I’m not a fan of sprinklers. I’m on well and they need to be on for a very long time in order to water deeply.

I prefer to water by hand...just the plants that need it. Such as the newly planted and shrubs.

Is this for a newly planted bed that you want one for? Or did you want to water all of your beds with one?

You may want to reconsider due to the length of time they must be on. Especially if you are on a well ...

I’m a big fan of micro irrigation. Not drip irrigation though, there is a difference. My favorite micro irrigation kit is Mr. Landscaper. Lowe’s sells there stuff

I always use the oscillating sprinklers that do a wide wave from one side to the other, since I want to do as few as possible placements for as much coverage as possible. There's no realistically feasible way for me to hand water my plants, and when it gets dry in Nebraska and the ground starts cracking, everything needs water whether it looks like it or not. I set my sprinklers for an hour in a location and water no more often than once a week so they set down deep roots.

I've been through a lot of sprinklers including a lot of pricey ones, and most of them break at the arm that runs the oscillator within a year. My favorites now are the Ace Hardware sprinklers that come with fairly precise areas that they can cover, and the larger area versions work well for me. I've never had any luck with consistent water cover with the circle sprayers, but that's me.

I realize that the oscillating sprinklers put some water into the air that doesn't reach the plants, so I water in cool evening or morning times. I don't grudge the water that mists in the meantime since I'm out in the garden sweating like a pig and relish the residual water (so do the birds and other critters that gather). It doesn't get consistently dry enough here to invest in underground sprinklers and my technology-averse personality wouldn't want that kind of hassle in cleaning and maintaining a system anyway. Plonking a sprinkler and checking the appropriate spread when and where I want it is more my style. Also like the previous poster mentioned, I only want to water when it's needed and too often the automatic sprinklers are going during times the garden is fine for water.

Cynthia

Yes garden ho I agree it didn't seem to water deeply for the time it was on . These are for established rose beds , rather large I think . I’m not on a well . Some plants got a good watering and a lot didn’t . I go out with my hose in the am but I’m tired of it , it takes me at least 3 hours to water 160 plus roses , and not as well as a good old fashioned rain could !

So fl I will look that up and see what it all entails .

Today I watched a rain cloud pour over a area right by me and then disappear! What a gyp.

it has been at least a month since our last good rain and everything is suffering.

Lily I totally understand...I’m so tired of watering also.

I sure don’t want to spend another summer constantly watering just trying to keep things alive.

So I’ve been on a mission to get rid of the thirsty plants in my gardens and plant or divide what I know does well here.

I’ve shovel pruned, gave away, and sold more plants this year than ever before.

I see no sense in keeping them with the drought summers were are having now. So out they went!

Mother Nature has won.....

For the rare times I need to water, I prefer an oscillating sprinkler also. Because they arch high in the air, the spray isn't usually blocked by taller plants. It also doesn't hurt that my big garden beds are rectangles that coincidentally are almost exactly the same size as the sprinkler pattern.

If this is a regular occurrence, then an irrigation system is worth the hassle. Since I water the beds an average of once every two or three years, it isn't.

I think you are right, GardenHo, about Mother Nature. She will always win. I am starting to use more natives, but gosh, I do love my hosta and have so many of them. Sigh.

Off to google micro irrigation.

ETA: looked up micro irrigation and everyone, including EPA seems to say it is another way of saying drip irrigation, although there are different types including some low pressure sprinkler types, so I am not sure what the big difference is SoFL Rose. Could you elaborate? Thanks!

give us a pic of the one you have.. or a link .. so we can rule out operator error ...

