The irrigation pros at Heinen install new underground sprinkler systems during most any season. But, when is the best time to have a new system installed? The Heinen team says fall is fantastic!
The Ideal Conditions of Fall
Installing a new sprinkler system inevitably causes mild damage to existing turf, damage that “heals” over time. When installing an irrigation system, narrow trenches, 8 to 12 inches deep and about the same width, must be cut through the lawn surface to run piping for each watering zone. More turf damage often occurs during springtime installations as frequent – and often heavy – spring rainfall can oversaturate the soil. The resulting mushy, wet ground is difficult for digging and the result can be an abundance of damaged grass. The wheels and tracks of trenching machinery also cause more damage to wet turf than dry turf. And, when the excavated soil is dry rather than muddy, it’s easier to return the dry dirt to the trench without damaging the turf adjacent to the trench (after installing the irrigation piping).
Fall’s ideal “not too wet, no too dry” seasonal conditions (paired with Heinen’s 30+ years of irrigation experience) means less damage to your lawn during an autumn installation.
On the other side of the coin, soil that is too dry can present its own issues during sprinkler installation. High summertime temperatures cause moisture to evaporate from the ground – resulting in dry, hard, cracked, and compacted soil, that is difficult for trenching. Cutting into it can also result in more turf damage than is necessary.
Installers create an irrigation installation map of the property before any digging takes place, determining the best configuration and types of zones to suit the property’s specific needs. Doing this mapping in the fall, when rainfall levels are lower, allows the Heinen team to more accurately assess irrigation needs throughout the property, determining which areas (or “zones”) require more or less water.
After installation is complete, recovery time for grass damaged by trenching is shorter in the fall than in the spring or summer. During autumn, plants begin their natural preparation for their upcoming winter dormancy period by absorbing nutrients into their root systems rather than directing energy to above-ground growth. This seasonal shift in the usage of nutrition and water makes healing from damage much easier on the plant as the blades of grass are nearing dormancy.
Underground automated irrigation helps protect your landscape investment from wilting away during the heat of summer.
Protect Your Fall Landscape Investments
Irrigation systems aren’t the only outdoor upgrades that do well when installed in the fall. Trees and shrubs planted in the fall get a healthy head start on becoming acclimated to the soil and begin to establish stronger root systems that will help ensure their health in the year to come. Spring weather conditions can be too wet for shrub root systems to be sufficiently established to survive the oncoming high temperatures and dryer soil of summer.
Planting shrubs and trees in the fall, when the soil is still warm from summer but air temperatures are cooler, reduces stress on new plantings. Again, this is when all plants are preparing for winter by stocking up on nutrients, making it easier for them to grow stronger root systems that will help them survive the cold of winter, the heavy rains of spring, and the high heat of summer.
Beat the spring rush! Heinen’s irrigation pros have more flexibility in scheduling new sprinkler installs during the fall! Call Heinen today!
Skip The Wait!
Spring is the busiest season for Heinen’s irrigation team. Warming temperatures and thawing ground drive requests for new system installs – in addition to a full schedule of seasonal system start-ups, system expansion, and repairs to older irrigation systems. Waiting until spring to schedule a new sprinkler system installation may add additional weeks of waiting for an opening in an already busy schedule. And, spring’s unpredictable weather with its onslaught of heavy rain can force crews to pause their work as they wait for the soil to be dry enough for an installation – causing new install customers to wait even longer.
In the fall, Heinen’s irrigation professionals can be much more flexible with schedules and complete installations more quickly. And, with a fall irrigation system install, when the first dry days of next year arrive, your new system will already activated and ready to go!
Take advantage of all fall has to offer when it comes to sprinkler installations: Ideal conditions, healthier plants, and faster scheduling. The irrigation pros at Heinen are the Kansas City metro area’s go-to team for all things irrigation!
