Hot, dry and arid sums up the average summer in southern Alberta, where the majority of people are desperately trying to grow a green healthy lawn. Are you one of those homeowners whose grass is going dry and yellow and are looking for an easy way to keep your grass green, while being environmentally friendly?

An automatic irrigation system is the most efficient way of watering your landscape area and using the least amount of water. A properly designed and installed system will have a control panel that will be easily programmed to start the system during the cool, least windy part of the day, and is also easily adjusted for seasonal changes.

Your first step in acquiring a sprinkler system is deciding how much of the process you wish to be involved in. Do you want to install the entire system including the digging or do you want a professional company to take care of the entire project for you or do you want to modify the hose and sprinklers you have now to make them the most effective.

If your budget allows for you to hire someone to do the project for you, then your responsibility is to find a professional irrigation contractor, certified professionals can easily be researched on the website www.irrigationalberta.org, which allows you to search by the City you live in.

The design of your sprinkler system is extremely important and should be done by a qualified designer who will take into account all of your landscape variables, including plant material, soil types, and directional exposure. The installation should be completed by a certified irrigation contractor who will ensure your system meets the minimum requirements of your municipality, and the standards that have been established by the Irrigation Association. Reputable companies will give you a written quotation outlining what they will be including in your sprinkler system, and they will include literature giving the specifications of the products they will be installing, therefore allowing you to make an informed decision on the equipment you will be receiving.

If budget is a constraint or do-it-yourself is something you like to do, then you need to find an irrigation company that is willing to design your sprinkler system for you, and is willing to teach you some of the finer points of installing your own system. It is usually a good idea to go with a company that has a store front, and has regular office hours so that you are able to get help, if needed, with your installation.

If your budget is extremely limited then you should look at buying the most effective sprinkler that works on a hose, and place it on a timer so that it waters for the required amount of time during the early morning hours when evaporation is at its lowest rate. You will have to set up your own schedule whereby you move the sprinkler around every night therefore watering your entire yard at the best possible time of day.

Any retail irrigation store will be more than capable of helping you out with any one of these three options.

>> Getting Started
>> Efficient Irrigation Ideas
>> Teaching an Old Irrigation System Some New Tricks
>> Interesting Facts
>> City of Calgary - In Ground (pdf)