Irrigation Matters!
Water, Water Everywhere!
There are many irrigation products and companies out there to chose from, and the choices can be confusing and overwhelming. Marty Ludwig, owner of Oasis Sprinklers in Columbia is a certified irrigation professional. He is certified by both Rain Bird and Toro for installation and repairs of in-ground irrigation systems. I have worked with Marty on many projects over the past 10 years or so. I have found him to be reliable, honest and extremely knowledgeable. If it is an irrigation related issue, he can help you sort it out. Now to hear from Marty himself…
Greetings! I am Marty the Owner of Oasis Sprinklers here in Columbia. We’ve been in business since 1992 and have seen the irrigation industry grow in popularity over the years. Back in the early days – when men were men and women were women - a sprinkler system was a luxury item for only discriminating homeowners. These were systems installed by burly pipe fitters from the Nordic countries with names like Bjorn and Sven. Cast iron pipe was the material of choice and they had a twofold purpose, one of which was to water the yard, and the other, to prohibit unwanted vandals from gaining access onto the property at night. These high rise yard sentinels could impale a would-be trespasser and leave them to the elements until the gardener stumbled upon them in the morning. But, with the onset of plastics and electronics, the manufacturers of irrigation products saw the opportunity to market their wares to the masses. Thus, the modern sprinkler system came to be.
As you already know, with our climate here in the Midlands, watering our lawns is a necessity if we want them to survive. The best way to accomplish this is to let Mother Nature take care of it, but, when we get our dry spells, which occur frequently, we have to step in and protect those lawns ourselves. So, if you’re one of those guys – or girls- that like to take matters in to your own hands this is where, hopefully, we at Oasis can be of some help. If you’re finally fed up with pulling hoses around the yard (and you know who you are) be like those homeowners on the Do It Yourself shows, roll up your sleeves, put on your safety glasses - just kidding- and welcome yourself to the wonderful world of irrigation! It’s not rocket science but it takes some mechanical ability and some time. We’ll try to give you some shortcuts, helpful hints, and things to watch out for – What? Wait…what fire ants?-
With a bit of luck and a little elbow grease, after a couple of days, you can sit back, open your favorite beverage, and watch the dance of the sprinkler heads! 
Marty
Irrigation Basics
Too much water is just a bad as not enough. The most efficient way to water a lawn or beds is to apply water when they begin to show signs of stress from lack of water. Lots of people think an irrigation timer is a “set it and forget it” device. Not entirely. Irrigation systems need to be carefully calibrated to insure you are not over watering or under watering. You also need to periodically adjust your timers depending on rain or times of drought. Rain sensors are a great tool to avoid over watering. I know you have seen lots of systems watering turf while it is raining. Not good.
Over watering turf and beds opens a whole new can of worms, and is the cause of the majority of fungal problems. Some grasses and plants can tolerate lots of water with no problem. Great. Others…not so much. That’s when the trouble starts.
Another critical element is the TIME you are watering. For best results you should always water early in the morning. It gives the grass and plants ample time to absorb the water and dry off before the heat of the day. Watering in the evenings causes water to sit and does not give excess water a chance to evaporate , this is a huge contributing factor to turf and shrub disease. Watering in the afternoon, during peak heat is also bad. The water droplets that are on tender leaves act as a magnifying glass, amplifying the suns heat thus leaving “burn” marks on your shrubs and turf.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Marty,
I have a Hunter system that is about 7 years old and was installed when this house was built, or shortly after. We recently bought this house and have noticed different things over this summer we need to correct. Is it possible to install a “Rain Sensor” on an older irrigation system, or do they have to be installed at the same time as the system? If we can install one, does it have to be a Hunter, or will another work?
Thanks!
