Tips for Successful Landscaping Projects

Recommendations For Drip Irrigation System Maintenance

The irrigation system in your yard makes it possible to deliver watering to your vegetation on a regular schedule and for a measured amount that you can easily control whether you are at home or away. However, with a drip irrigation system, you need to take some precautions against damage and follow some regular maintenance tips to keep the water flowing to your plants for a healthy yard. Here are some recommendations to help you maintain your yard drip irrigation system for optimal results.

Measure the Delivery Rate

When you set up and start running your yard's drip irrigation system, you are going to watch it to make sure it is working as it is needed so you can attend to other tasks. However, once it is up and running, you will want to check it periodically to make sure it still works as it did when you installed it. Several factors will work against your drip irrigation system that can cause it to stop functioning, and you don't want to put your landscaping at risk of dying. Your plants are going to need to have adequate water delivered to the right depth to ensure they continue to live, thrive, and grow. 

The drip irrigation should deliver water down to a depth of several inches during each watering. With a drip emitter, the time that it takes to deliver this amount of water will depend on the soil and your water pressure. So the best way to make sure your plants are receiving enough water during each irrigation session is to measure how deep the water penetrates the soil after the drip session is completed. You may be getting less drip irrigation because your property's water pressure is lower when you irrigate, for example.

You may want to check the soil for its moisture content after ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, and thirty minutes to see how long you will need to irrigate to receive the required amount of water. This can greatly affect your vegetation's health, especially if you are relying on watering them only once or twice a week where you want the soil to become adequately saturated each watering.

Watch the Weather

It is also important to check the weather conditions throughout the year so you can adjust your watering schedule with drip irrigation. For example, during times of excess heat, you may want to increase your watering and add in an additional day of watering between your bi-weekly watering sessions. Or you can add an extra ten minutes of drip irrigation to your watering days to deliver more water into the soil and the roots of the plants.

For more information, contact a landscaping service in your area, such as NY Plantings Garden Designers & Landscape Contractors.