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StumbleUponQ. I understand watering my garden with an oscillating sprinkler and its 12-ft. tall fountain wastes water. What type of sprinkler is best for my square garden?
A. When it comes to saving water, you have two great choices: a rotary sprinkler with a fairly square pattern that matches your garden size, and a rotary impact sprinkler with a circular pattern larger than your square garden (see photos below).
You are correct to say that the oscillating sprinkler (not shown) isn’t water efficient. Any sprinkler that produces a fine mist or launches water skyward will cause water to evaporate as well as be blown off target. Oscillating sprinklers also lack uniform coverage because the water delivery rate tends to be much heavier at the sides than at the center of the pattern.
I like a good rotary sprinkler (shown below) for your application because it will deliver a fairly square pattern and water your garden evenly. Check the box to determine its maximum coverage size. This sprinkler type will be suitable for more soil types. You can reduce the water volume for slower watering of poorly absorbing, heavy clay soils, or increase the volume for faster absorbing sand or loam soils. The goal is to make sure all the water is absorbed, not running away from the garden. While reducing water volume does reduce coverage, it adds versatility beyond your garden. Your sprinkler will fit smaller flower beds or limited landscaped areas. Wheels on the sprinkler help when moving it.
Your second choice, a rotary impact or pulsating sprinkler (shown below), uses a water-driven flapper that hits an anvil and drives the nozzles in a circular pattern. Most models are highly adjustable, from changing the circle diameter, to watering a portion of a circle, to changing droplet size. You’ll have some water waste covering a square garden with a larger circle, and coverage isn’t as uniform as it is with the rotary sprinkler. However, they do a good job of keeping water close to the ground to minimize drift and reduce evaporation.
A 72-in. tall pulsating sprinkler (not shown) is very useful for large gardens as plants grow and become tall enough to interfere with sprinkler patterns. Buying an elevated sprinkler is more costly (the Nelson model 222RC model is $60), but you can always build a platform or use a bucket to elevate your sprinkler above your tall tomatoes.
Finally, it’s smart to measure the amount of water you apply. A good rule of thumb is to make sure your garden gets an inch of rainfall or irrigation per week, wetting the top 3 to 5 in. of soil. And it’s always best to water in the morning, giving plants the rest of the day to dry so leaf diseases won’t develop.
For more information, contact LR Nelson Corp., (800) 635-7668, www. lrnelson.com; and Gilmour Group., (800) 458-0107, www.gilmour.com.
Click image to enlarge.
Rotary Sprinklers
Uniform water coverage
Irrigation speed adapts to soil types
Click image to enlarge.
Pulsating (Rotary Impact)
Sprinklers
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Fairly uniform water coverage
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Highly adjustable pattern
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