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Although it is officially still the autumn season, it’s the perfect time to prepare your backyard or commercial pond to ensure it is ready to survive the long winter months ahead. Here’s how.

Remove Your Pond Filter

If your pond will not be running during the winter months and you use a pond filter, be sure to remove it while preparing your pond for winter. Leaving the filter elements in the pond while the water freezes increases the chances of damage to your filter in the spring.

Clean the Pond

You will need a long rake to pull dead leaves and plants, algae, flowers, and other debris to the edge of the pond, taking care not to damage the pond liner. Next, remove the debris from the end of the rake and place it in a trash bag. Take extra caution not to disrupt floating vegetation while cleaning because it can grow again in the spring.

Move Any Remaining Plants

If any tall plants remain, move them inside if you expect your pond to completely freeze over. For climates where water does not freeze entirely, move the plants down lower into the pond. You will need to dig a minimum of 18 inches to keep them safe during the winter season.

Vacuum the Pond

After completing the above steps, finish the job by running a vacuum hose across the bottom. This clears away any remaining debris as well as eliminates any wastes that can be toxic to fish.

Irrigation Outlet carries these and other pond cleaning supplies. Check us out today.

Poor drainage does not affect the structural integrity of your house only. It could also be the reason your landscape is dying out and lifeless. Although water is an important commodity in the growth of lush green grass, too much of it can affect the quality and density of grass growing in your yard, and even cause the grass and other plants to dry.

Here are a few ways poor drainage is slowly ruining your yard and making it unsuitable for lawn, flowers and other plants.

Water Logging

Water that stands too long in pools damages the roots of your plants. Too much water deprives the plant roots of oxygen and can cause the roots to rot slowly killing the plants. Being exposed to water for too long deprives the plants of air needed to survive. Prolonged exposure to water also leads to different plant diseases like fungal diseases.

Compacting soil

If the yard is not properly drained and experiences a lot of traffic, the muddy soil can easily become compact. The soil becomes extremely hard and prevents roots of plants from growing getting nutrients, air and water. It also prevents water from leaching properly, and with time, the plants dry out.

Before replanting, the soil has to be loosened. To prevent future damage and compaction, you should consider having alternative routes away from the yard to prevent compacting especially during the rainy seasons.

To enjoy a lush lawn with thriving glass and plants, you need to invest in proper drainage that allow just enough water for the plants to grow without drowning them. One of the ways you can do this is by having a gentle slope on the yard which helps the water flow away. The other is getting quality drainage products. Contact Irrigation Outlet for professional advice and high-quality products.

Summer is the season for all those who love to see their lawns look fresh and green. But, did you also know that winter is good, but it comes with its challenges?

When the ground is moist, plants look lively, and we all love the environment. However, it is during the same season that winter weeds invade lawns. If you are not careful, your lawn may be covered in weeds when spring-time rolls around.

At Irrigation Outlet, we endeavor to provide expert advice on how you can control winter weeds in your lawn and keep your landscape looking is best year round.

Start Early with a Pre-Emergent Herbicide

The best way to control winter weeds is to eliminate them before they get a chance to become established. By applying a pre-emergent herbicide in late fall, you can get the jump on many winter weeds. Since no single pre-emergent herbicide eliminates every weed, it is good practice to rotate pre-emergents in the fall and early spring.

Apply a Post-Emergent Herbicide

Since it is impossible to eliminate every weed with a pre-emergent herbicide, it is usually necessary to spot treat areas of your lawn with a post-emergent herbicide such as Image. Image herbicide works to eliminate some of the tougher winter lawn weeds. For the herbicide to work best, we advise that you follow the label instructions closely. Image is designed to work on warm on warm season grasses. Don’t use Image on cool season grasses such as tall fescue.

Image Herbicide works best on these seven all-time lawn weeds:

1. Wild onion.
2. Wild garlic.
3. Dollarweed
4. Deadnettle.
5. Bittercress.
6. Wild Violets.
7. Clover.

Always Maintain Your Lawn

Perhaps the best way to control winter lawn weeds is to ensure your lawn gets appropriately maintained. When a house gets swept, mopped, and vacuumed on a regular basis, chances of molds invading are meager. It is the case with your lawn. If you don’t want weeds on your lawn, have a calendar of maintaining it.

