Garden Irrigation for large domestic gardens
Posted on 26th January 2022 at 17:37
What do we define as a large domestic garden?
Our definition of a large garden is one that is more than ½ an acre, this size of garden would be split into 10 to 15 zones.
To give you an idea of what this looks like, a football pitch is 1.5 acres and if you include the area around the pitch, it is approx. 2 acres.
How do we define a garden irrigation zone?
A ‘zone’ is an area of the garden which is defined by the type of planting, but depending on the size of the area, it may be split into several zones. The planting in that area will define the type of irrigation used.
Grass lawn front and rear
A grass lawn might be split into smaller zones to ensure each of the areas are fully watered, a lawn will require watering for up to 10 mins per zone.
Ornate gardens
Flower beds and shrubs
Trees, orchard or small wooded area
Greenhouses
Pots and Hanging Baskets
Each of these garden zones may require a different type of watering methods.
What types of watering methods are used for garden irrigation?
Lawns use the sprinkler system; these are operated by the water pressure pushing them up from under the ground.
Flower beds may use the drip lines, these are hoses with emitters, which constantly drip near the root systems and will be left on for up to an hour.
They are on a programmable Controller which takes into account the time of year and weather conditions.
In the Thames Water area, the water pressure isn’t good enough to run the irrigation system from the mains. Some very small gardens can run from the mains, but you would need to get professional advice before installing any system.
Larger gardens will need water tanks
Larger gardens do require a water storage tank and the size will vary depending on the area that needs to be watered and how often.
An example of the size of tank required:
In a recent large garden we installed it had 27 irrigation zones. It required a tank with the capacity of 10,000 liters. This tank is 2.5 meters high and 2.4 meters in diameter. A tank of this size would be placed on a concrete base and hidden discretely in an area of the garden near other storage areas or away from sight.
How long will the installation take?
An irrigation system of this size would take anything from 3-5 weeks to install, this can vary dependent on the weather, the soil types and the complexity of the system.
Waterspash work with landscape gardeners, head gardeners and private homeowners. We can be part of a new garden in a new build, advising on planting schemes to help the customer manage the amount of water they are using in their gardens.
Here is an excellent guide to planting and water efficiency hosed on the Southern Waters website. The guide will help you choose what you might want to plant before we arrive on site, if you are not working with a landscaper or professional gardener.
We also install irrigation systems into a well-established garden, removing the hassle of daily watering in the summer season.
Our team of expert engineers have been installing garden irrigation systems for 20 years in Windsor and the surrounding areas of Berkshire. We have a well-established customer base in Berkshire, West London, Surrey and Buckinghamshire. If you are looking for a new or replacement irrigation system, contact us today.
Tagged as: Garden Irrigation Systems
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