Sprinkler Systems - Common Problems and the Best Solutions to Guarantee Proper Watering of the Lawn

Sprinkler systems and irrigation timers are usually forgotten by the home owner, landlord or property manager after being installed. For the most part the home owner can just set it and forget it; until there is a problem. There are a few common problems which usually go undetected by the home owner until detrimental effects occur.

Most of the time, the recommended time to water the lawn is in the early morning hours. One of the most common problems is that the sprinkler heads are out of adjustment or alignment. Months may go by before the home owner may realize this fact until the lawn begins to display signs of suffering from a lack of water.

The majority of sprinkler setups or layouts will suffice at first, but another problematic situation and one that is a bit more involved may not occur until several years after the initial sprinkler installation. Foresight and the expected growth of trees, shrubs and bushes are often not taken into account by many when installing an irrigation system. The end result can be that the spray pattern is being partially or fully obstructed by branches or trunks. In this scenario, the home owner will have three options: cut down the tree, drastically cut back the overgrowth or relocate the sprinkler head.

Relocating sprinkler heads may not seem to be too difficult. When a sprinkler head is moved, however, very often an additional sprinkler head may need to be added in order to compensate for an area which is no longer being covered by the new spray pattern. When adding a sprinkler head or making any changes to the physical layout, the existing pipe sizes may not be adequate.

A well designed sprinkler system does not use one size of pipe throughout the entire system. The reason for this is as the pipe runs become longer or additional legs are added, a decrease in water pressure can occur. When this occurs, the previous spacing of sprinkler heads will no longer be sufficient to cover the lawn. In some extreme cases the pressure may be so low as to not allow the sprinkler heads to pop up.

The complexity of irrigation timers can also pose significant frustration for home owners or landlords. Newer timers are more simplified in their design and operation than those timers from many years back. With modern day programmable irrigation timers, several distinct programs can be setup with greater ease and more intuitive functioning to allow for different seasons and zones.

Regardless of the current problems that the home owner or landlord may be experiencing it is often easier and wiser to have a professional irrigation specialist, such as Advanced Irrigation, inspect and service the irrigation system. It is quite easy for a home owner to louse up the sprinkler system and then in frustration decide to turn the whole system off. By not ensuring the system is setup properly and working at 100% efficiency, the home owner or landlord is just wasting money.

To receive a free lawn care and underground sprinkler system quote visit Advanced Irrigation or call 612-599-8675.

Article independently authored by Dan Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Advanced Irrigation. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.

Think Ahead - How to Properly Plant and Water a Tree

Sitting on the back deck with a shade tree is wonderful thing. However, if you don't have any shade you need to break out your shovel and put on your work clothes - its time to plant a tree! Often people wonder, "How hard can it be to plant tree? Dig a hole right?". True, you do need to dig a hole but it is a bit more complex than that.

First, plant the tree during the cool parts of the year. Typically, this means early spring or fall.

Second, decide where you would like to plant. Be aware of any unique properties of your tree and plant appropriately. For instance, willow trees are drawn to water and planting one near your septic system is a recipe for disaster as the roots will clog it up. You might want a mulberry tree but planting one near porches or often used walkways can make for quite a mess. The berries will drop from the tree and accumulate making walking a very squishy endeavor.

Also, be sure to plant the tree with enough space to accommodate it when it is mature. Planting a little maple right up against the house might look nice when the tree is small but a 20' tall maple right up against the house is totally different matter.

Third, dig a hole. You want the hole to be larger than the root ball. The soil you fill in around the root ball will be easier for the roots to grow into and help the tree get a more solid root system more quickly. Aim to have the hole at least twice the diameter of the root ball but bigger is better.

Make sure the hole is higher in the middle by a few inches to allow water to more easily drain from the roots. Having a tree sitting in water is very unhealthy and can cause a newly planted tree to die. The ground level of the root ball should be level with the surrounding ground when the tree is sitting on the high spot in the hole.

Fourth, remove the covering around the root ball. This might be a plastic pot that will slip off or you might need to cut it off. Larger trees will typically have burlap or similar material around their root ball which will need to be cut. It is best to remove the covering right next to hole so that you do not need to carry the tree far. Plant quickly once the roots are exposed since the air can tend to dry them out.

Fifth, place the tree in the hole and backfill around the root ball. To give your tree an extra strong start, you might make a mixture of 3/4 soil and 1/4 compost. Tamp the soil down around the tree. Use a fertilizer if you desire by following the instructions on the package.

Sixth, water the tree using the ratio of one gallon of water for every 6-8" inches of height on the tree. The soil should be backfilled again as it will settle some after the watering.

Seventh, cover the ground around the tree with several inches of mulch. The keeps weeks down and holds in moisture. The mulch should extend out to the drip line which is a circle on the ground directly below the circumference of the trees branches.

Eighth, stake the tree to keep it from blowing over in the wind. Place the stake on the side of the tree from which the winds usually blows. Do not tie the string or rope too tightly or it will cut into the bark.

Ninth, water the tree again. You will need to water frequently until the tree becomes established. Watering weekly is a good guide.

