An argument for drip irrigation.
It’s that time of year again. Weeds galore. They’re overwhelming. Even to us, as a professional landscaping company with a mission to break the status quo of using synthetic chemicals to kill weeds, with their long term carcinogenic effects on the human body, and the increase in cancer rates in its usage.
We’ve gotten really good at pulling a lot of weeds in a short amount of time, and our backs have gotten stronger with the up and down of the activity – like outdoor Pilates. But how much is it worth to you? How much is it worth in real dollars to keep pulling bill after bill out of your wallet, in exchange for your lawn care professional to keep pulling weeds out of your pristine beds? Don’t get me wrong, we, at Kairos landscaping, will gladly take your money. It pays our bills with said service – a humble job indeed, but there is a demand for said service, so we will happily provide until we save up enough for a Bobcat Tractor to truly meet the needs with our skillsets – to build outdoor paradise with pavers, firepits, outdoor pizza ovens, landscape lighting, pollinator and edible plants, and more. But is there a solution to save your dollars for other things with two areas to save?
Yes, there is a way to save. First, with the solutions herein this blog, you will save on your water bill – save your money by not having to pay the weed pulling man, and, in turn, save on the interval in which you need to spend money on yearly (or every 18 month) mulch applications.
Enter, drip irrigation. “Oooooh, that sounds expensive.” YES, it is a bit of an up front cost; but, when installed correctly, and installed with intent to be serviceable, the benefits outweigh the cost, making it a great value, all things considered. The water gets to where you need it, right at the plants’ roots. The water bill gets reduced, some of our clients who opt for our conversion service report a 20% savings on their sprinkler bill (the reduction comes in the form of a one or two zones in the overall sprinkler system – the other zones are generally covering turf, which needs overhead watering).
Furthermore, the water doesn’t spray the mulch, causing it to break down faster (which is an ideal place for weeds to grow – a porous medium with low nutrition, just what weeds need.) Lastly, the spray of the sprinklers hitting the foliage in the shrubs and specimen plants in the garden beds at 4AM, especially in an area with reduced ventilation, can cause mildew and mold which can, in some cases, cause the paint on homes to break down. Do I hear the makings of a warning letter from the HOA brigade?
Sure, it might up set the established order of the already established mulch by installing the drip line, but a small price to pay for the peace of mind, knowing you’ll have mulch to last probably twice as long, not having to disturb the mulch since you wont be weeding, and the mulch won’t be exposed to long periods of moisture, breaking it down faster.
To land the plane, of all the solutions to keeping your garden beds reduced of its weeds, we recommend our clients pull the trigger and convert to using a drip system to get the water where it needs to go. Avoid the worry about health concerns from nasty synthetics which have life long repercussions, no unnecessary usage of water, and the mulch lasts longer. What’s holding you back? We’re here to get you taken care of so you can sit back and enjoy your backyard paradise while we wrestle with Chronos. If you want to tackle this on your own, there pretty simple kits at the Big Blue, Orange, and Green Hardware stores to take this project on. It’s simple enough. But how to do it in the most efficient way is for another blog post, so be sure to check back with our blog entries, should you be so inclined to take this burden on.
Until next time, we hope you enjoy your Kairos!