For questions and inquiries, contact us, and we’ll be glad to assist.

Are you a homeowner? Do you know how to winterize your sprinkler system?

Follow the steps below to learn how to prepare your sprinkler system for winter;

• 1. Turn off water supply: Turn the water supply off at the main valve. It’s important to note that the main valve should be protected from freezing temperatures. It needs to be buried beneath the frost line, or well insulated.
• 2. Turn off irrigation controller: If you have an automatic timer, turn it off or set it to rain mode.
• 3. Turn on valves: To release any pressure, turn on all of the valves.
• 4. Drain the water: Drain the entire system by blowing out the water with an air compressor. If your system is PVC pipe, the pressure shouldn’t exceed 80 psi. If the system is polyethylene pipe, the maximum pressure is 50psi.
• 5. Remove the backflow preventer: In some cases, you can remove the backflow preventer and store it away for the winter. Make sure you drain the water completely before you store it.
• 6. Insulate pipes above ground: All water pipes that are above ground should be insulated to protect them from freezing temperatures.

Winterize your sprinkler system the right way with Irrigation Outlet expertsto avoid winter season inconveniences. Winter presents us with low temperatures, and quality products should be used in winterizing the sprinkler system for a longer lasting solution. Our team of experts are here to help you go through a stress free winter season. We achieve this by equipping you with the simplest ways and best irrigation accessories. In case you have a question, need our services, or have an inquiry feel free to contact us.

While most people know that making improvements to their home will increase its resale value, very few homeowners understand just how much outdoor upgrades can contribute to their home’s value and curb appeal.

Here are a few outdoor home improvements that will make for the best investments to add value.

Improved landscaping and gardening

Improved landscaping and gardening will go far in helping you fetch better prices when you finally decide to sell your home. Basic upgrades such as planting trees, adding flowering shrubs and lawn maintenance will enhance the outdoor appearance of both your front and backyard.

Boosted curb appeal in the front yard

Curb appeal is everything when it comes to keeping your home’s exterior in optimal condition. Improving the exterior of your home will help you make a good first impression and ensure high return on investment. Some of the changes you can make in this regard include replacing your front door, pressure washing the exterior, driveway restoration and repainting the exterior with warm and inviting colors.

Additional outdoor living space

If you have a reasonably big backyard, you can consider having additional outdoor living space. Installing a patio, deck or outdoor kitchen will create more room for cooking and entertaining your guests. If you love unwinding beside a crackling fire, you can add an outdoor fire pit or fireplace to give you the pleasure and increase the value of your home while at it.

Garden entertainment

Having features that offer you entertainment in your garden will allow you to enjoy your investment and at the same time boost the value of your property. A swimming pool, spa and garden beds are some of the features you may want to include as you upgrade your home’s exterior.

If you are to take proper care of your lawn, you should consider investing in quality irrigation products. If you would like to get professional advice about these products or have your questions answered, kindly contact our experts at Irrigation Outlet.

Safety and security are obvious benefits to having a well-lit yard. But there are some other benefits that are not so obvious. Outdoor lighting can offer some great aesthetics for enhancing the look of your home and your landscaping at night. Here are some key benefits to a well-lit yard:

Path Lighting:

Create a welcoming atmosphere at your home for guests with nighttime path lighting. An added benefit to path lights is that it keeps guests from wandering into your yard or flower beds if they’re not quite sure where the path is after dark!

Expanded Living Space:

Landscape lighting can be used to extend your living space after dark, especially if your family enjoys outdoor barbecues or other activities that extend into the evenings. Light up the outdoor space to make your yard the perfect spot for outdoor dinner parties and other fun activities.

Boundary Lighting:

Most homes have fencing, shrubbery or some other property marker for boundaries. Lighting can be overlapped to create a continuous wall of light around your property to showcase it, while at the same time expanding that nighttime activity area.

Highlight Features:

Sculptures, fountains or other luxury landscaping features can be enhanced with directional lights. Showcase these objects with directional lighting. If you have a fountain, underwater lights can be a great way to show these off.

These are just a few of the added benefits of having a well-lit yard. If you want to explore some area lighting options for your home but don’t know where to start, contact Irrigation Outlet!

