You probably don’t need a lot of convincing that irrigation is a good thing. It’s an absolutely vital part of farming around the world, and without it, many of us wouldn’t have enough to eat. Industrial-level irrigation systems are huge feats of engineering, and professionals use all their knowledge and expertise to build systems that are impressively complex and particularly suited to the needs of their geographic area. But that’s not really what we’re here to talk about. This post is focused on the advantages of irrigation and professional lawn maintenance in a residential setting.
Sure, the stakes aren’t as high as a farm irrigation system. Nobody’s going to go hungry if your yard isn’t properly watered (probably). Even still, there are plenty of good reasons to keep your yard in good shape. We can start with the obvious advantages of irrigation in general — if there’s not enough rain for your plants to grow, irrigation is going to make that a possibility. You’re going to see a much greener, more fruitful yard if you irrigate it properly. Duh.
But those kinds of advantages of irrigation aren’t the main things we want to focus on here. If you need to be convinced that your plants need water to grow, we’re afraid we can’t help you. We’re mainly talking about irrigation systems as part of a professional lawn maintenance plan. The advantages of irrigation done in that way are going to far outweigh the advantages of going out with a hose and watering every day. Let’s get into it. Here are six advantages of irrigation systems for your home.
Saves Time
When you’re looking at the advantages of irrigation systems, you can mostly divide them into two distinct groups: Advantages of irrigation for you, and advantages of irrigation for your yard. This one falls firmly in the former camp. Do you really want to be trudging out there every morning or evening, spending an hour walking around with the hose? Surely you have a lot of other things you’d rather be doing, especially when the weather is nice.
With an irrigation system, you can just set it and forget it. There’s a controller as part of the system, and that will store what time you want your sprinklers to kick on and off each day. But this controller isn’t just a simple timer. Today’s high tech controllers are actually a lot more sophisticated than that.
Depending on the type of system you have, you don’t even have to watch the forecast for when it’s going to rain. There are smart controllers on the market that have access to local weather data. As such, they’ll make sure your yard isn’t getting too much water. We’ll talk more about this in a later section about how your home irrigation system can save you water.
This automation is one of the biggest advantages of irrigation systems. You won’t even need to think about it. Instead, you can spend your time with your family, on your hobbies, or on all those other chores you say you’ll get around to when you get a little more free time. Especially if your irrigation system is part of a larger professional lawn maintenance plan, then you’re not going to ever have to worry about it. Sounds pretty good, right?
Can Help Keep Your Yard Healthy
Nobody wants a yard chock full of disease and weeds. Yuck! With the right irrigation system and professional lawn maintenance, you can diminish the growth of those pesky extras. In order to keep your lawn healthy, you need to be watering for long periods of time just a couple of times a week rather than a little bit every day. That way, the water will seep deep into the grass’s roots. That encourages healthy growth. This type of deep watering is much easier when you don’t have to stand out there with a hose for hours, making it one of the key advantages of irrigation systems for your yard.
Most of the irrigation systems we’re talking about here are networks of sprinkler heads, but that’s not the only kind of irrigation a professional lawn maintenance team can install in your yard. With something like drip irrigation, you can specifically target the plant that needs the water, meaning any potential weeds in the area aren’t getting any of that water. There are also certain diseases that can be exacerbated by excess watering. You’ll avoid that with your efficient professional lawn maintenance team.
Conserves Water
We touched on this one a little bit in an earlier section, but the efficiency of an irrigation system is going to mean savings on the amount of water you need to make sure your lawn is in tip-top condition. This will enhance the sustainability of your yard.
Especially if you live somewhere that sees a lot of drought, you’re going to want to be cautious about how you use your water. Conserving one of our most precious resources is of vital importance, and in the driest part of the summer, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re not overdoing it. Your yard is going to be one of the biggest water consumers on your property. There’s only so much you can do within your house — at some point, the showers can’t get any shorter and the dishes just have to get washed, right?
So, making an effort to be as efficient as possible with your lawn’s water usage is going to go a long way, when paired with your other water conservation efforts. A professional lawn maintenance provider is going to be able to help you make sure you’re not using more water than you need to.
Produces More Effective Results
You going out to water with your hose is just simply not going to be as effective as a professional-grade irrigation system. It’s more effective watering because it doesn’t allow nutrients to seep away with the extra runoff water. Professional lawn maintenance, including a professionally installed irrigation system, is going to keep your soil healthier, and you’ll see that reflected in the health of your plants. That’s one of the biggest advantages of irrigation for all the plant lovers and lawn fanatics out there.
