Maintaining a beautiful and healthy garden or landscaping bed requires a calculated watering schedule customized to bring your specific plantings the right amount of hydration. Watering by hand is a time-consuming task that must be kept up with nearly every smoldering summer day. Using a hose and a hose-sprayer attachment from the hardware store does give some control of the intensity of the water stream, but it can still be difficult to calculate just how much water is being used – and providing even irrigation coverage for all plantings is nearly impossible to achieve.
Many opt for some variation of a “drip” irrigation system to water their garden beds, but drip irrigation comes with several challenges. These types of watering systems require a great deal of maintenance. Often, these are simple hoses with micro-holes drilled in them and they are installed on top of the ground, zigging and zagging through the foliage. The trouble with those systems is they tend to create muddy, overwatered areas that can wash back over the hose and cause frequent clogs. These systems need to be inspected and unclogged regularly (which requires removal from the bed). If this tedious maintenance is not done, more and more clogs can develop, severely disrupting complete irrigation. This leads to some plants being overwatered while other plantings do not receive enough water.
Hunter MP Rotators are nimble enough to water your garden without blowing away delicate blooms!
Hose-style “drip” systems are also relatively fragile and they can be easily damaged by gardening tools while working in your garden – or by rodents and pests chewing on them in an attempt to access water. Furthermore, if the tubing is exposed to the sun for long periods of time, it can begin to break down over time, deteriorating and potentially releasing harmful chemicals into your garden or flower beds.
Underground irrigation systems are an excellent solution for your garden or plant areas. Advancements in irrigation technology and components now make it possible to have sprayer and sprinkler heads directly in your garden without worrying about damaging plantings with high spray velocity or potential overwatering.
Hunter Industries Sprinkler Heads and Nozzles
One of Heinen Irrigation’s preferred manufacturers, Hunter Industries, leads the market in innovative sprinkler heads and nozzles for most every irrigation application. Each of Hunter’s unique sprinkler head designs delivers water to meet narrow usage specifications – meeting or exceeding the parameters of almost any irrigation situation.
The Hunter MP Rotators are a fantastic option for planter beds. The MP rotors can be adjusted to disperse water in tight areas, saving water from being sprayed outside the intended watering zone. Additionally, Hunter has designed these heads with very slow “precipitation rates” – which allows water more time to fully absorb into the soil, and make its way all the way down to plant roots (as opposed to overwatering, which becomes runoff – or wasted water. As a cost savings bonus, since less water is sprayed, these nozzles can reduce water usage by up to 30%, simultaneously saving you money on your monthly water bill!
Bubbler nozzles allow water to be absorbed deep into the soil near root areas versus throwing water to a large radius.
For large plantings, like shrubs and trees, typical sprayers and nozzles cannot deliver the greater amount of irrigation needed without the risk of excess overspray flooding areas where less water is needed. For these situations, Hunter has designed pressure-compensating bubbler nozzles, which deliver a calculated, steady stream of water directly to the root systems of larger plants, shrubs, bushes, and trees. The bubbler’s steady, yet slow, stream of water, allows water to penetrate the soil and reach plant roots versus wasted irrigation runoff.
For very small landscaped areas or small garden settings, it can be difficult to deliver just the right amount of irrigation without risking overwatering. Hunter Short-Radius Micro-Spray nozzles are perfect for these scenarios. These quite precise distance-calibrated nozzles deliver a thin spray of water, to gently water even the most delicate plantings – in as little as 2’ of space!
Expert System Design, Professional System Installation
Interested in upgrading your garden or landscape beds with an automated sprinkler system? Heinen can help! With 30+ years of experience in designing, installing, maintaining, and upgrading sprinkler systems of all types and sizes, the sprinkler Pros at Heinen have become Kansas City’s leading irrigation experts. No matter the scale of your outdoor watering needs, Heinen likely has a solution to meet the needs of your individual property!
