Archive for January 2026

The best time to irrigate for almost every West Michigan lawn is early morning, between 4 and 9 a.m., when cool air and low wind cut evaporation and the grass dries before fungus can set in. Skip midday, which loses water to heat, and evening, which leaves grass wet overnight. Water deeply rather than often, around 1 inch per week, and let the soil dry slightly between cycles. Adjust run times by sprinkler type and soil: clay needs shorter, spaced cycles while sandy soil needs longer, deeper ones.

Winterizing your irrigation system in West Michigan keeps pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads from cracking once temperatures drop. Homeowners can shut off the main water supply, set the controller to Off or Rain Mode, drain the backflow preventer, and wrap exposed components. The blowout takes commercial air volume that home compressors cannot safely produce, so leave that step to a professional. Finish between mid-October and early November, before several nights of hard freeze, since spring repairs usually cost more than winterization would have.

No single irrigation system fits every yard. For most medium and large West Michigan lawns, an in-ground sprinkler system gives the best all-around results with even, automated coverage, while rotors suit large or irregular lots, drip lines water beds efficiently, and smart controllers cut waste by adjusting to weather. Match your choice to lawn size, yard shape, soil, and water pressure: clay holds moisture and wants shorter cycles, while sandy soil drains fast and wants slower, deeper watering. Many homeowners get the strongest long-term results from a hybrid that pairs rotors and spray heads for turf with drip for beds. Whatever you install, plan for winterization before the first freeze.

Good irrigation comes down to timing, depth, and matching your setup to your soil. Water early morning between 4 and 9 a.m., go deep at about 1 inch per week across two sessions rather than a daily sprinkle, and let the soil dry slightly between cycles. Adjust run times by system and soil: spray heads 10 to 15 minutes, rotors 20 to 40, drip 30 to 60, with shorter paused cycles for Kent and Ottawa clay and longer ones for Muskegon and Newaygo sand. Check your work with the tuna can and screwdriver tests, then scale watering up in peak summer and back in spring and fall.

A DIY irrigation system pays off on smaller, simpler yards, while complex landscapes are better left to a pro. Map your yard into zones by sun and shade, then test water pressure (PSI) and flow rate (GPM), since those set how many heads each zone can run. Keep spray heads and rotors in separate zones, space heads so each reaches the next, and add a backflow preventer; above-ground setups run $75 to $200 and in-ground $300 to $800. Water early morning at about 1 inch per week, tighten cycles for clay and lengthen them for sand, then winterize before the first freeze.