August 27th, 2008 at 8:55 am
BMatthews,
In response to your question about installing a rain sensor to an existing system - this is something we do frequently for our new clients that have existing irrigation systems. There a number of companies that manufacture these sensors and it is fine to use any of these with your controller. My suggestion would be to purchase the wireless model - much easier to install. Helpful hint - make sure sprinkler heads cannot water the sensor. Hope this answers your question.
Happy Watering!
Marty
August 27th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Marty,
Thanks for the info! I’ll be making some calls. I don’t think there is any rush tho, we have not had our system come on in days with all this rain. Might be a while before we turn it on again at the rate it’s going.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Ahhh, rain. What would we do without it? Run the sprinler systems more and pay higher water bills. Thank your lucky stars you don’t live in South Florida, land of water rationing, scheduled water days and high water bills. If they are not in severe drought, they are getting blown away by a hurricane!
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
September 20th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Marty,
I have a Rain Bird system that was installed about 5 or 6 years ago. Recently we have had problems with several of the large pop-up heads not popping all the way up. They still water, but not the way they used to, or are supposed to. Can these be cleaned or do we need to just replace them. I’m fairly certain these are some of the heads we had moved last year. Our neighbor at the time helped move them, but he has since moved away, and I’m a bit lost on all of this.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
A couple of things may come into play here. First, are you on municpal water, a well, or pumping out of a lake? Secondly - were there any heads added when your neighbor helped move them? There could be pressure problems, dirt in the line, or just worn out heads.I’ll check back a little later to see your reply - Marty.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Marty,
Municipal water, no heads added just 4 of them that we replaced/moved because we re-shaped a bed. The heads were actually moved in closer than they were before so we actually removed some of the pipe to make them fit right. I know that the neighbor flushed the lines before he installed the heads, and they worked well all last year and most of this year. This is a recent development, so the heads are just slightly over a year old I believe.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:57 pm
This sounds like a bit of a head scratcher. Are all other zones working normally? If so, check for wet spots (leaks) in the zone that heads were moved. Also, how many heads are on this zone? Something has happened to cause the heads not to function properly - has there been any telephone or cable wire installed recently - any type of digging that could cause a break in the line(s)?If you live in the Columbia area we could schedule someone to come out and look at it. If so,just let me know - this is tough to diagnose without being there - Sorry -Marty.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Marty,
I found the notes of what we did to the system when we moved the heads. Three large rotor heads were moved, 1 was deleted all together. The three that were moved were also replaced with Hunter heads, not Rain Birds as they were originally. I looked at the heads a bit closer, it appears they have sand caked around them, I see no other damages caused by a mower or anything else. There has been no digging in my yard or the one nearest this zone in my neighbors yard. If it is just sand, can they be cleaned? I am in Orangeburg, do you come out this way? If not, anyone you could recommend?
September 26th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
One last shot here - if the heads retract after watering then we can determine that sand is not in the pipe - cleaning probably won’t do any good. If the heads remain up after the zone stops watering then we’ve got dirt in the lines and the heads need to be replaced and the lines flushed.The other possibility is that the water pressure is not enough to overcome the spring inside the Hunter heads. Did you notice this problem as soon as you installed them or did this happen over time? You may want to get a local contractor to take a look - try the phone book or go to the Rainbird website and see if they can recommend a company. Sorry I couldn’t give you a definite solution - Marty.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Patdansmith6;
Yikes, I’m not more help there than Marty is. I never did much work in the O’burg area, so a list of contractors in your area is….out of my league. I would suggest asking some friends or family in your area who they have used in the past. At least it will give you an idea of where to start. Maybe a list of “who NOT to use” even. Any help is good help? Sorry we could not give you a more definitive answer.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
October 7th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks for the advice. I asked some friends at work and found a company here locally. I am not sure what they did, but everything is working fine and it was an inexpensive fix, under $120.00. I am pretty sure there was a leak somewhere, but since I was not there to see what was done, I m not sure where. There was also a problem with my timer they fixed too. Thanks for the help.
