Lawn Tested

I can moan all I like, but it doesn't change things. Seriously - it's sad, but true: until we get the Hayley House paid for, there will be no underground sprinklers to make watering the lawn an easier task.

One of my tasks has been to find sprinkler units that will make the chore a little easier.

You'd think we might have done this already. After all, this is Summer #2 in the Hayley House. Last summer, however, we simply didn't water the lawn. Not a good plan, but that's just the way it was. And this summer, we're more on top of things.

Off to Home Depot I went to pick up sprinkler units. We have three separate areas requiring watering - front, side and back. Thankfully, we also have three faucets in each of these areas which allows us to set up a sprinkler unit. That way, we don't have to connect and disconnect the unit, dragging it from one spot to the next.

The first unit we tried was a stationary sprinkler with multiple spray patterns. I found the unit didn't scatter the spray effectively and it was extremely hard to change patterns without getting soaked. Back to Home Depot it went!The second unit we looked at covered a larger area and rotated based on the diameter you preset. This was by far the most frustrating sprinkler unit we used. The gears were near impossible to adjust and, since the unit arrived without any instructions, incredibly difficult to figure out. After two hours of messing with it, we decided that it shouldn't require an engineering degree to sort out how to use a sprinkler. Back to Home Depot it went!
The third unit was a simple oscillating sprinkler. It was easy to use - tabs allow you to adjust both the width and length of the water stream. This unit was perfect for watering our backyard and side yard. It's definitely a keeper!

With the backyard and side yards taken care of, the fourth unit we tried out was a rotating sprinkler on a spike. Simple to use, clearly marked tabs allow you to adjust the scatter pattern, length of spray and amount of rotation.

While I really like the oscillating unit, I absolutely love the spike unit. It covers a lot of territory and does a particularly good job with oddly-shaped yards (like our front yard with its large ash trees). Again, definitely another keeper.

I would never have thought that one day I'd become so well-versed in sprinkler types. Maybe I'm just prepping for my retirement career as a Home Depot Associate!!