If you make changes to your garden or your landscaping, you might need to adjust your pop-up sprinkler heads. The good news is that this a really simple process. Most pop-up sprinkler heads are designed the same way and all you’ll need to readjust are a pair of pliers and a regular screwdriver.

Here’s how to tell whether you should adjust your sprinkler heads and how to do it:

1. Do an Inspection

After watering your lawn, take a look at your lawn to see if there are any problem spots. Is water pooling in one area? That could be a drainage issue on your property, or it could mean that the sprinklers covering that area are delivering too much water. Does your lawn have a nice uniform color? Are there any spots that are “not quite as green?” That could mean you’re not delivering enough water to those areas, requiring a different adjustment.

2. Turn the Water Back On

Once you’ve identified any potential problem spots, turn the water back on. You should be able to visually verify what’s happening (too much water or not enough in the problem areas).

3. Readjust Your Pop-Up Spray Heads

To adjust a sprinkler head, grip the sprayer head with a pair of pliers or a pull-up tool, and pull it up as far as it will go. Adjust the nozzle clockwise or counter-clockwise until it will fully cover the area you want watered. If the water spray is too much or too little, you can adjust the output screw on top of the sprinkler head with a screwdriver.

4. Turn the Water Back On

Check your results! Keep adjusting the pop-up heads until you have the water spraying exactly where you want it.

Spray pop-up sprinkler heads are inexpensive and easy to adjust once you get the hang of them. If you have any questions or need any replacement heads, contact Irrigation Outlet!

The winter months usually aren’t very harsh for us in South Carolina, but you still need to do some seasonal work to get your lawn ready for the cooler months. Taking care of your lawn before winter sets in will ensure that it grows in green and lush when spring arrives.

Here are some winning formulas to strengthen your lawn for the winter:

Fertilize Before Winter

You’ll want to revitalize the nutrients in the soil after the long summer months. Late fall, preferably before the first frost, is the best time to do this. If you apply a low nitrogen lawn fertilizer before the ground freezes, it will nourish the roots of your lawn all winter long.

Mowing

During the last month of mowing season, gradually lower your lawn mower’s blades a little bit each time. Cutting the grass lower over time will allow it to winter well. The key to knowing the proper mowing height for your lawn, is to know the type of grass you have. Once you have determined the type you have (warm season or cool season), you can maintain it at the suggested height.

Clean off the Lawn

Rake up all the leaves before winter arrives and remove any lawn furniture or other items from the grass. Leaving something on top of the grass can produce an ugly dead spot that you’ll have to deal with in the spring. With that in mind, remember that your lawn is not a parking lot during the winter months. If you can minimize foot traffic on the lawn during the winter months, that will help as well.

The key is to do these things before winter arrives and not at the last minute. If you have any questions on landscaping or strengthening your yard, contact Irrigation Outlet for quality products and professional advice.

Drainage problems are unsightly, exposing bare tree roots and creating water trails throughout your yard. Other signs of lawn drainage issues include standing water on soft or hard surfaces, areas where grass refuses to grow, water seeping into your basement or crawl space, and sunken areas around your home’s foundation.

Here are 3 common landscape drainage issues and how to solve them:

1. Poor Slope Around the Home

To keep your home’s foundation dry, the ground surface of your yard should drop a few inches every 10 feet to provide a positive slope away from the home. The grade around your home can be altered due to topsoil erosion from heavy rains or planting flower beds and other landscape renovations.

You can solve this improper grading problems by creating a pitch away from the house with topsoil or installing a sub-surface drainage system such as a French drain to collect rainwater and direct it away from the home.

2. Too Many Paved Surfaces

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Believe it or not, urban areas are prone to drainage problems due to new construction that doesn’t account for proper storm water drainage. If your home and community has more hardscape surfaces than landscaping, you may experience issues with improper drainage.

Divert surface water away from your home with a trench drain. These concrete-lined channels are perfect for homes with too many paved surfaces.

3. Water Run-off Erosion

The downspouts on your home can wash away soil and alter the grading. If the gutter spouts on your home are dumping water at specific locations, expect the grade of this area to be altered.

Either modify the down spouts by attaching extensions to route the water away from the home’s foundation, or as an attractive option consider a dry creek bed with colorful rocks to divert water and stop soil erosion.  Catch basins can also be used to collect the water from down spouts and pipe it away from the house.

