New Irrigation Systems for Ellison Properties

Less than most people expect. Installers generally use a trencher or a vibratory plough that slices a narrow channel rather than excavating a wide one, and on established turf the lines usually knit closed within a few weeks in growing season. Ask how the contractor handles reinstatement, and if timing is flexible, avoid peak summer heat.

In most cases yes, and it is worth specifying at design stage rather than retrofitting later. Drip delivers water at the root zone with far less evaporation and no overspray, which suits shrubs, perennials and trees. Turf still needs overhead coverage. Most well-designed modern systems are hybrids: rotors or sprays on lawn, drip on beds, each on their own zones and schedules.

For a typical residential property, most installations run one to three days once scheduled — a day of trenching and pipe, then heads, valves, controller and commissioning. Larger or acreage properties with long runs, high zone counts or pump work take longer. The lead time before starting is usually the bigger factor, particularly in spring.

It is set by available flow, not by property size. Each zone can only run as many heads as your water supply can serve at their designed pressure, so a property with modest flow needs more, smaller zones than one with strong supply. Planting matters too: turf, shrub beds and trees should be on separate zones because their water needs genuinely differ. A measured flow test at the property is the only way to answer this properly.