R. Dodge Woodson - Watering Systems for Lawn & Garden: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

Watering Systems
for
Lawn & Garden

A Do-It-Yourself Guide

R. Dodge Woodson

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical
information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah L. Balmuth

Cover design by Greg Imhoff and Cynthia McFarland

Cover photographs by Nicholas Whitman

Text design and production by Cynthia McFarland

Production assistance by Susan Bernier

Line drawings by Raymond Wood, wash drawings by Brigita Fuhrmann, combined and
modified by Cynthia McFarland

Technical review by Emilio Cardinali and John Kemp

Indexed by Northwind Editorial Services

Copyright 1996 by R. Dodge Woodson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact Storey Books, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

Storey Books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call Storeys Custom Publishing Department at 1-800-793-9396.

Printed in the United States by Vicks Lithograph & Printing Corporation

10 9 8 7 6 5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Woodson, R. Dodge (Roger Dodge), 1955

Watering systems for lawn and garden : a do-it-yourself guide / R. Dodge Woodson.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-88266-906-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. LawnsIrrigationEquipment and suppliesHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. GardensIrrigationEquipment and suppliesHandbooks, manuals, etc. 3. SprinklersHandbooks, manuals, etc. 4. Sprinkler irrigationEquipment and suppliesHandbooks, manuals, etc. 5. IrrigationEquipment and suppliesHandbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.

SB433.2.W66 1996 95-30587

635.0487dc20 CIP

~1~
When a Watering Can Wont Work: Preliminary Considerations

~2~
Is Irrigation Practical?

~3~
Freshwater Sources

~4~
Recycling Water for Irrigation

~5~
Selecting and Installing a Pump

~6~
Moving Water by Gravity Distribution

~7~
Surface and Overhead Irrigation for Lawns and Gardens

~8~
Buried Irrigation Systems for Lawns and Gardens

~9~
Having the Right Connections

~10~
Making the Irrigation System Operational

~
Suggested Reading List

IF YOURE THINKING OF BUYING or installing an irrigation system for your lawn or backyard garden, this book was written for you. Regardless of whether youre interested in a high-tech, automatic sprinkler system or simple, mobile irrigation equipment, youll find answers to your questions.

Lawns and small gardens can be watered in a variety of ways. Sometimes all that is needed is a sprinkler and garden hose. Other jobs call for more sophisticated equipment, such as an overhead irrigation system, underground irrigation system, or a more complex surface system. Each type has its place and its advantages. This book will show them all.

The quantity of water used in irrigation can be staggering. It can, in fact, be of such demand on a well that the well is rendered useless for a while. If a well supplies your water, think twice before using it for your lawn or garden. Extended dry spells put enough of a burden on some wells that the added responsibility as a source of irrigation is just too much for the well to handle. There are ways, however, to avoid this problem, which you will learn as you read through this book.

Reading technical material about irrigation can be a bit on the dry side, but you wont find that to be the case here. Yes, you will get plenty of technical information, but you wont get it in a boring, textbook style.

If youve ever read instructions for putting together a bicycle or for programming a VCR, you have some idea of how difficult it can be to understand highly technical terms. I have presented these technical instructions in clear, easy-to-understand language, with step-by-step directions leaving nothing to the imagination. You wont need to read a paragraph three or four times to understand what Im saying.

Can you install your own irrigation system? There is little doubt that you can almost anyone can with the help of this book. Assuming that you need an irrigation system, installing it yourself can save you a lot of money, plus you will gain a sense of self-satisfaction beyond financial gain.

Will this book tell you everything there is to know about irrigation? No, but it will give you all the information you need to buy or build and install your own irrigation system. All the equipment and applications covered in this book are directed at the homeowners needs, which are different from those of commercial farmers and golf course owners. This book is written specifically for residential and small-scale gardening irrigation.

My own experience both personal and professional has led me to write this book. Ive lived in the country most of my life. As a child, my grandparents took care of me while my parents worked. My father has always been proud of maintaining a pretty lawn, but he was never into gardening. My grandfather enjoyed vegetable gardening and growing experimental (grafted) fruit trees. A rose garden and I mean a big one was my grandmothers passion. During those early years, I received quite an extensive education in gardening and lawn care.

Back in those days, I gave each tomato plant a fresh drink of tap water with a watering can. I planted seeds, pulled weeds, helped run the rototiller, and kept Japanese beetles off the roses. During unusually hot spells, I spent most of my time toting water between the two gardens and running through the sprinkler. This was the beginning of my water career, as I later became a plumber.

As a teenager, I kept a small garden of my own, which was a source of pride for me. I enjoyed working in it until hunting, fishing, girls, and four-wheel-drive trucks became more important. During my adventuresome years, I took a sabbatical from gardening.

After completing construction of my first home in the heat of a Virginia summer, I returned to gardening. It was then that I discovered how quickly a shallow well can run dry. The grass seed didnt have much chance to penetrate the hard-baked ground, and as a result, I brought out the water hoses and sprinklers. Unfortunately, it didnt take long for my new well to start spitting sand. The water reserve simply wasnt adequate. I had no grass that year.

Much has changed since the days of my grandparents gardens, when I helped even before I could read the words on seed packages and learned the value of a good watering plan. Ive continued to expand my knowledge over the years, and some thirty years later, Im still learning. It seems that every year I find a way to make gardening easier. As a busy plumber and businessman, husband and father, Ive looked for shortcuts, and the ones Ive found I would like to share with you in this book.