Contact the experts at Irrigation Outlet when you are faced with drainage problems around the home’s foundation or in your landscaping. We have the products and the knowledge to help homeowners keep their foundations dry and their yards properly drained.

You’ve just gotten your landscaping just right? Your yard looks beautiful, and then a thunderstorm dumps inches and inches of rain and ruins your hard work. What’s the answer?

Catch Basin – A Solution for Excess Water in Your Yard

A catch basin is an enclosed receptacle that is buried underground, usually at the lowest point in your yard. Its purpose is to collect excess rainwater and carry it off your property.

The opening at top of the basin has a grate installed to prevent it from clogging, either from leaves or storm debris. The opening underground is connected to a drainage line which lies in a sloped trench leading to a public drain system or creek (where legally permitted) or sandy area where the water filters back into the ground.

Where Can a Catch Basin Be Used?

• Drain off water from your house gutters.
• Collect and drain from a low spot in your yard.
• Drain water that collects near your home’s foundation.
• Drain water from a low area in your driveway.
• Remove standing water from a stone patio or pool deck.

Why Catch Basins Are Important for your Property

Damage from excess water is expensive to repair – water seeks its own level, ending up in unsuspected places.

• Standing water kills trees and ornamental plants.
• Standing water kills grass and expensive sod.
• Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• If standing water seeps into your foundation, your foundation may crack or sink.

Before beginning your drainage project, prepare a list of the items you’ll need. Don’t forget connectors and pipe. You’ll also need stone for your trenches.

Call or email the professionals at Irrigation Outlet. We’ll make sure that you have everything you need to complete your job.

You put a lot work into your home and you do not want to let weeds take over your yard. Take some proactive steps to make sure that weeds never stand a chance! Here are three of the best ways to prevent weeds from growing in the first place.

1. Feed the Grass

Weeds don’t stand a chance against a healthy, lush lawn. Give your lawn the proper amount of fertilizer every six to eight weeks during the growing season. If the grass in your lawn stays healthy and full, it prevents weeds from sprouting in the first place. Be sure to rake up excessive grass clippings on a regular basis, so they can’t build up and create a “dead spot” on the lawn (weeds love those dead spots).

2. Raise Your Mower Blades

Weeds cannot sprout if they do not receive sunlight. Raise the blades on your lawn mower to one of the two highest settings. This will allow your grass to grow just a little bit taller, which prevents sunlight from reaching all the way down to where the weed seeds are.

3. Water Properly

If you water your lawn more frequently, with smaller amounts of water, your grass will grow shallow roots in response. A better option is to water deeply and less frequently. This way the roots of your grass will dig more deeply into the soil, to absorb as much water as possible. A deeper root structure for your grass will provide less room for weeds to sprout.

What to Do If the Weeds Start to Win

Sometimes the weeds may start to take hold, despite your best efforts. If that happens, give us a call at Irrigation Outlet at (803) 461-0561. We have selective herbicides available that will target the weeds in your lawn while leaving your grass green and healthy.

If you have water pooling in the yard every time you run your irrigation system, something needs to be corrected. Sometimes the problem will just require a simple fix, like replacing some sprinkler heads. But first, you have to identify the problem. Here are some possible reasons why your yard looks more like a pond after you run the water.

Reasons Your Irrigation System’s Water Pools in the Yard

• Broken Sprinkler Heads: If your sprinkler system is automated, you might be running it at night or while you’re at work. Turn the system on so you can see it in action. A busted sprinkler head can shoot water straight up in the air the entire time. Spray head nozzles are quick and easy to replace.
• Misplaced Sprinkler Heads: If your home has an irrigation system that was a DIY installation, it may not have properly accounted for a slope in the yard. Call in the pros to check your system and determine if it needs to be adjusted or reinstalled.
• Broken Sprinkler Lines: Just because your sprinkler lines are underground does not mean they are unbreakable. A broken line can cause water too pool on the surface.
• Thatch & Yard Debris: Sometimes pooling water will have nothing to do with your irrigation system. If you have a lot of leaves or grass clippings built up on the lawn, it can prevent water from reaching the soil quickly enough. Take a rake to your yard and see if clearing off the thatch can reduce the problem.

If you just can’t determine the cause of water pooling on your lawn, give us a call at Irrigation Outlet to check your system at (803) 461-0561.