Please install the irrigation

Client:  the irrigation is going to be expensive and I just want it done, so I'm going to hand water.  I don't mind watering the garden myself.

Me:  I strongly recommend that you install the system, here's why: (see the rest of this post)

But my brain is screaming:  dear Lord, this again?!

160816 water ring 002

160816 water ring 002

Yes.  In California, you really do want to pay for that irrigation system... and no, I do not recommend you design it yourself with components from Home Depot.  My own father, on hearing that I had attended several classes and installation workshops on drip irrigation asked me 'why?  drip irrigation doesn't even work, the pipes always blow apart. 'uh, dad?  That's 'cause you did it wrong.  Sorry, man. Below are a couple of reasons to install that system:

  • Regular irrigation is sorta like regular nutrition. Everyone (plants, animals, you) does better and stays healthier on a regular diet - you wouldn't eat only 20,000 calorie breakfasts on Monday and nothing the rest of the week, right? (right?!) - well, your plants want water they can count on, too. Not 3x a day like you, no, but consistently? yes.

  • It isn't going to get cheaper if you wait....

  • It is MUCH harder to install the infrastructure (valves, sleeves, etc) once your plants have been growing a while.

  • You are probably not as reliable as you think. In my own garden, I'm planning for an irrigation system (I'd hoped this summer, but I don't think I'll make it) because even though I know a lot about plants and watch my garden very closely, constantly moving the hose around... I'm always battling unhappy plants! I miss one, it wilts. I forget, they die.

  • You'll eventually get old or busy or forgetful or go on a vacation. Your plants don't negotiate; they'll resent the neglect and look like hell... and if you think your neighbor is truly happy to water them while you are away, you've either been lied to or have an actual saint living nearby.

  • Dead plants are a terrible investment (same goes for unhappy, wilted, sick or stressed plants)

  • Healthy landscaping adds to property value (that's a whole 'nother blog post) and the value added will far exceed what it cost you to install the irrigation!

  • You can always save a little money by getting smaller plants.

  • You save nothing and risk your investment by scrimping on the irrigation. Invest in your investment - your property, your plants, and they'll pay you back.

  • Stressed plants get diseases and pests that the exact same plant (in the exact same place, etc) would not get if it were happy.

  • Irrigation "ET" (evapotranspiration) controllers these days can shut off if they detect rain - there are oodles of technological advances in these mini computers so one that was properly specified and programmed will out-perform even an excellent gardener's seasonal adjustments or your carefully considered efforts. They can be programmed for different soils and a myriad of conditions. Get one! See here from Hunter on their line-up of ET controllers.

  • WELO - California state law that requires water efficient irrigation be installed on new and renovated landscapes 500 sf or larger as of 1 December 2015 (those that are involved in a permit process will learn).

Listen, it isn't sexy or exciting to pay for the invisible stuff - the best irrigation systems are the ones you don't notice - there's no bling here except for total weirdos like me (and my colleagues!) who geek out on it.  However, to impress your dinner guests, a healthy and happy landscape speaks volumes and will provide years of happy bling-y green.At the time of this writing, I am finalizing a slide deck for the "Lose Your Lawn" talk that I am giving in 4 days.  If you found yourself here thanks to that talk, then I want you to know I appreciate your reading this, I wrote it for you!My blog posts come from real conversations with real clients, students, and trainees, so don't be surprised if you ask a question and find it answered in my blog later!In the Bay Area, I highly recommend asking the Urban Farmer Store for irrigation designer referrals or to get clarification on irrigation questions.

