Is A Drip System Right For You? Understanding Drip Irrigation For Lawn Care
Want to limit water consumption while tending to your lawn or other plants? A drip irrigation system might be perfect for you. Drip irrigation wastes far less water than a typical sprinkler system, and drip systems are highly customizable.
In some circumstances, installing a drip system or a subsurface drip system will help you save both water and money; in other circumstances, a traditional sprinkler system is preferable. Let’s explore what drip irrigation is, its advantages and disadvantages, and when it should be used for lawns in Winnipeg.
What Is a Drip Irrigation System?
Drip irrigation systems are designed to water plants by slowly dripping water to their roots. There are two main goals to the design of drip irrigation systems: To get water directly to a plant’s roots and to minimize the evaporation of water.
Broadly, there are two types of drip systems: Above-ground drip irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation. Subsurface systems are arguably more efficient than above-ground systems, but there are a number of challenges associated with installing and maintaining them. We’ll discuss those challenges in greater detail in a later section of this article.
The Advantages of Drip Irrigation
When thinking about the advantages of using a drip system, it’s best to consider them when compared to their main alternative: Sprinkler systems. When compared to sprinkler systems, drip systems have a number of advantages:
More efficient: Sprinklers are only 65%-75% efficient, meaning that up to 35% of the water used by sprinklers is wasted through evaporation and other factors. A high-quality drip system, on the other hand, has an efficiency of about 90%, drastically reducing water waste.
Higher precision: Sprinklers spray water everywhere; drip systems concentrate water in specific areas as they slowly drip to the roots. This can reduce weed growth, prevent disease, and improve effectiveness in areas where the ground is uneven.
The Disadvantages of Drip Irrigation
They can make lawn care more difficult: The tubing for an above-ground irrigation system is at risk of getting damaged by lawnmowers and even foot traffic. The tubing is also not aesthetically pleasing; you can cover it with mulch, but then you’ll have difficulty accessing the system if you need to conduct repairs. Subsurface drip systems can also make aeration a pain.
A subsurface system can be difficult to monitor: When a sprinkler malfunctions, you’ll usually see or hear something wrong. Not so with a subsurface irrigation system; problems can be almost undetectable until your lawn starts to die.
They can be more challenging to install: A subsurface system should almost always be installed early in the landscaping process—well before a lawn is planted, so the pipes can be laid without tearing up any turf. An improperly installed drip system, whether it’s above ground or subsurface, can wreak havoc on your lawn.
When To Use Drip Irrigation for Your Lawn
Recommending a drip system for lawn irrigation is fairly rare. Lawns usually cover a large area, while drip systems are generally built for irrigating crops with quite a bit of space between them. Broad water distribution is typically best for lawns.
Additionally, soil type has to be considered. Here in Winnipeg, our soil is filled with clay; it needs to be aerated regularly, and it can be difficult for water to move through the clay from one spot to another.
Despite all of this, we still regularly use drip systems as irrigation for lawns. The reason is that a hybrid approach is sometimes appropriate for irregularly shaped lawns, where installing a sprinkler for one section of the lawn might end up wasting water and spraying over the property line.
Hybrid approaches, in conjunction with the use of drip systems for flowers, trees, and other plants that make up your landscape, are best. Looking for a new irrigation system? Our team of Winnipeg landscaping experts is here to help.
