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Choosing the correct watering system helps conserve much needed fresh water and can be easily accomplished through a variety of methods, or combination of methods, to create the most efficient watering system.

How to choose the correct watering system

Watering cans

If you’re an apartment dweller or have a small property, a watering can may be the only watering system you need. Choose a durable, rust-proof metal (rather than plastic) can that’s big enough to save trips to the faucet, but small enough to carry easily when full of water. Buy a metal (preferably brass) rose, which is the perforated, flattened attachment that fits on the end of the spout.

Hoses

For most larger properties, a hose is a necessity. Rubber hoses last longest, but rubber hoses with a vinyl exterior are sturdy and cost much less. Choose a good brass nozzle—brass lasts virtually forever—for general watering and a “wand,” which has a long handle and variable settings for “mist,” “soak,” “jet,” etc. These settings allow you to direct the force and direction of water, so that you only use the amount needed where you need it. Try to buy a wand with a built-in water shutoff. Use rubber washers to keep hoses from leaking at connection points, which wastes water.

For other handy hose fittings, also choose brass over plastic. If you have a large property, a brass “Y” connector or a four-way tap to attach multiple hoses to one faucet is handy. Brass “quick-connect” hose fittings to attach two hoses together are another time saver. The connectors are screwed on to the threaded end of each hose (and the faucet), and enable you to connect and disconnect hoses with a simple “snap-lock” mechanism. Buy a hose repair kit if you accidentally run over the hose with your lawn mower. They’re easy to use and can save replacing an expensive hose. Using these accessories can help you buy fewer hoses and keep hoses out of the landfill.

Sprinklers

Sprinklers attach to a hose and apply water from above. Often used on lawns, they’re inefficient as they lose a lot of water to evaporation. Types of sprinklers include oscillating sprinklers, impulse sprinklers, and rotating sprinklers. Oscillating sprinklers use a bar which cycles in an overhead fan pattern. Rotating sprinklers apply water in a circular pattern. Impulse sprinklers work by water hitting a pin or hammer, watering in a circular or semi-circular pattern. Impulse sprinklers emit a forceful spray, cover a large area, and water deeply nearest to the sprinkler. Choose a sprinkler appropriate to the size and shape of the area you plan to water, so that you’re not watering the driveway, the sidewalk, or the woods.

Put a rain gauge or straight-sided tin can in different locations of the area you’re watering. This ensures that you’re not wasting water by overwatering, and it also checks that the right amount of water is reaching all parts of the area to be watered. For a vegetable garden, choose an impulse-jet sprinkler that’s mounted on an elevated tripod so that it doesn’t hit nearby plants directly with its powerful spray.

Use a watering system timer (or a kitchen timer) to make sure you only water as long as necessary. Check your water gauge to determine how long the sprinkler takes to deliver the proper amount of water. The rule of thumb is that a garden or landscape needs an inch of water once a week. Your rain gauge will tell you if rainfall has provided sufficient water, or more needs to be supplied.

Consider buying a sprinkler with an adjustable watering pattern that’s programmable to suit your needs—patterns can be circular, semi-circular, square, or rectangular. This ensures that you're only applying water where it's needed.

Don’t use a sprinkler if it’s windy, as the spraying pattern will be thrown off, and you’ll just be wasting water.

Rain barrels

Rain barrels save water by using rainwater, which hasn’t been processed and doesn’t contain chemicals found in tap water. An added benefit: it’s free. Wooden or recycled plastic rain barrels can be purchased from catalogues, garden centers, and municipal programs. Or you can make your own rain barrel. Buy a recycled oak barrel from a winery, distillery, or other source. Fit it with a wooden spigot, available from a wine-making supply stores, and seal it with a silicon sealant. Place the rain barrel under the gutter downspout and collect water from your roof. Be sure to put a lid on the rain barrel to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the standing water. For more ideas see "Install a rain barrel".

