely on big lawns and the low angle of the water flow makes it efficient for watering yard regions with trees that are overgrown. Avoid using leverage sprinklers on flowerbeds, however, because the powerful streams of water may damage more fragile landscape plants.
Rotary Sprinklers
Rotary sprinklers are another type widely used by homeowners to keep their lawns healthy. A rotary sprinkler has a lot of arms with sprinkler heads built into the ends. Water pressure turns the gears to rotate the arms and then spray the water in a full circle. This type of sprinkler covers a huge area of lawn evenly, making it an economical choice for big gardens and open regions of yard that may adapt its circular spray pattern. The gentle but steady watering pattern makes it ideal for watering flower beds and shrubs as well.