Portable Sprinklers and In-Ground Irrigation Systems: Which Is Right for You?

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  If you’re looking for an irrigation system of some sort, chances are you care about convenience, efficiency, and water conservation. Whether you choose an in-ground irrigation system or portable sprinklers comes down to total cost and effort.

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Portable Sprinklers

While portable sprinklers aren’t always the most efficient way to water your lawn, they cost a lot less than installing an in-ground system. You have to deal with hooking your portable sprinkler up to the hose and then dragging it all over the lawn, watching the clock all the while to make sure you don’t overwater anything.

For some people, this is part of the fun. They enjoy being outside, they don’t mind the hard work, they like to wake up early, and many consider caring for their outdoor landscape a therapeutic nature activity.

Keep in mind when you leave your hose lying across your lawn in the same spot for too long, you put stress on your grass and could cause it to die. Portable sprinklers are also hard to adjust. You may end up watering the street more than you water your lawn in some positions.

Because portable sprinklers spray water high up into the air in order to reach far away areas, you lose a lot of water to evaporation. You can avoid this by watering for shorter time periods more often.

In-Ground Irrigation Systems

Soil can only absorb water at a certain rate. If you water your grass too fast, the soil can’t absorb it. You get runoff and a lot of wasted water. Not only does that waste your money, but it could also kill your grass.

Watering your lawn evenly is the best way to maintain beautiful grass and save water. In-ground irrigation systems achieve this goal. They spray a light mist in targeted areas so that the soil can absorb water slowly over a long period of time.

You can also set up a lawn irrigation controller so you can time your sprinkler to automatically come on without you having to remember to do it. You don’t even have to be home! Smart controllers will do all the work for you. You only have to program them once.

If you install moisture sensor devices, you can withhold watering during rainy seasons and make sure you don’t waste even more water on grass that already has enough moisture.

The only downside to an in-ground irrigation system is that it is expensive to install, but you can do it yourself to save money. A permanent system is an asset to you and your home. It adds value to your property and makes it look beautiful.

An in-ground system is definitely the best choice if you can afford it. If you live in an area where rainfall is frequent and plentiful, and you only water your lawn once or twice a year, it may not be worth it. Otherwise, invest in something that you will get some use out of.

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