IMO ....you can NOT water a rose with a sprinkler ... they have to be hand watered.. and that is why many rose growers grow them in dedicated beds that only have roses .... if you arent ruining the flowers.. wetting the leaves can lead to black spot and other disease ...

so easing watering issues is part of garden design .... and fall is a great time.. to move stuff to work on that .... on rereading.. and noting your followup ... i see you have dedicated beds ....

finally .... you time a sprinkler.. like any other watering system.. in hours.. not minutes .. perhaps that is why you arent getting enough water down ....

i used this system on 1500 hosta ... almost as bad as 150 roses.. lol ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSYeCyuM3c

i started collecting.. with roses.. and got to about 125 ... and then i moved.. and didnt start again with them at the new house ... just to FOO FOO ... feed me every 6 weeks.. spray me every 4 weeks... prune me... cut me down for winter.. mulch and tuck me in rose cones for winter.. and still lose 25 every MI winter ... who needs it all .. have you considered long lived perennials.. that dont need all that.. and barely need water ... lol ..

ken

Thanks friends !! I knew posting on perrenials would help get ideas too but as mad and Cynthia know , I’m rose crazy and not growing roses isn’t an option. ;). Luckily in Tennessee ken , I don’t lose many if any , and I don’t mind the care they require. I do need to add a lot of perrenials to the beds ( I do have some for other colors ! ) I just want the most efficient way to water this when the Sky won’t do it for me :)

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/watering-and-irrigation/above-ground-sprinklers/7021595

Ken you are correct about the watering of roses , but the dryness is worse than the blackspot and spider mites come if it’s too dry as well , so if I’m only doing this to get by I’ll be ok . You may be surprised how many new excellent roses there are that resist disease well. :)

i liek the idea of the mister landscape thing , but need to watch a video . This may be a good idea for next year . I can ask for gift cards for Christmas for that ! I think maybe the sprinkler type Cynthia mentions is what I need . Here is what I have , complete with reviews I wish I had read ! Haha I didn’t think this would be so complicated.

Oh gotta watch kens video too to see what he uses. Thanks everyone!! Very helpful!!

I like this one. You adjust by moving the yellow tabs. I water very early in the morning and never midday or the evening. Midday wastes water and late in the day promotes fungus.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Melnor-4000-sq-ft-Deluxe-Turbo-Oscillating-Sprinkler-172-849/202051539

Cyn, I only have a couple handfuls of hostas in part shade...surprisingly they have done well with no supplemental water.

Lily and others, have you considered soaker hoses?

do you know throw to adjust the two triangular mouse ears just above the spike.. to limit the full circle???

move one or the other either way ... and it stops the circle.. and it goes backwards ...

there is also a screw where the water comes out.. to make it more of a mist ...

and i got one like this at wallyworld.. that had adjustable legs up to about 4 feet ... that really impacts how the water is applied ... you usually see this type at nurseries ...

i didnt think you would lose roses during a TN winter ... but a MI winter is a killer for the more exotic roses ... couldnt keep an orange or yellow one alive for very long.. i figured they were bred so far out from the standard red or white [war of the roses and all that.. lol] .. they were inherently weak ... ergo i coined the term.. foo foo ...

let me know on the sprinkler adjustments ...

ken

duhhhh... how about a video ... lol .. they are all derivations on one very old theme .... brand name doesnt really matter ...

ken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKkhxSiUH3k

more

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=adjusting+an+impulse+sprinkler&t=ffnt&ia=videos&iax=videos

tall versions

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tall+impulse+sprinkler&t=ffnt&iax=images&ia=images

nippstress, do you know how deeply your sprinklers can water in an hour? One reason I've always been hesitant to use one is because it seemed like the sprinkler would be watering for a long time but the soil was not watered deep enough. I'd like to have more confidence in sprinklers, especially if EVERYTHING needs a drink.

Maybe one or more soaker hoses would be more appropriate?

"Maybe one or more soaker hoses would be more appropriate?"

Soakers are my preferred way of watering.....low and slow and exactly where the water needs to be delivered.......at the root zone. And with almost no waste, which is a huge factor with any sprinker.

But I have this ever expanding collection of containers and those are hand watered with a water wand, usually every other day in summer. It takes a good hour or more to do them all.

The lawn is allowed to go dormant :-) IMO, watering a lawn is a huge waste of resources. And it comes back to life just fine in fall with cooler temps and a return of regular rainfall.

For quality -- Dramm products.