Finally, step back and admire your handiwork. You have taken the first steps toward making your lawn look even more beautiful - and providing a bit of shade to boot!

For more information on irrigation for your newly planted tree visit Advanced Irrigation or call 612.599.8675 today.

Article independently authored by Eric Parish. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Advanced Irrigation. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.

Sprinkler Systems - Common Problems and the Best Solutions to Guarantee Proper Watering of the Lawn

Sprinkler systems and irrigation timers are usually forgotten by the home owner, landlord or property manager after being installed. For the most part the home owner can just set it and forget it; until there is a problem. There are a few common problems which usually go undetected by the home owner until detrimental effects occur.

Most of the time, the recommended time to water the lawn is in the early morning hours. One of the most common problems is that the sprinkler heads are out of adjustment or alignment. Months may go by before the home owner may realize this fact until the lawn begins to display signs of suffering from a lack of water.

The majority of sprinkler setups or layouts will suffice at first, but another problematic situation and one that is a bit more involved may not occur until several years after the initial sprinkler installation. Foresight and the expected growth of trees, shrubs and bushes are often not taken into account by many when installing an irrigation system. The end result can be that the spray pattern is being partially or fully obstructed by branches or trunks. In this scenario, the home owner will have three options: cut down the tree, drastically cut back the overgrowth or relocate the sprinkler head.

Relocating sprinkler heads may not seem to be too difficult. When a sprinkler head is moved, however, very often an additional sprinkler head may need to be added in order to compensate for an area which is no longer being covered by the new spray pattern. When adding a sprinkler head or making any changes to the physical layout, the existing pipe sizes may not be adequate.

A well designed sprinkler system does not use one size of pipe throughout the entire system. The reason for this is as the pipe runs become longer or additional legs are added, a decrease in water pressure can occur. When this occurs, the previous spacing of sprinkler heads will no longer be sufficient to cover the lawn. In some extreme cases the pressure may be so low as to not allow the sprinkler heads to pop up.

The complexity of irrigation timers can also pose significant frustration for home owners or landlords. Newer timers are more simplified in their design and operation than those timers from many years back. With modern day programmable irrigation timers, several distinct programs can be setup with greater ease and more intuitive functioning to allow for different seasons and zones.

Regardless of the current problems that the home owner or landlord may be experiencing it is often easier and wiser to have a professional irrigation specialist inspect and service the irrigation system. It is quite easy for a home owner to louse up the sprinkler system and then in frustration decide to turn the whole system off. By not ensuring the system is setup properly and working at 100% efficiency, the home owner or landlord is just wasting money.

For more about the topic of sprinkler systems and proper law.n fertilizing, please visit or call www.advancedirrigationmn.com at 612-599-8675.

Article independently authored by Dan Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Advanced Irrigation of Minnessota.

How to Manage Your Irrigation System in 7 Easy Steps

If you are one of the people who love to have a beautiful green lawn and have taken the time to install an irrigation system, then you will want to maintain the life of your system, so that it will work exactly the way you want it to, every time you turn it on. And, while proper maintenance is necessary year round, what you do in the spring is an important part of ensuring that your irrigation system works properly the rest of the season.

Getting Started...Spring into Action

To guarantee that your irrigation system works as you wish it to, you don't have to have a degree in rocket science. In fact, the first 3 (once you have the needed items) steps take less than 10 minutes and the remaining steps usually take less than 30 minutes to complete!

1. Go to your garage or local hardware store, and get an adjustable wrench and some Teflon tape or plumber putty. Then locate your irrigation system's galvanized plug or spigot on top of the irrigation controller... often this will be located in the garage. Should you not have a plug, one can typically be purchased at your local hardware store. Using the tape or putty, be sure to cover the threads of the plug as it will prevent leaking over the summer. Sometimes, the outside plug may not have been removed, in which case you can skip step 2 and proceed to the 3rd step.
2. Take the plug to the outside valve and screw it into the opening, being careful not to make it excessively tight.
3. Once the plug is in place, open the water shut off valves by rotating the valves till they are parallel with the water line.
4. Next, locate the colored ball valve (often near a yellow tag saying, "Danger, Do Not Open"); typically this is in your basement or near/above the water meter. Feel free to remove the tag, then slowly open the valve until you hear the water slowing down, then you can open the valve all the way or until the valve is parallel with the water line. If you hear your pipes rattle and bang, try opening the shut off valve a bit faster.
5. Return to the sprinkler controller and set the correct date, time, watering times, watering days, zones runs times and any other information necessary to see that your lawn looks its best. If, however, you did not turn off the controller over the winter months, this step is unnecessary, unless you want to change something for the new season.
6. Do a quick manual run through to see that each zone's sprinkler head is working properly.
7. Most professionals suggest turning on your sprinkler only after overnight temperatures are not dropping below 40 degrees. In addition, be sure that when you are setting the run times that you keep in mind any watering schedules set by your city ordinances so you can avoid being penalized.

For additional information on the topic of sprinkler systems visit Advanced Irrigation. Article independently authored by Janet M. Slagell. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Advanced Irrigation. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.