The hazy, lazy days of summer are upon us and many Bergen County homeowners are caught in the struggle between keeping their landscaping lush and their water bill down. Fortunately, July is Smart Irrigation Month, an annual campaign to promote awareness about best practices and technology to conserve water and keep your landscaping healthy.
In addition to common sense, landscapers have begun to implement many new, water-efficient technologies that make managing and maintaining your irrigation system easier than ever. Here are a few of the emerging technologies that can will help you surive the dry season of local water restrictions in New Jersey townships:
- Soil moisture sensors measure the water content in soil and use a collection of little probes to assess the amount of moisture in the soil. Without a doubt, soil moisture is the most important factor in a plant’s health. On one hand, root systems become more healthy when growing in moist soil. Excessive soil moisture, however, can lead to bacteria growth and the spread of plant and soil pathogens. If you've been struggling with moisture levels in your landscape, installing a soil moisture sensor to your irrigation system is an important first step.
- Rainfall shutoff devices have grown in popularity over the past decade or so, and with good reason. Beyond that, they have also become law in many states with arid weather conditions. These devices do just what their name suggests: they shut off the irrigation system when they detect rainfall.
- Rain sensors – another no brainer. This tool determines whether or not enough rain has fallen in order to skip and shutdown a watering cycle. When a certain amount of rain triggers the sensor, the electrical current to your sprinkler system ceases until dry conditions return.
- Drip systems, or micro irrigation, are without a doubt the most efficient method of watering your landscaping. Drip systems usually boast an efficiency rate of 90% or higher, which means much less water is wasted than with traditional systems. For most landscapes, it’s easy to install, inexpensive, easy to design, and delivers a highly accurate amount of moisture to the soil. For new plantings, flowers, or shrubs in full sun, drip irrigation is the way to go.
For more tips and a complete water-saving audit from our irrigation team, contact us today to schedule a consultation.