There are a few major factors that will help you determine what irrigation system would be right for your property. Specifically, you’ll want to consider your plant material, slope, and any water restrictions or laws. Let’s break that down.

The first consideration is your property’s plant material. Earlier we talked about how different types of plant material have different water needs. As a result, your irrigation system can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution; it should be designed with the right products to meet all of your landscape’s varying water needs. For example, your lawn will require sprinklers, but perennials or ornamentals in your beds will do just fine with drip irrigation.

Slope comes into play when your property has elevation changes that affect drainage. If not addressed properly, some plants will receive too much water, while others won’t get enough; worse, you could have much larger problems like flooding or erosion. Appropriate sprinkler spacing, plus solutions like controllers, pressure regulating devices, and specialized nozzles can help. Your landscape pro can guide you to the right mix for your property.

Finally, you’ll need to consider how any local water restrictions or laws might affect your options. For example, some municipalities restrict watering with an irrigation system to once a week, but allow drip irrigation any day between certain hours. Check with your local water authority, or ask your landscape partner, to stay abreast of current restrictions. Be sure to also ask about any available rebates that could help offset the cost of your irrigation system. Many local water authorities offer them to incentivize conservation.

The biggest benefit of a smart irrigation system is that you save time and money. Smart irrigation systems optimize your sprinkler run time so you’re watering at the right time of day and for the right duration under current conditions. When you overwater, you’re not only flushing a precious resource down the drain, you’re literally flushing money down the drain. Plus, it can damage your plants by encouraging disease.

Smart irrigation saves you time in that you no longer have to make manual adjustments to your irrigation system to account for Mother Nature’s unpredictability. For example, who wants to jump out of bed to turn off the sprinkler system in the early morning because it’s running during a storm? Not me!

And finally, I think one of the most overlooked benefits of a smart irrigation system is its ability to shut itself down immediately when a leak is detected. That’s a very valuable feature to have in place, which can guard against a costly water bill and repairs.