Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

5 Types of Lawn & Irrigation Sprinklers to Meet Your Irrigation Requirement

Sprinklers play vital role in preventing fires and most of the time are legal essentiality particularly for commercial premises. There are diverse sprinkler systems for lawn & irrigation sprinklers and the most familiar are wet pipe and valve.


Wet Sprinklers

The most common one is the wet pipe and is also utilized in buildings having little risk of freezing obviously as they make use of water and other liquids to operate. The wet device is chiefly essential for high rise multi-story, building and as a protection option. The wet sprinkler is the one of alternatives as it is the finest to respond as the pipes are continuously full with water.

Alternate Sprinklers

These kid of sprinklers as their name is, can alternate from water and air, for instance during the summer time they will entail water and during the winter season emptied and filled with air pressure. The obvious benefit of this alternate system is that building without heating can make use of the air in the time of winter as the water may have risk of freezing.

Dry pipe sprinkler systems

Just as the name suggests the sprinkler system of dry pipe does not utilize water all the time, the pipes are full with pressured air constantly and the water is held back by the control value. It is only when the main head is open that drops of air pressure and opens the value which then facilitates the water to flow into your sprinkler system. The method of dry pipe system is utilised most commonly when the other more common options like the wet and alternate systems can not be used.

Pre Action Sprinkler system

There are alike to the dry pipe system, the pre action sprinklers are full with air to begin with and the time when the detector kicks in i.e. smoke is detected, get the pipes full with water and spread around your sprinkler system. The pre-action systems are most commonly utilized when water is not satisfactory for the pipes to hold water unless there is a fire.

DIY sprinkler system – The Rain Bird

Perfect for homeowners is the Rain Bird sprinklers, a DIY system that you can fit yourself simply get a practical man to do it for you. The system comes with an easy-to-follow plan and installation. You can get design and system of the rain bird customised to suit your exact needs and you can even get a computer generated plan for your sprinkler system to suit your precise building structure. The product is available with fine customer service with an expert guidance help-line and installation video guide called “Around the yard”. The trustworthy companies will ensure you get professional results and save time and money, plus they also have many customer testimonials to suppost.

About the Author:

Jeckno is a leading consultant in drip irrigation, gardening and the home-improvement industry. For free guidelines on choosing lawn & irrigation sprinklers, drip irrigation supplies and installing sprinkler systems.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/5-types-of-lawn-irrigation-sprinklers-to-meet-your-irrigation-requirement-674733.html

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Gardening With Less Water

By Kent Higgins

Nowadays, everyone is talking about lowering our footprint on the earth. Many are pointing out the limited resources we have, including fresh water. With droughts and uncertainty, a lot of gardeners are changing their lifestyles to match. What about your gardening techniques? Water is one of the most important resources for your garden and is becoming increasingly regulated by cities and counties nationally as it becomes scarce due to droughts.

Luckily, there are many techniques that can be used to lower the amount of water used in your garden without reducing the yields you expect or the beauty you want. Here are some of those techniques to help you reduce your water usage in your garden.

Use Mulch

If you haven't already been mulching your plants, do so now. Mulch helps to limit the amount of water that evaporates from the soil and organic mulches like clippings or wood chips ad organic matter and nutrients to the soil, giving an extra bonus to your plants. Plastic mulches can limit evaporation, but are not usually tillable, so consider the options besides the price tag. All mulches limit infiltration soil loss from erosion as well, so mulching is a great boon to the gardener.

Distribute Water Wisely

Most gardeners know that sprinklers and sprayers are not very efficient at distributing water the garden, though they enjoy widespread use. They are easy and cover large areas, though. Sprayed water, however, lands mostly on foliage (which does no good) while much of it evaporates into the air before ever even hitting the ground. Soaking techniques and tools, like soaker hoses, flood irrigation, drip systems, and similar methods, are much more efficient at distributing water in quantity. You'll find that your overall water usage can be cut by 25% or more if you use these methods rather than sprinklers.

Water That Which Needs It Most

Focus your watering on plants that need it the most, such as newly-planted or transplanted seeds and plants. Plants with limited root systems or high humidity requirements should also get attention first. Most well-established plants (especially natives) will be able to withstand a drought. They still need water, of course, but you may be able to cut back on how much without seriously affecting their yield or beauty.

Water At The Right Time

Watering in the early morning or late evening cuts out much of the loss from evaporation as the heat of the day is not there to facilitate it. Early morning is best, as the night coolness still clings to the air. Morning watering also helps keep plants cool throughout the day.