After getting a quote to add a zone to my irrigation system for four window boxes ($$) I decided to simplify and try to do it myself. Drip Depot has videos and articles to get you started on how to do it for different applications, and kits that you can customize to your specific needs. You can alter the length and size of the tubing, choose more or fewer emitters, figure out how many elbows or connectors you need, etc., and add timers, vacuum breakers, filters, and they explain what all of these items do and why you need them.

instead of $1100 to add a timed zone, I spent $200 on parts to run lines from 2 faucets to two boxes each with solar powered digital timers. It would have been much less if I had used one faucet, but I would have had to cross the front porch to reach two of the planters. I ordered a few extra parts where I wasn’t sure, that I can return if I don’t need them. Can’t wait till they get here. I expect to assemble it in a morning, I hope.

Disclaimer: I have no connection to Drip Depot, but found their website easy to use.

It should be fairly straightforward to run tubing through your beds with emitters for each rose, and it will water right at the root zone where it’s needed. You can use the timer or run it manually when you need it.

Or, the simplest is soaker hoses woven in and out of the rose plants and turned on when needed. Or on a manual timer. Beats watering by hand or lugging cans.

Soaker hoses haven’t worked well for me. I have tried several brands and lengths. They over water at the front and under water at the end. Even if I put more of the end around the last plant, it still isn’t enough. Then after a couple of months, they crack and break.

I used to cut extra holes in my soakers near the end of the hose so more water would come out. Not sure how accurate it was, but it seemed to help.

I use sprinklers in several flower beds. They are the metal pole type with a stake at the bottom. A couple of them are telescopic so the height can be adjusted. After years of moving sprinklers around I finally put one in each large bed. I water when we don’t get an inch or so of rain a week, when I have a newly planted bed and when it is super hot and sunny. I have watered a lot recently as it has been quite dry and I have a new bed. Each bed gets about an hour of sprinkling and the soil seems sufficiently moistened. Like Nippstress, I know that water is lost through evaporation but my roses appreciate the shower and birds flock to my yard. As for fungal issues, I see no more black spot in the sprinkler beds than in the beds I water by hand. I have not found a brand that is especially efficient or durable, but I can say that I am always looking for metal, not plastic and (at least for me) not moving the sprinklers around increases their longevity. I can be careless and clumsy with equipment. ;-).

Hi Lily! :-)

I use a combo of ways to water in our yard sprinkler system, hand watering (hose and watering cans), and individual arch sprinklers. Unfortunately the majority of our rose and other plants receive overhead watering, but spider mites are awful and this is the compromise. For comparison we have about 100 roses now spread across a little under an acre (guessing on the space) and have a well (with nasty hard sulfur water) but most everything is municipal water.

The first method is an inground sprinkler system for the sod parts of the yard and some of the flower beds. Some of the sprinkler heads are the rotating spray type with a single stream of water extending a long and high distance. The other sprinklers heads spray in an umbrella shape with a fine almost heavy mist of water. I'm constantly changing when and how long the each section runs as I see one area needs less or more water. Most of our yard is a slightly sloped rock and that effects things quite a bit. What I've found that works best (so far) is to set the system to come on early in the morning for a short amount of time per section and then come on again immediately after the first cycle ends. This seems to help distribute the water more evenly because of the slope. I also set the system to come on one more time in the afternoon to cool things down and help combat the sometime baking afternoon sun. That last run I realize isn't really getting water to the plants, but helps keep some of the more sensitive things from cooking/frying.

Umbrella pop up sprinkler head:

Out by our little greenhouse there are an assortment of pots, baby roses, veggies, herbs, etc.. I use arch sprinklers on timers to water these. The timers are currently set to run once a day, in the morning, but have this neat manual feature. If the plants look like they need a little extra, I hit that button and the sprinkler will come on off schedule for 10 minutes.

I picked up the arch sprinklers and timers at Lowes. I believe the arch sprinklers were $15 and the timers were about $30. I also bought a splitter for the spicket so I can attach two hoses. This is the main spicket by the pool and it was a pain to unhook and rehook the sprinkler just to use the hose.

