Water, water everywhere, but not unless you drag the garden hose from place to place. Those of you who don’t have an underground sprinkler system experience this every spring and continue to wrestle until the temperature turns cold in New Jersey. In fact, irrigating should not be irritating – you should not have to reposition a manual lawn sprinkler over and over again, day after day.
The wonders of automatic irrigation system
The technology that goes along with modern underground watering systems is nothing short of amazing.
Years ago, we attached pipes to the local water source, added a valve or two, slapped on a few heads and plugged it all into a simple mechanical timer. Over the years, as we began to fully understand the value of water and how to conserve it. The manufacturers of irrigation system products rose to the challenge, using our ever-increasingly fast-paced technology. To create products that distribute water just when and where we need it.
The number and types of these irrigation products on the market can be overwhelming to the do-it-yourselfer. Sprinkler heads come in different shapes and sizes, and disperse varying amounts of water 
per minute. There are rotary heads for lawn areas, and spray heads for planting beds. MP rotors to increase coverage and drip irrigation for planter boxes and such. The nozzles in the spray heads can be set with different arc positions to water full circle, half circle, or quarter circle, depending on where the water needs to fall.
The brains of an automatic sprinkler system
The brains of an automatic sprinkler system is the controller. The old-style mechanical timers were veritable work horses, and surprisingly accurate. The best mechanical sprinkler timers were by Superior and Imperial Valet. Although they are extremely versatile, they cannot provide the complete 
watering flexibility of digital timers. One of our best selling timers is the Hunter Pro-C controller, which is incredibly user friendly and offers the option to set the sprinkler system for odd/even watering, which seems to have become standard procedure here in Northeast Jersey during the summer months. The Pro-C (as well as other digital controllers) allows you to set and automatically run more than one program. This allows regular watering schedule, any additional watering for newly seeded lawn areas, newly planted flower beds, or other conditions.
Irrigation Controller
Irrigation controller manufacturers have, in recent years, developed ‘super brains’ for the automatic sprinkler system. These technological marvels, known as ‘Smart Controllers’, actually receive daily satellite downloads of the weather and environmental conditions for your specific location, collect accurate rainfall samples and calculate envirotranspiration rates based on temperature and humidity.
Irrigation Controllers are set by individual watering zone. It measures the amount of sun/shade, type of soil and watering needs of the plants in that zone. Furthermore, these controllers provide an efficient and maintenance-free watering system that can be accurately adjusted to your landscape needs.
Horizon Landscape Company in Wyckoff, New Jersey has been installing and servicing underground sprinkler systems for over 40 years, and has kept up with the changing pace of watering technology. Our Irrigation Department manager, Tom Hartigan, is ready to design your perfect watering solution and also answer questions concerning irrigation. Contact Tom via email, or call Debbie at 201-848-0022, ext. 207, to arrange for an estimating appointment. If you already have a sprinkler system and need service at your property in Bergen County, our experienced technicians are happy to assist you. Installing and maintaining your automatic sprinkler system is just one more way we can help perfect your place on Earth.