Supplement Your Water

Collecting water from downspouts during rains is a great way to supplement the water you're using in the garden. Plus it's free! If you use chemical-free water to clean buckets, garden pots, wash your car , wash your dishes, etc., you can save the runoff to give it to your garden. When washing the car, position it so that most of the runoff water will go into your garden or onto your lawn.

These are a few ways you can deal with drought and help save precious freshwater sources while still tending and caring for your garden. Happy gardening!

Don't delay - Now is the right time to gain more knowledge on the subject of self watering pots. We make the topics simple, visit plant-care.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kent_Higgins
http://EzineArticles.com/?Gardening-With-Less-Water&id=1568795

Garden Hose Buying Tips You Should Know

By Terry Edwards

Of course, we all know that having a garden hose is necessary for anyone who has a garden or shrubs and plants around their home. But, not everyone knows what to be aware of when it comes to buying a new garden hose. Here are 3 quick tips you should know before shopping for your next hose.

1. Buy a long enough hose.

Always be sure that you buy a garden hose that is long enough for your needs. I know that sounds pretty basic, but you would be surprised at how often I hear about folks who try to save a couple of dollars by purchasing a shorter hose, only to discover they can not water the plants in the back of their yard. This is one case where having too much hose can be a good thing. You'll save yourself some frustration of having to go out and spend more money on buying more hose.

2. Buy a quality garden hose.

Spend a little extra money on a good quality garden hose. You will be much happier for it in the long run. Prices can vary widely, but generally you will be looking at $30 for a quality 50 foot hose.

Another thing to keep in mind is that cheap garden hoses will only aggravate you over the course of a summer. They constantly kink up, leak, and cause other unnecessary problems as well. Look for at least a 6-ply rubber hose, but an 8-ply hose will be your best bet.

3. Look for other features.

Any high quality garden hose will come with a warranty. But, be sure to look at other features as well. Things like burst strength and the quality of the couplings are items that can really make a difference.

Having a good quality garden hose will make your outdoor watering much more enjoyable. Keep these tips in mind when you are shopping for your next hose.

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By the way, you can find out more about Garden Hoses as well as much more information on all types of garden hoses and garden hose accessories at http://www.GardenHosesA-Z.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Edwards

http://EzineArticles.com/?Garden-Hose-Buying-Tips-You-Should-Know&id=615208

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

7 Important Container Gardening Tips

By Lee Dobbins




Container gardening is a great way to be able to garden in small apartments or homes that have no yards. Additionally, plants in containers can be used to enhance your garden, porch or patio. They offer great versatility as they can be moved to suit and the containers themselves can add to your outdoor decor. Here are 7 great tips that will allow you to get the most out of your container gardens.



1. Use good quality containers with wide openings for best results. Cheap plastic containers can deteriorate in sunlight and wooden ones can rot over time so you might consider ceramic pots for better durability. Clay pots are good too, but they are very porous and can absorb a lot of water so be sure to check the soil often if you use a clay pot container.



2. Drainage is key - standing water will encourage root rot. Make sure your container has holes in the bottom and add some marbles or stones at the bottom too. Make sure the holes are about ½ inch and you can line the bottom of the container with newspaper or burlap to keep the soil from seeping out.



3. When container gardening, you want to have good soil to provide nutrients to your plant. Also, you want a loose mixture that will allow the water to be distributed evenly throughout the entire soil base as this will help with even root growth.



4. Most container plants should have around 5 hours of sunlight each day and may need to be watered each day. Make sure the soil stays moist but not wet. To test for this, just stick your finger down into the soil - is it dry down deep? Then it needs water. If it is still moist on the top or just below the top than hold off watering until tomorrow.



5. Container size depends on what you will be growing. Vegetables are going to need big deep pots. Depending on the size and amount of plants you will have in the container, you want to choose containers that are somewhere between 15 and 120 quarts.



6. Hanging baskets are great garden containers but you have to keep a close eye on the soil as they can tend to dry out. One way to help is to line them with sphagnum moss since this will help to keep water loss down. Also, you should try to move them out of the direct afternoon sun if possible.



7. When placing your containers in arrangements, always use different size containers and odd numbers of them. For some reason, a grouping of 3 or 5 containers will look much better than 4. If you will be putting them on a hard surface like cement or wood, place them up in bricks or blocks to help with drainage.



So what plants can you put in your containers? Here is a short list of some plants that do very well with container gardening:



Alyssum

Begonia

Geranium

Marigold

Pansies

Petnuias

Zinnias




If you want more tips on starting your garden including the key elements you need to know about when gardening, how to grow plants in containers and tips on growing herbs and vegetables sign up for my free gardening tips report at http://gardening-ez.com/gardeningtipsreport.php



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins
http://EzineArticles.com/?7-Important-Container-Gardening-Tips&id=1017124

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