Cut costs with the right sprinkler system

"The summer of 2018 represented a major tipping point," says Rudolf van de Velde, manager of product specialists at Wildkamp. "It was a very hot summer and many people found a withered garden when they returned home from their vacations. Since then, we see that there is much more attention to garden irrigation. And that it has become more and more affordable. However, it is important to install the sprinklers correctly and this is where we still sometimes see things go wrong. This is why we offer free sprinkler plans."

Colleague Niels Feijen is a technical project officer and adds: "We are indeed noticing a huge increase in sales of our sprinkler products. We also note that nowadays almost every gardener specializes in installing a sprinkler system. But we still see some areas for improvement here and there. This can lead to unnecessary costs for water and electricity, as well as wasting our precious drinking water. Or it results in dissatisfied customers because the garden does not bloom to its full potential."

Feijen: "People regularly tend not to install enough sprinklers. If two sprinklers are too far apart, the overlap of the precipitation is not ideal. As a result, you get dry spots and you have to spray longer. At the bottom line, it is more economical to install an extra sprinkler. That easily outweighs the savings in water and electricity costs. Make no mistake, you're quickly talking about a few cubic meters of water per spray, so this really adds up." Van de Velde: "What we also find is that people sometimes connect the same group to both the grass and the border, even though they don't have the same water needs. In our irrigation plan, we take into account the specific situation in the garden: where is paving, where is there a large tree, how is the lawn situated, and so on. If the landscaper already has the planting plan ready, we can also include it in our design. We have special software for this that even allows us to calculate the pipe loss. In other words, you get a well thought-out plan, completely customized. And of course it saves the gardener a lot of time. I do recommend requesting this free irrigation plan in good time. We try to have the plan worked out within five working days, but in busier periods it sometimes takes a little longer."

Feijen: "Now that irrigation has become commonplace, we see that garden owners are demanding more and more comfort. People actually want to enjoy their garden and have as little work as possible. There are more and more products on the market that automate watering, whether or not in combination with smart systems that provide efficient irrigation. And we see that these techniques are becoming more and more affordable."

It is often mistakenly thought that a sprinkler system is a hefty investment. In practice, however, this is not so bad. On the website one can find price indications for sprinkling different types of gardens. "Of course, the final price depends on the specific requirements and the size of the garden. We can offer everything up to and including a fully computer-controlled underground system." By connecting the control system to sensors, one can increase efficiency and comfort. In addition, one can opt for a Wi-Fi connection so that the sprinkler system can also be controlled remotely. "With the most luxurious system, you can even enter what type of crop you have, including the age of that crop. And there are already computers that no longer run on the power grid, but on solar cells or through a turbine on water power."