Good advice about irrigating your lawn and garden.

Imagine sitting on your deck with your favorite beverage in your hand while your lawn and garden is being watered. You can enjoy this luxury with an automatic irrigation system while you save money and conserve water. What’s more, you’ll have a lusher lawn and a more productive flower and vegetable garden with fewer weeds.

An automatic irrigation system is far superior to conventional sprinkler and soaker hoses because it delivers the precise amount of water to the desired area. A sprinkler wastes water because so much actually evaporates as it shoots into the air, and if you’re like me, you often leave it running too long. Even soaker hoses seem to have gone the way of vinyl records because they can’t distribute water evenly along the length of the hose like an automatic system can.

Cumbersome steel pipes have given way to plastic tubes and a series of connectors, making it easier and cheaper to install an irrigation system. Installation is certainly within the realm of a do-it-yourselfer, thanks to the guidance offered by the companies that sell the equipment. However, if you get into a tight spot, for instance while hooking up the plumbing underneath your house, you could hire a plumber to take care of the initial hookups to your water system and then run the lines, emitters, bubblers and other parts yourself. Or, of course, you can hire the whole thing out.

“Sometimes it is better to get an estimate from a contractor and see what’s involved,” advises Bob Neumaier, branch manager of John Deere Landscapes in Madison Heights.

Neumaier says that while installing a system isn’t “rocket science,” there is still a lot involved, including things such as knowing the capability of your water delivery system, back flow prevention, and head-to-head coverage. He adds that if you spend $800 dollars on the materials for your system, you can bet on doubling that to have it installed by a professional.

Although water conservation is more of an issue in the drought-prone southeastern states, we’re finding here in Michigan that water isn’t an infinite resource. Thus, water conservation goes hand-in-hand with an irrigation system. Here are some conservation practices to consider:

• Water in the morning.
• Apply 3 to 4 inches of mulch around plants.
• Let your grass grow taller (to 3 inches).
• Plant deep-rooted native plants.
• Water less in shaded areas (which can be controlled with a system).
• Aerate your lawn to allow good water penetration.

There are three types of irrigation systems in use today: sprinkler, drip, and hose-end. A sprinkler-based system is the most popular choice for homeowners, and also the most work to install. Underground pipes are installed to transport water to sprinkler heads; the amount of water delivered is controlled by the varying sizes of spray heads and nozzles.

You’ve probably noticed the “spaghetti” hoses running to the pots in a garden center. Water is delivered to these thin hoses by a drip or micro-irrigation system. These are ideal for vegetable and flower gardens. Drip systems deliver smaller amounts of water to the root zone of plants. This method conserves water and avoids getting the plant leaves wet, which can lead to fungus problems. You can also water thirsty hanging basket plants with this method.

Hose-end systems are the easiest to install. Unlike those mentioned above, which need to connect to your indoor plumbing, hose-end systems are attached to your outdoor spigot. The disadvantage in these systems is the hoses can be a tripping hazard and have to be put away at the end of the season. In other words, you lose some of the convenience you would enjoy with a system installed to your indoor plumbing (remember that cold beverage on the deck?).

All of the above include different types of timers with variable settings. The ideal situation is to have controls that divide your yard into zones that can be programmed to water at different times during the day and week. For an extra $25, you can measure rainfall and irrigate your lawn and garden accordingly.

For the do-it-yourself man or woman, you can design your own system with help from the company from which you buy the equipment. Some companies will do a layout design for your entire yard—all you need to do is submit accurate measurements of your lawn and/or garden. They’ll do the rest, including giving you a parts list for everything you need to install the system.

Water irrigation systems are a good bet for any home and garden, especially in this era of expensive energy. However, before you put on your do-it-yourself hat, take a good look at what is involved in this project, then decide if you want to do it or sit on the deck and watch someone else do it.

An excellent book on installing different irrigation systems is Scott’s “Sprinklers & Watering Systems: Complete Guide to Planning and Installing Landscape Irrigation.”

Neil Moran is the author of “North Country Gardening, Simple Secrets to Successful Gardening.” Visit his Web site at www. neilmoran.com. neilmoran.com.