We recently bought new mechanical timers to allow for specific watering of the gardens at Crest Avenue. An in-ground sprinkler system has never been on the project sheet for Crest Avenue because the cost of installation and upkeep was prohibitive. Money spent on this was better spent elsewhere, in my opinion. By relying on above ground hoses and timers, I am able to move things around to my liking. If I want to water more here or less there, I can do so by simply rearranging the set up of hoses and sprinklers. I know you can do the same with in-ground systems these days, but we are talking real money to have such a specialized system installed. If you spend a little time planning, you can keep your lawn and gardens well hydrated without a lot of unsightly timers and hoses strewn about the yard.
We stopped by our local Walmart recently and made our way to the garden center. The first thing I saw was this box of mechanical timers. I thought these would work just perfectly for my needs at Crest Avenue.
Another option was this automated watering timer which uses batteries as its power source. I decided not to buy this because it is just more to take care of and more buttons to push and batteries to replace and all of that. With the mechanical timers I just get up in the morning and turn the knob on top and the garden gets watered. If it rains, then I don't water that day. I don't have to worry about whether the timer is going to start sprinkling the yard or garden during the rain or just after. I do not have to set a "Rain delay" and then remember to turn that off later. I just leave it alone until time to water again. Think about this before you buy your timer(s). I know it is tempting to buy the big fancy, more expensive one. But do you really need it?
The mechanical timers came in two colors; a mustard yellow and this much nicer khaki color. I opted for the khaki color. Some may think it unnecessary to put much importance on such things as the color of the timers for your garden sprinklers. But I think it is important and really, would you expect me not to put importance on the color of the timers? That would not make for a very good blog. If you get these, make sure to get the khaki colored ones for a spectacular look in your garden.
The view from atop. As you can see this is so simple and straightforward to use. You simply turn the dial to the predetermined minute setting and walk away. At the end of the cycle the water flow is shut off at the spigot. If you want to water, but you are not sure how long you want to water, you can use the manual override. Simply depress the little black button just above the gray threaded nozzles, as you see above, and turn the dial counterclockwise to "MANUAL ON". The water will continue to flow until you turn it off manually by turning the timer clockwise until it clicks.
Here is the setup in the front yard at Crest Avenue. I bought a coupler for the spigot and some extension pieces to make it easy to see and handle the timer and to control the flow of water. This looks very nice.
For this project, I bought an inexpensive right sprinkler and two eight foot sections of inexpensive garden hose. I am not so much worried about the hose being "kink-free" for sprinkling. Once it is in place, I will not move it while water is passing through. So it is not necessary to invest in expensive hose for stationary watering such as what we are doing in this project.
This little ring sprinkler was two dollars and change. It can cover an area 900 square feet. Our new garden of holly and pyracantha is about 100 square feet. So this will more than cover our garden when the water is turned on at full capacity
Once I got the hose hooked up to the timer and the other end to the sprinkler, I placed the sprinkler as close to center as possible in the garden.
I adjusted the waterflow by turning the spigot back until the water from the sprinkler was just covering the garden. This way, the water will be concentrated in the new garden area. I don't need it spraying high into the air and watering the entire front yard. I just need to concentrate the water in and around the transplants. It is essential to keep the soil moist, but not too wet, to let the roots get established.
A side note: If you are transplanting mature hollies in your landscape, be forewarned that they do not transplant well. By that I mean, they will take in their new location, but they will drop foliage. And quite heavily. It will be replaced with new growth, so you must not assume they are dead. Be patient with them and be certain to pay attention to your watering habits. Visit here for additional information on transplanting holly.
We stopped by our local Walmart recently and made our way to the garden center. The first thing I saw was this box of mechanical timers. I thought these would work just perfectly for my needs at Crest Avenue.
Another option was this automated watering timer which uses batteries as its power source. I decided not to buy this because it is just more to take care of and more buttons to push and batteries to replace and all of that. With the mechanical timers I just get up in the morning and turn the knob on top and the garden gets watered. If it rains, then I don't water that day. I don't have to worry about whether the timer is going to start sprinkling the yard or garden during the rain or just after. I do not have to set a "Rain delay" and then remember to turn that off later. I just leave it alone until time to water again. Think about this before you buy your timer(s). I know it is tempting to buy the big fancy, more expensive one. But do you really need it?
The mechanical timers came in two colors; a mustard yellow and this much nicer khaki color. I opted for the khaki color. Some may think it unnecessary to put much importance on such things as the color of the timers for your garden sprinklers. But I think it is important and really, would you expect me not to put importance on the color of the timers? That would not make for a very good blog. If you get these, make sure to get the khaki colored ones for a spectacular look in your garden.
The view from atop. As you can see this is so simple and straightforward to use. You simply turn the dial to the predetermined minute setting and walk away. At the end of the cycle the water flow is shut off at the spigot. If you want to water, but you are not sure how long you want to water, you can use the manual override. Simply depress the little black button just above the gray threaded nozzles, as you see above, and turn the dial counterclockwise to "MANUAL ON". The water will continue to flow until you turn it off manually by turning the timer clockwise until it clicks.
Here is the setup in the front yard at Crest Avenue. I bought a coupler for the spigot and some extension pieces to make it easy to see and handle the timer and to control the flow of water. This looks very nice.
For this project, I bought an inexpensive right sprinkler and two eight foot sections of inexpensive garden hose. I am not so much worried about the hose being "kink-free" for sprinkling. Once it is in place, I will not move it while water is passing through. So it is not necessary to invest in expensive hose for stationary watering such as what we are doing in this project.
This little ring sprinkler was two dollars and change. It can cover an area 900 square feet. Our new garden of holly and pyracantha is about 100 square feet. So this will more than cover our garden when the water is turned on at full capacity
Once I got the hose hooked up to the timer and the other end to the sprinkler, I placed the sprinkler as close to center as possible in the garden.
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| A few brown leaves on one of the pyracantha, but otherwise, everything in the new garden is doing just fine. |
A side note: If you are transplanting mature hollies in your landscape, be forewarned that they do not transplant well. By that I mean, they will take in their new location, but they will drop foliage. And quite heavily. It will be replaced with new growth, so you must not assume they are dead. Be patient with them and be certain to pay attention to your watering habits. Visit here for additional information on transplanting holly.