Soaker hoses and drip irrigation

Soaker hoses are porous or perforated hoses or tubing which emit water along their entire length. Some soaker hoses are flat and can be placed with the holes upward to dispense a light spray to water a lawn, or downward to soak the soil in vegetable or flower gardens. Position soaker hoses alongside plant rows or wind them in between plants, to apply water exactly where it’s needed. Drip irrigation systems have emitters which water individual plants, therefore drip irrigation requires more advanced planning. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems incur a higher upfront cost, but they’re extremely efficient—cutting water usage by about 60 percent compared to a sprinkler system.[1]

By combining a rain barrel set on concrete blocks, a spigot, and drip irrigation tubing, you can create a gravity-feed watering system that saves water and costs nothing to operate.

Container or pitcher watering

One easy, cheap, and ecologically efficient way to water: use a container or pitcher. This method works well in the vegetable garden for large plants like squash or pumpkins. Buy clay pots specifically designed for this purpose or make your own from recycled materials. Use a long-necked gallon or half-gallon wine bottle with a screw-top lid. Punch holes in the lid, fill the bottle with water, and bury it upside down, neck-deep (so it won't tip over) alongside the plant. Another option is to use a recycled milk jug or other plastic bottle, with holes cut in the bottom. Sink the jug into the ground next to the plant, fill with water, and the water goes to the plant’s roots, just where it’s needed.

Find it! Correct watering systems

Choosing the correct watering system helps you go green because…

• You're conserving thousands of gallons of water per year by watering effectively.
• You're only applying the amount of water necessary for a healthy lawn, yard, and garden.
• You're not wasting water from leaky hoses, leaky connections, or inappropriate equipment.

The future of water, and consequently food (due to the need for irrigation) is highly unpredictable.[2] Over 1 billion people around the world don't have enough potable water to meet minimum health and income requirements.[2]

The United Nations projects that the human need for water could double over the next 50 years.[3] While factors such as weather are uncontrollable, other critical factors can be affected by the collective choices of the world's people, including allocation of water for personal use.[2]

Lawns are America's largest "crop." There are about 31.6 million acres of turf—almost 50,000 square miles—in the US. Lawns (including residential and commercial lawns, as well as golf courses) could be considered the single largest irrigated crop in America in terms of surface area, occupying three times more land than is devoted to irrigated corn. About 200 gallons of fresh water per person per day is required to provide adequate water for the nation’s lawn surface area.[4]

Americans use tens of thousands of gallons of water on their lawns, gardens, and landscape plantings every year. Outdoor landscape watering accounts for 20–50 percent of all residential water use in the US (more in some areas of the country). An average suburban lawn uses 10,000 gallons of water per year over and above that provided by rainfall.[5] One hour of lawn watering uses about 220 gallons of water.[6] Appropriate watering practices can reduce lawn water consumption by 20-50 percent on the average, while maintaining or even improving the healthiness of your lawn.[7]

Glossary

• drip irrigation: Irrigation systems that have emitters which water individual plants.
• impulse sprinkler: Sprinklers that work by water hitting a pin or hammer, watering in a circular or semi-circular pattern
• oscillating sprinkler: Sprinklers which use a bar that cycles in an overhead fan pattern.
• rain barrel: A barrel used as a cistern to hold rainwater.
• rose: The perforated, flattened attachment that fits on the end of a watering can spout.
• rotating sprinkler: Sprinklers which apply water in a circular pattern.
• soaker hose: Porous or perforated hoses or tubing which emit water along their entire length.

External links

• Water Use Calculator Try the City of Tampa's handy calculator to find out how much water your household uses indoors and out.
• National Audubon Society - Take Action! Conserve Water Learn tips for saving on outdoor water use.
• US Department of Agriculture - Water Conservation in the Yard Read advice on backyard watering from the USDA National Resources Conservation Service.
• A Hose is a Hose is a Hose? Hardly Check out the DIY Network's advice on choosing a hose.
• Rain Barrel Guide. Learn about harvesting water with rain barrels.