Water use's not-so-obvious issues

I am sorry to say that despite the incredible amount of coverage that water use gets these days, almost none discusses some of the long-term effects of inappropriate watering practices.  I am not going to start counting how many gallons you can save by switching to drip irrigation, or the fact that spray irrigation can lose 50% to the wind and evaporation before your plants get any of it....nope, I'm not.  I do want to mention a few things that I've learned through being a Landscape Architect and a gardening enthusiast:Roots: I read a letter to the editor in our glorious Alameda Journal (23 october 2009) in which a woman complains about street tree roots buckling her walkway.  I have not seen her property, but I would bet a whole lot of donuts that the problem can be traced back to shallow irrigation.   Roots know what they're doing, they take up water and nutrients for the plant (tree, shrub, whatever).  They will go where the water is, and if the good stuff is to be found in the top layer of the soil, that is where you will find the roots.  This goes for a tree, a shrub, all plants including a lawn.  So when your sprinkler system is on for 10 minutes and soaks in maybe 3", or you stand outside with a hose for half an hour, you can expect the majority of roots to gravitate to that topmost layer, including those of walkway-bucking trees.Here's the part I wish those water-wise articles would mention:  IF you water your plants deeply and less frequently, their root systems learn to dive deep to find it.  Even a lawn can have roots that are a couple of feet deep!  Water deeply, and the water lasts longer, is available to the roots of your plants, and then when there is a drought, those plants have a better survival rate thanks to their deep, probing root structure!!Containers: I prefer terracotta pots for the numerous ways in which they have been a good home to my plants over time (oh yeah, this is about water, not pots... I'm getting back on track now).  Whatever containers you use, when the root ball dries out, it shrinks and pulls away from the sides.  The next time water is poured into that container, the water runs around the rootball (not through) and out the bottom, doing the roots of your plants no good.  There are goofy weird products on the market that claim to hold moisture in the soil, or add water over time, blah blah.  I've tried many and never liked one.  In my garden, I have a 1/8" thick wire stake of forgotten origin that I use to poke holes into the rootballs of neglected container plants when I water.  The holes allow air to escape, water to penetrate, and roots to get what they need.  If I have been particularly rotten to my container plants, I fill a bucket or my wheelbarrow with water and I soak them in it to allow them to really soak it up.  A note:  I don't think self-watering containers work well.  The photo below shows a lovely display from the Los Angeles Getty Museum gardens several years ago - I wonder, though, are they hand-watered?  is the water allowed to drain out?  Was I just lucky enough to see this display before that water stained the paving?  Container plants need water and drainage in order to stay nice for more than a short time.succulents at the GettyWatering Practices:  I love walking around in the evening, winding down after my day.  I see a lot of irrigation at night, though, and wish that more people understood the benefits of watering in the early am instead.  Plants lose most of their moisture during the heat of the day as a byproduct of photosynthesis (evapotranspiration from photosynthesis is where plant-released oxygen comes from), so watering before plants need it is ideal (but if you have wilting, dry plants at noon, they need it asap!).  If you have good drainage, so much the better because the (assuming we're not growing aquatic plants) roots won't be left to wallow in suffocating muck.  Leaving plant roots in cool, damp soil as the temperature drops (evening watering) can promote the growth of undesirable mold, fungus, and plant disease.  Please also pay attention to the drainage of your soils!  The water here is pooling due to being both trapped by the edging and also because the soil in this area is so over watered, it has developed a scummy skin that keeps their irrigation efforts on the surface for hours after each watering.Please know that there are evapotranspiration (ET) irrigation systems that can adjust automatically (with the help of a weather station) to turn the water off when it is raining, adjust for seasons, soils, slopes, and planting types!  You do NOT have to rely on remembering to run out in the rain to turn the thing off or waiting for your maintenance service to do it for you.bad drainage suffocating muckRunoff: Okay, so we've talked about water and your vegetation, and we know that we don't want to water the sidewalk, but what about all that flooding that we get in a good storm?  Permeable paving products hope to help solve the problem, see this report adopted by the California Coastal Commission in March, 2007.  I would point out, however, that permeable paving solutions are dependent on proper maintenance, and that even compacted soil can resist water penetration as well as any hard paving material.  So, not to get into a discussion of style or design, I would encourage everyone to consider where a permeable solution can be used.  It is far nicer to have all that lovely rainwater seep into the soil than to run off our urban and suburban surfaces, filling up the storm drains instead.  I was given this book on Rain Gardens as a gift about a year ago, it is worth reading.  I bring up runoff, because I've noticed several water-saving lists recommending adding non-planted areas to cut down on the amount of water needed to irrigate.  I think that suggesting this is misleading and not necessarily an environmentally friendly practice.

Water conservation in the landscape - the obvious stuff.

If you have read anything online, or watched the news, or read a paper in the last decade, you already know that water use and conservation is an issue in our state. Things that can save water include:* mulching* grouping plants into water-use zones, and using drought tolerant plants that are adapted to your area* switching from a typical sprinkler system to drip irrigation or sub-grade irrigation* Watering in the early am (not late at night, please!!! that actually promotes pathogens) so the plants can take up the water in time for the warm day ahead.* cleaning sidewalks and driveways with a broom instead of a hose (well, duh)

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