It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere so that means that it is time for watering. I don’t have a sprinkler system so it means I have to drag the hosepipe around the garden. The grass is not in a great condition so I’m trying to revitalize it – if you know what I mean.

Just tonight I left the sprinkler on – I do that a lot. I have tried out a sprinkler system and if I had a bunch of money saved I would buy one of those right now.

You think you are saving by doing a manual job, but I can tell you now that you are only lying to yourself. I have just wasted a bit of water tonight and I am not sure what part of the water I have done so I may have to repeat the whole process tomorrow.

In the long run you are better off with an organized system. The fact that you can just set it and leave is what makes me smile.

This especially applies if you have water restrictions, because it means you either have to get up at the crack of dawn, which is early for me, or remember to water before the sun goes down.

You probably know that it is not a good idea to water at night because you tend to get moss and other undesirable things cropping up.

The actual cost of a sprinkler system has come down a lot in recent years and if you think of all the benefits you really have nothing to lose out. You can set it up for when you go away so you don’t have to pay the kid across the street to come in and do your watering for you.

Only you know how you want your grass to be watered. At the moment you can find something for around $1000-2500, depending on the size as well as the type of system. A DIY system that you hook up yourself would cost you around $700.

credit:flickr.com/StormyDog

Types of sprinkler systems

Some of these systems are more advanced than others with more programming features available. Someone will come and install this for you or you can install it yourself, which would bring the cost down.

However, only do this if you know what you are doing because it is not a case of just reading a manual and pressing a few buttons. You really have to be clued up in this department.

Make sure you look into finding the right type of system that will meet your needs. Some are better suited to greenhouses because of the way they are designed. These are known as drip sprinklers.

Rotating sprinklers are probably more common and can be seen on larger lawn where water will just shoot straight ahead, or you will be able to adjust the head so that it rotates.

Usually you will get a couple of these heads. The contractor will plan how many you will need. This is why it is not something that is not that easy to do on your own.

Installing a borehole

There are a lot of people I know who have a borehole. If you have water restrictions, then it just makes sense, but obviously not everyone has a well in their backyard. You just have to cross your fingers and kind of hope. This is not cheap, and not for everyone.

If you have an average sized garden, then you would probably want to pass on this. Obviously the U.K is not going to be short of rain at any point in time.

It’s places like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and some parts of the U.S that crave a little moisture. So, once the hole is drilled, the water will be tested, and if all is good, a pump is installed and you will have water whenever you want!

Besides reducing your bills, this will also add a lot of value to your property. You can imagine when your house is on the market, and someone sees this feature, they are like, “look, honey – our own water” J sold!