Drip irrigation systems

Drip irrigation systems keep your garden landscape design beautiful and healthful. In all kinds of weather and whether you have a small garden design or are managing a commercial landscape design, they make life easier. Having come a long way from the old-fashioned soaker hoses, the drip irrigation systems of today provide efficiency, control, convenience and money-savings for the ongoing care of your landscaping.

Drip technology is the perfect way to water plants as part of a landscape design for difficult spaces. At Exterior Worlds, we recommend them for strip beds that are close to your house, between sidewalks or along a driveway, vegetable gardens, plants in raised beds, and plants in containers such as decorative pots, urns, hanging baskets and custom iron wall planters. Important for Houston rose maintenance, drip systems let you water roots instead of flower material. We also like these systems around retaining walls since they help reduce hydro-pressure.

The benefits of our drip systems include:

• They water only what and where you want. This targeted watering method, an element of xeriscaping, reduces weed growth and eliminates the useless water that falls on paved paths, concrete sideways and driveways.
• There is little to no runoff. A two-fold advantage that helps control any erosion you might have and makes it safer for your family and guests to walk problem-free in high traffic areas.
• No overspray. With hard water like we have in Houston, water does leave a mark. But with drip systems, there is no overspray and so little to no resulting damage to nor marring of windows, structures or fencing.
• You realize water savings. Estimates run as high as 60 percent in comparison to regular sprinkler systems which loses water to evaporation. Most often, you use a drip system in areas notable for being hard to water and ones that are ill-suited for sprinklers. This attribute makes drip irrigation systems an essential part of your “green” green garden strategy.

Today’s drip systems, also called low-volume systems, are constructed of high-grade hose materials especially engineered to withstand the damaging UV rays of the sun, a drastic improvement over the porous, often recycled, rubber of the old soaker hoses. High-end drip systems also use drip emitters (also called micro spray heads, drippers and inline drippers) that let water seep slowly onto the plants and ground in a gentle, soaking method that is most beneficial to the plants. Spacing of these emitters varies with soil type, but usually runs at 12-, 18- or 24-inches intervals.

If you are thinking about a drip irrigation system, you might also consider an automatic sprinkler system for your entire yard. It is a prudent choice since some estimates show that the watering of lawns and landscapes accounts for as much as 50 percent of an average homeowner's total water usage.

Also when thinking about adding drip technology to your overall residential sprinkler system, you will want to consider ongoing maintenance. Drip technology features mechanical and computer aspects and therefore they will break down from time to time. Water experts like Exterior Worlds can systematically check them out, a service that will only enhance the overall performance.