Finally I found a pretty copper 2 gallon watering can on Overstock for a good deal. I bought 2 and use those to hand water the potted roses on the deck. Those 2 gallon watering cans work great for measuring things like fish emulsion for the roses too. Occasionally I'll also use the shower setting on the garden hose nozzle to hand water as needed.

Thankfully Al (being a glorified plumber ;-) ) is a great help when the sprinkler system or whatever might act doofy. I'm also working on him to put in some type of drip irrigation on the big whiskey barrels I don't plan to move any time soon.

Hope some of this helps!

Shannon :-)

ps I'll add some pictures I just snapped for you in a sec from my phone.

Lily - I have a similar situation to yours. I have about 130 roses, and no irrigation system. I've used a combination of hand watering and ground sprinklers in the past. This year I have finally found a system that does work for me, with sprinklers.

We have no rain from May to around October. It's very hot and dry, and I'm on sand (dry's fast). I'm on well water.

My keys are as follows:

- I place them so that I never have to move them. I HATE moving sprinklers.

- I turn each one on about every 3rd day. More in peek of summer, less as temps cool.

- I turn them on when I'm about to go to bed, and turn them off in the morning.

This is my favorite sprinkler. I have two set in two large rose areas.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Orbit-5-000-sq-ft-Impulse-Tripod-Lawn-Sprinkler/3135847?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA--LawnGarden--Watering-_-3135847:Orbit&CAWELAID=&kpid=3135847&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1043&k_clickID=f1582d12-9db7-4f2a-8229-cec773a40723&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIheWvyPeU3QIViMhkCh12Lw2fEAkYASABEgKXN_D_BwE

This is the sprinkler I use for straight line rose garden areas. It also works for different shaped areas. The key to using it is to put it on a pedestal. I use a pedestal about 2.5 feet high.

https://www.amazon.com/Dramm-ColorStorm-Turret-9-Pattern-Sprinkler/dp/B0029EGJY6/ref=asc_df_B0029EGJY6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198107334619&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13180474074109985844&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013906&hvtargid=pla-319821399083&psc=1

I have minimal issues from the well water other than some blooms looking droopy in the morning after watering.

My well water is so mineralized, that I've learned to steer clear of plastics - metal only. And I have never found an oscillating sprinkler, even metal, that doesn't get stuck.

Would it be better if I installed an irrigation system. Of course. It's been on my todo list for 8 years now.

Sherry, I have one of those Melnor sprinklers you showed and I can't for the life of me get it to stop getting stuck at one end of its cycle. It'll oscillate for one revolution then point enthusiastically at the ground and not move again. I've moved those stupid yellow tabs every way I can, tried readjusting the heads, and a number of other adjustments, and it just stays stuck. Mine might have come from the store broken, but I just got frustrated with it.
Here's my basic Ace Hardware version - they have one with a plastic base that works fine for smaller areas but this one handles large sweeps of the yard without hesitation and is easily adjustable and reliable:

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/watering-and-irrigation/above-ground-sprinklers/7304561

As for how wet the soil gets after one hour of sprinkling, that depends on a ton of factors: type and depth of mulch, type of soil, how dry the soil and air are, obstructions to parts of the garden getting watered, etc. Sandy soils for instance probably need very different watering care from mine, and some kinds of mulch can repel moisture and make it harder to actually water the underlying soil. So I'll make a guess for my loamy clay with about 2-3" of loose semi-shredded leaf mulch on a two week span with no rain but not a drought condition - with an hour's watering, I can feel the soil wet to most of a finger's depth, which is all I need.

As far as blackspot for roses too, I've heard some reports of testing with overhead watering that it can wash off the blackspot spores and decrease blackspot, with the caveat that the water shouldn't be standing long term on the leaves (which is why we more often water in the morning). The conditions that particularly promote blackspot involve humidity in the air rather than the humidity that falls in the form of rain and disappears into the soil, though any type of trapping moisture against rose canes can promote fungal problems particularly on the East Coast of the US.

Cynthia

This is what I use to water my whole garden. I can connect three together

https://www.gardeners.com/buy/hi-rise-sprinkler/39-013.html?q=sprinkler&start=2

Another soaker hose fan! I've found the shorter lengths (25 or 50 feet) do better with a reasonably even distribution of water. Even so, I set it up so that the far end of the hose curves around more, so that I get more of the hose near each plant, if that makes sense.

