Irrigation System – Worth the Price?

Q: I moved to Georgia last year from south Florida, so I’m used to having an irrigation system. Is it worth $1700 to have one installed for watering bermudagrass and a few flower beds? I don’t necessarily have to have the nicest lawn on the block year-round, but I do want a nice green lawn.

A: I think you can have an adequate lawn without an irrigation system. It might go a bit yellow in terrible droughts but would look fine most of the year. You can have a year-round green lawn by overseeding ryegrass into your bermudagrass turf in September each year. Watering the rye seed initially is the only time you’ll appreciate having an irrigation system. I think the flower beds could do very well with only soaker hoses. You can install an irrigation system yourself but the work of designing the head layout and digging the trenches is daunting to most people. More details here:    http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/irrigation-measuring-how-much/