Pat
October 15th, 2008 at 9:10 am
When do you recommend we shut down our irrigation system for winter? Are there any specific steps we should be taking? We have a Toro system that is maybe 4 years old, it has a rain sensor as well.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I can’t stand any more of this presidential debate so let me see if I can do something more productive. As to your question about shutting down your Toro system for the winter… if you’re not pumping out of a pond or lake and don’t have any exposed pipe - just turn your timer off. You may want to water some in the winter - depending on how dry it is - Marty.
October 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Thanks Marty! We are out in the country so we use well water, and there is no exposed pipe, so that’s great. That’s what we have been doing so far anyhow. And I know how you feel, we were watching it here too…made us sick, and mad. We had to turn it off.
November 15th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Recently I have noticed some mushrooms in my grass. I am not watering much, just one time a week for 1 hour each zone. I have also found some moss recently growing into my grass. Is there anything I need to look for, or adjust to stop this? I’m thinking it might be water/irrigation related, but I am not sure.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Clifford Cantu;
Mushrooms and moss are definitely related to over-watering. If you are in the midlands, I would turn off your irrigation system completely. At this time of year, you should not be watering at all. I would also recommend having a soil test performed to balance your soil. Moss growing can be related to soil deficiencies as well. Once your soil is balanced and the watering schedule has been adjusted, you should see things change a bit. Let me know what happens if you can.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
January 27th, 2009 at 7:01 am
I want to layout and install my own sprinkler system and have it up and running in time for Spring. My yard is small, roughly 3,000 sq ft of turf and 4′ wide beds all around my home which is basically 32′ wide by 48′ long, give or take. I have small shrubs in all beds, and centipede grass. I have one bed in the front yard that is aprox. 10′ x 11′ oval with some flowers and shrubs in it, nothing too tall, max will be about 5′ in height (specimen rose tree) the rest are all low growers. If you have any suggestions that will make it easier for me, that would be great. I am located S. of Macon, Georgia, if that helps.
January 27th, 2009 at 10:03 am
DingleDorff;
I have some ideas, but I prefer to pass your comment along to Marty and get him to answer it. Keep an eye out for his post to come. FYI we might need to know if you are on city or well water or pulling out of a pond. Also, inside or outside of City Limits?
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
January 27th, 2009 at 10:26 am
In response to your questions;
Well water, outside of city limits, I get 65gpm off my well atm, I have great pressure inside my home, we can shower and wash clothes at the same time and have pressure to spare. I also have a water softening system installed, but that will be “behind” where I will pull off of for the sprinkler system.
February 1st, 2009 at 12:29 pm
DingleDorff;
Sorry for the delay in answering your post, it appears Marty is having computer issues.
I would suggest you start by getting a copy of the plat of your land along with your landscape plan. You can then take them to an irrigation supply house such as Simmons, Toro or WP Law, and they “generally” will draw a system plan up for free in exchange for you buying all the materials from them, so I would check around on pricing FIRST. If you choose not to buy the materials from the designer, I think they do charge a design fee, but it is worth it to insure you have good head-to-head coverage and the proper heads for your flow rate. They can even print you out a materials list based on the design of the proposed irrigation system and even include materials delivery to your home.
Once you have a good plan, the rest is easy sauce. Just follow the plan and install the recommended parts/heads. Be sure to tell them what you want, ie: manual or electric timers and valves, rain sensor, Backflow preventers, etc. Other than that, I would check for local regulations on permitting and the installation of Backflow Preventers, however, if you use a local irrigation supply house, they can probably tell you what you need to know to keep you within guidelines.
You can rent a Ditch-Witch from about any rental place these days, and they are fairly inexpensive. I would layout trenches with hose or rope, paint where they go with some marking paint and then trench away. Start with Main Line, valves and wires, and then the rest of the lines. Be sure to back fill well, and tamp down to help limit sinking and pressure on new pipes. Install the timer and rain sensor last, and then crack open a beverage and watch the fun.