I bury the hoses in mulch, and they've all lasted for 10+ years. I do have one that is 20 years old that isn't worth much anymore. My only problem is that I sometimes slice right through them with my shovel. Now I locate the hose first, and dig second. DH has become an expert in soaker hose repair. :)

Cynthia:

You wrote that your Melnor oscillating sprinkler freezes at the end of a cycle.

The same thing happened to a Melnor sprinkler I purchased at a big box about 12 years ago. I used the contact box at their website to describe the problem. They wrote back to say that replacing the sprinkler motor would solve the problem, and they sent me a new motor within a week. Very easy replacement. Covered by their warranty.

I use one of the rotating impulse sprinklers for the veggie garden, and in the few instances I’ve needed it, in the ornamental beds. Everything is well mulched and the soil is fairly rich in organics in the ornamental beds, so we need to go for more than a month without rain before the ornamentals need supplemental water. Because the ornamental beds all have shrubs and small trees, I use one with a spike that I can wedge into a tall piece of pipe or conduit so it reaches over the taller plants. I move it around the bed a few times to help even out any irregular pattern, and tend to run it for several hours, but only every couple of weeks. In the veggies, I run it when we go for more than a week or two without appreciable rain. I have a well, but I have yet to reach its capacity.

In my previous home, with a good dug well, I did manage to run the well down once . . . But I had watered various beds for a day plus done laundry. I had weepy soaker hoses, and for me they worked really well, but were set up with a main feed that then forked off into a bunch of shorter runs, less than 20’. There were shut off valves so I could control which areas were getting watered, and the hoses were buried under mulch, so they were still functioning well after at least 5 years when we moved. The only reason I don’t have soaker hoses now is because the veggies are too far from the spigot at the house for easy set up.

NHBabs, did you install soaker hoses before or after the garden? I've wondered about putting one in after plants are established, and if it's a possibility or worth the effort.

Since it is on the soil surface under the mulch, it shouldn’t be too difficult to install after the plants die back, even in an established garden. And to me, it makes more sense to add them once you have an idea what plants will be most likely to need extra water so you can route the hoses accordingly. Mine were in the veggie garden. The only issue, as Karin_mt commented, is knowing where the leaky hose is before you dig. I have regular enough rain that it isn’t many seasons I have had to water the ornamentals once beds are established, so it wasn’t worth it to put them there, but you have different rain patterns where you are.

Than you!. I was thinking they needed to be in the ground and not just under mulch. That helps. Right now my established ornamentals don't need them, but I'm having to revamp my pollinator bed. I thought I could establish easy pollinator plants in that bed, but I found out the hard way that the soil is just way too gone even for them. I had hoped to avoid the labor of redoing that bed, but I'm going to have to rejuvenate it. A soaker hose would really be helpful if I can avoid the hours of watering I had to do during the establishment of my last major beds!

My last post completely contradicts the previous one. As you can tell, my mind is all over the place. Mu pollinator bed gets more sun, and there are some established plants in that bed I'll have to work around when it gets revamped for new plantings. I've translated quite a few things out of it, so there is a significant area for new things. Both the new things and the established things could benefit from the soaker hoses.

Yup, just to confirm that you add the soaker hoses after everything's planted and you're pretty sure you're not going to move everything all over again. I use landscape staples to hold the hose in place, then make a rough map of where the hose is (and especially where the connector is, because it's easy to lose track over the winter). Then I cover it with mulch.

Oh, but be sure to test the hose as you're setting it up. The rate of water flow does vary along the length of the hose, and also varies with little ups and downs in the topography. I let it run and watch where the water goes and adjust as necessary. This is a nice task for a hot day. :)

I have two areas with woodland-type plants that are competing with tree roots. Those need a lot more water than the rest of my garden, so they are on short, 25-foot soakers that I run more frequently. That flexibility is nice.

My beds are established and the hoses have been in there forever. Gosh it is so easy now! I only run them in July and early August.