Sprinkler Irrigation System Zones

The creation of different irrigation zones is one of the most important things that a qualified lanscaper or irrigation system contractor will do when designing a residential or commercial irrigation system.  Zoning is critical in order for the irrigation system to deliver the right amount of water to turf and plants, which may have different water needs.

As a part of the irrigation system design process, the landscaper will perform a survey of the property taking notes about the type or turf on the property as well as the plants in the planting beds.  Depending upon the species, turf and plants require different amounts of water.  Too much water is just as bad as not enough water!  By creating different irrigation zones, the irrigation system designer is able to regulate the amount of water each zone receives when the system operates by means of an irrigation timer or clock, which is basically a small computer.

The landscaper is able to set up the day and time that the sprinkler irrigation system delivers water to the specified zone.  The timer will also shut down the water flowing to the zone after a certain amount of time, which is defined by the type of turf or plants in that zone.  An example of this would be a large turf area on a property that is in direct sunlight all day long.  The contractor may set this zone to run every day for 15 minutes, while a planter area in the shade with plants that do not tolerate excessive amounts of water would be set up as a separate zone and only run 5 minutes every other day.

A qualified irrigation contractor or landscape professional has the experience to know how to set up the irrigation zones on residential and commercial properties based upon the water needs of the turf and plants of the property.  Proper zoning of the irrigation system is necessary for the turf and plants to receive the proper amount of water required in order to thrive!