FYI: Call Before you dig!!! If you cut cables now, it gets expensive, so I would allow a week PRIOR to any digging for them to come mark ALL your utilities.
Let me know if we can be of any more assistance.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:57 am
Great ideas thanks for those. I will be checking to see who/what is available in my area as far as design. I know about the call before you dig thing too, I learned that the hard way last year. So, yeah. Anyhow, I’ll let you know how things progress, with the cold spells we are having, I am in no rush to work in the yard, but spring is coming so I am trying to plan ahead. Thanks!
February 4th, 2009 at 10:03 am
DingleDorff;
Great, keep us posted. If you get stuck, or need some help you can post or email me directly at TurfGal01 @ windstream.net. Good Luck with the design and installation. Sorry we don’t have our e-book ready to go to assist you. Marty and I are still working on it.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Revised Notice!!! 02/12/09
“Irrigation Basics” has been published and is now up on the website and available for purchase! That book was a lot more in depth and complicated than I originally planned for, but I think I have it whittled down to a manageable 20 pages now. I’m glad I have it up finally… it has been about 3 months in the making.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
March 24th, 2009 at 9:17 am
TurfGal Team;
I would like to start by saying thank you for all the help.
I got my system designed by an STI close to where I work. I took them in the landscape plan and a platt of my land as you suggested. The design was free but I did have to buy the materials from them, but I expected that. I got your book, thank heavens..some of their installation instructions were a bit fuzzy by the time I got around to renting the trencher and actually getting started. The system is now 100% complete, including electric valves, timers and rain sensor. Between STI and your book, it really was not as hard as I thought it would be. The valves were really confusing at first, but the illustration in your book and the instructions you provided really helped me. Thanks for the great advice…I’m thinking after all is said and done, you saved me about $1,500.00 or so, well worth the cost of your book!
DingleDorff
March 24th, 2009 at 10:38 am
DingleDorff:
Awesome! Glad you were able to complete your project to your satisfaction!! I tired hard to make the Irrigation Basics book as easy to follow as possible…it only took me about 3 months of revisions.
I’m just glad it helped you accomplish your goal. I saw where you purchased the book and was anxiously waiting to see if it came in handy for you. Glad it did.
Be sure to tell your friends where you got the book that helped you!
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:23 am
I’ve been looking for a good book that would not drain my wallet and actually help me install my sprinkler system. I must say, after buying your irrigation basics book, I believe I have found just that! I am looking forward to getting started on getting my yard watered without dragging the sprinklers all over the place! Thanks.
Usammapluff
April 28th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Usammapluff:
Awesome, let us know how it goes. If you get stuck or need help with anything, just ask! Thanks again for the recent purchase.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
May 15th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Wow, what a blessing your book was. I finished installing my system yesterday. I was so scared I would screw up the valves, but your book walked me right through it, step by step. Well worth the purchase price to anyone who needs help. It took me about 2 weeks from start time (layout and design) to completion. I booted up the system last night for a trial run and it worked flawlessly aside from having to make some minor head adjustments. The timer came on this morning at 6:30 a.m. as programmed. Great book, easy to read and understand. Just wanted you to know. I found the section on drip very helpful as my wife has a flower garden with a few shrubs in it, really made watering this area easy. I even included drip for the flower pots on our deck which were a real pain to water by hand.
Usammpluff
May 15th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Usammpluff:
I am so glad that my book helped you. Again, I was tired of seeing books for the average home-owner that were so technical you needed an engineering degree to wade through them…not to mention a gallon of caffeine to stay awake reading them. Come back to the site if you need anything else and thank you again for your purchase!
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
November 24th, 2009 at 2:05 am
Cool post I will continue to look out for anymore of your future posts.
November 26th, 2009 at 7:43 am
may1987,
Thanks! Let me know if I can assist you with anything!