Another part of those better results is the evenness of the coverage. We’re sure you take great pride in your ability to wield a hose, but there’s just no way a human can compete with a professionally designed and installed irrigation system. These systems are created to be perfect, delivering the exact right amount of water in the exact right distribution pattern. A professional lawn maintenance company can set up the sprinkler heads so that every spot
Can Reduce Your Water Bill
One major drawback to installing an irrigation system is the initial cost, and then having to keep up with it. There’s basic maintenance, like winterizing your system each fall, and then there’s fixing anything that might go wrong. A piece will break from time to time, and you’ll need to pay to fix any leaks that crop up.
However, you’re likely going to save money on water. Like we already said, with the right system, you’re going to use less water and use it more efficiently than you would clomping around with a hose, not exactly sure if you watered the day before or not, and did it rain while you were away for the weekend? You might not know, but your smart irrigation system does. This will all lead to savings on your water bill compounding over time.
Plus, isn’t time money? With all the time you’re saving through leaving your irrigation up to your professional lawn maintenance plan, you can bank several hours to use how you please. This is all to say that the initial cost of installing an irrigation system might scare you off of the whole project, but you shouldn’t let it, as long as it’s not going to completely ruin you, of course. As long as you can financially recover from this, then the long-term money saving potential can be one of the great advantages of irrigation systems for your home.
Increases the Value of Your Home
Now, if you’re looking to improve your lawn with some professional lawn maintenance, then you’re probably wanting to stick around and enjoy it for a while. But if you’re looking to move on, having an irrigation system in place could be a huge plus for a potential buyer. They know that putting in a big sprinkler system is a big pain, tearing up your yard for a while. Since you’ve already done it, though, they can feel like they’ve avoided a big headache and still get to enjoy all the advantages of irrigation in their new home.
Another key aspect here is that a well-watered lawn is going to look better, thus increasing your curb appeal. You want potential buyers to stop and stare when they pass your home, not drive right by. As such, making sure your house is totally eye-catching from first glance is one of the key steps in getting your house ready to sell. Obviously, installing an irrigation system isn’t going to fix any curb appeal problems over night, but it is definitely going to help in the long run. Over a long period, professional lawn maintenance is going to make a big difference.
So, this is definitely one improvement to consider when you’re thinking about selling your home and moving on to your next adventure. Plenty of things inside the house can probably be upgraded and renovated, but don’t forget about the outside, too.
A Word of Caution…
All of these advantages of irrigation systems are predicated on the fact that your system is professionally designed and maintained. If you have a poorly functioning irrigation system, then you’re not going to see all those benefits. Irrigation is best used as part of a whole professional lawn maintenance plan. There are a lot of different aspects that go into that sort of a plan, and leaving it to the professionals is the best way to ensure that they’re all working together properly. They can handle the seasonal aeration, fertilization, and seeding of your yard, as well as managing your irrigation system. Any turf management company would be well-equipped to help you out and see what they can do for your yard.
We also already mentioned the initial costs and headaches that come with installing an irrigation system and getting set up with professional lawn maintenance, so know that many of these advantages of irrigation are going to take a while before they really kick in. You’re not going to immediately see a huge reduction in your water bill or an instantly green garden. Those perks will come with time, but after a while, you’ll surely see all these advantages of irrigation in your own yard.
It’s definitely true that adding an irrigation system can mean great things for your lawn. It’s just important to keep your expectations realistic, especially about the timeline involved.
These are just some of the advantages of irrigation.
We’ve taken you through several really compelling advantages of irrigation systems in your yard. You’ve got the advantages for yourself, like all the time you’ll save without having to go out and water your yard every day or the increase to your property value and curb appeal you’ll see as a result of your professional lawn maintenance. Then you’ve also got the advantages of irrigation for your lawn — a professional system that’s more efficient than doing it by hand, which will also keep your lawn looking great. It can even help combat weeds and disease if it’s done right.
You can contact us here if you’d like to learn more about how we can bring the advantages of irrigation to your yard. It can be a great step to take toward achieving your goals for your outdoor space, and professional lawn maintenance can cover a lot more services than just irrigation. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to get started.