Drip sprinkler systems
 

I am thinking of installing a sprinkler system (even though we get a lot of rain in DC, the dry spells take a toll on the grass).

I have thought about a drip system to preserve water. Does anyone have experience with those or know how much it would cost to have it installed? If it is a lot, I will just do it myself but would need some tips on how to do it.

Has anyone used a drip system? Do they keep the lawn looking green or am I better off with a regular system?

They maintain shrubbery in the desert green, if that's any help. Cost is relatively low cost and with installation, you'll get some warrranty work. You can do it yourself, as we've done a little. No experience with grass per se.

I've never heard of a drip system being used for a lawn. It must be an east coast thing, because out in the arid west, it doesn't seem possible to get enough water by using only a drip.

Any idea how it works?

I put in my sprinkler system a few years ago and it wasn't terribly difficult. Same goes for the drip system to the shrubs and flowers. Really, for me to be able to do it, it had to be fairly easy. Paying someone to do it would be waste of money in my opinion.

I have also never heard of a drip irrigation for a lawn. Biggest problem will be that you will have to have the drip rather close to the surface and I still don't know if you will get enough water for it all.

One solution that I did to 'save' water is I never water after 7am or before 9pm. I usually have my sprinklers go off around 10pm at night so that the evaporation is low and the water can get down.

Let us know what you found out on the drip irrigation though...interesting.

As I am looking more into it, I am learning that it is quite uncommon to use a drip system for a lawn as many of you have said. Perhaps I will just go with the regular sprinkler system. I thought I saw a special on the travel channel a few years back where they were saying that homes in Arizona were using a drip system for lawns because so much water was evaporating through regular sprinklers. Maybe it was just talking about flower beds and I remembered wrongly.

Here you go hoya:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...94/ai_17149317

Absolute best time to water is about 4 am-6 am. Temperature is the lowest so relative humidity is the highest (lower evaporation rate). Also, typically the wind is the lightest at that time.

Very nice! Thanks!

I don't know how big your lawn is or how often you'd need to water but Mrs. Hippie and I decided to go "old school" at our last house (SE Idaho).

If you don't think you'll be watering often and you'd rather spend the $$ on something else (say... big TV or a trip to watch your team play at home)...

http://www.amazon.com/Sprinkler:-Nelson/dp/B0001LF7LU

I never minded using mine...

FWIW: Mine didn't cost nearly as much as the one I posted. I got it at "the Great Whore" (wal-mart).