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
December 15th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Just to let you all know, Marty sent the following e-mail to all his clients…please take advantage of this Huge money saver!…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Many thanks for making our year profitable. I think everyone was wondering what would happen in 2009 - we certainly were. But we made it through and our numbers were actually up from 2008! We owe this all to you, our loyal customers.
Next year will be starting with a bang as we already have 2 large jobs scheduled for Feb and March, and our “yard rehab” service is surpassing expectations. Since these jobs will be taking place in the months that we normally prefer to do irrigation maintenance, I would like to offer our existing customers the special price of $65 to perform this maintenance in the month of January. Why not April or May? These are our “money making” months and regretfully we are unable to offer special pricing.
This is a savings of $50 from the regular cost of your sprinkler system check up, but rest assured, you will still receive the same great service that we at Oasis strive to accomplish.
I know this is a busy time of year for everyone but please notify us as soon as you can as the calendar quickly fills. Thanks again and Happy Holidays - Marty
Thank Marty!!
January 10th, 2010 at 1:37 am
I adore the valuable info you offer in your posts. I will bookmark your site and have my son check up here recurrently. I am quite sure hewill learn lots of new stuff here!
January 11th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
William B.;
If I can be of help, just post! I’ll do my best.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
March 14th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Spring is here, believe it or not with the snow we had not too long ago…so much for Global Warming ya?
At any rate, it’s here…please be sure to get your irrigation system blown out, re-pressurized, heads adjusted to minimize water runoff and be prepared for the long hot summer to come.
Your grass is a living breathing plant and requires water just as shrubs and flowers do. Be sure to call Marty @ Oasis Sprinklers and Outdoor lighting at 803-622-2038 to schedule an appointment to get your irrigation system ready! This is Marty’s busiest time of year, so get your appointment made fast before he’s so booked he has to schedule you in “Juvember”.
It’s time to get soil tests done and apply your pre/post emergent for spring weeds that are either up or waiting to poke through your turf. Make sure you are treating for weeds you actually have to avoid wasting time, money and effort. Get your weeds identified by using my e-book Warm Season Turfgrass Weeds Vol. 1 or taking samples to Clemson Extension or Lesco.
Again, any questions you have regarding spreader or sprayer calibrations, just post!
Yay! Happy Spring!!!
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!
April 5th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
You seem very knowledgeable about this issue and it shows. I trust all your future posts turn out as well. Cheers!
Idell Cassa
May 6th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
TurfGal;
What is the best way to save water in my garden?
As the harsh summer draws nearer, with tough and often increased water restrictions, we Floridians must find ways to ensure our gardens make it through the season.
How do you get your garden through the harsh summer weather?
What do you do to make sure your garden survives?
Yates
May 6th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Yates;
Plant selection is key. Start by selecting drought tolerant plants. If you are past the selection stage and you already have established plants, learn what varieties of plants you have and what their water requirements are. You may discover that they are more drought tolerant and require less water than you previously thought.
Barring that, water longer on the days you can water and water very early in the mornings to allow the plants to reap the full benefits of what water they do get. Watering in the heat of day is a waste of water. In Florida, the heat of day evaporates much of the water before it can sink into the soil and even get to the roots of your plants.
Here in SC, my irrigation system comes on at 5.am Monday and Thursday. I water for 1 1/2 hours per zone (4 zones). It’s better to water longer and less often to create deeper root systems for your grass and plants. A deeper root zone helps protect turf and plants from weather extremes. Just keep in mind, if you start experiencing water run-off or puddling, you can stop watering. It is probably an indication that your soil needs aerating or is just saturated.
I also recommend installing a good grade mulch around all your plants. Pine straw, bark, wood mulch, anything that will help hold water as well as degrade and return nutrients to your soil.
Last but not least, pray for rain. But if Mother Nature won’t cooperate, the above tips will go a long way in helping you have strong healthy vital plants in your garden.
Jodi
TurfGal~Happiness by the Yard!