Expert Irrigation Advice & Lawn Care Tips

Helpful advice, seasonal guidance, and water-saving strategies to help you maintain an efficient, healthy irrigation system year-round.

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20255 min read

Rachio vs. RainMachine in 2020: Who Makes the Best Smart Sprinkler Controller?

As pollution, water wastage, drought, and climate change continuously affect the availability of water, a lot of Americans are taking action to lessen the worsening problem by looking for effective solutions. One of the best – and smartest – solutions for this worsening problem is by performing irrigation at the right time and with just the right amount of water through a smart sprinkler controller. But here lies the problem: there are numerous smart sprinkler controllers out in the market...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20254 min read

Rachio vs Skydrop Smart Sprinkler Controllers

Those who are interested in only the best smart sprinkler controllers for their irrigation system often end up comparing the Rachio and Skydrop. These two brands offer controllers with a wealth of rich features that make it easy to manage complex landscapes from your smart phone or computer perfectly. Both systems are on the high end of expense, but for homeowners who want a truly seamless and intuitive sprinkler experience, the money is worth it. But, which of these two sprinkler controllers...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

How Often Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

It’s often surprising what a dramatic effect aeration can have on your lawn. Shortly after, your lawn will be restored and more vibrant than it was before. However, like any good thing, it is possible to aerate your lawn too much. Your lawn will recover from them, but excess aerating isn’t helping your lawn. So, how often should you aerate your lawn? Let’s discuss this. Why Does a Lawn Need to be Aerated? It’s important to know why a lawn needs to be aerated to make your decision about...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

Why is There Pooling Water Around My Sprinkler Head?

Have you seen pooling water around your sprinkler heads? Small pools of water near the sprinkler heads are a sign of one kind of small leak or another. This problem can slowly undermine the health of your lawn, not to mention cost you a fortune in wasted water. So, it’s crucial to fix this problem as soon as you can. Here are the three likely causes of pooling water around your sprinkler head and what you can do about them. 1. Leaky Zone Valve If you notice that there are pools of water...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

How do I Make My Sprinkler Head Pop Up Higher

When the weather is hot, there’s nothing worse than trying to turn your sprinkler on, watching for the water to come on and realizing that your heads are only popping up partway or not at all. There are a few reasons why the heads may not be popping up the way that you expect them too, and it can range from a broken head to something that is simple and quick to fix. So, to help you with getting your sprinkler heads to pop up higher, we have included some tips that you can use to help you...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

Landscape Lighting Tips

When the weather is nice, especially during the summer, the evening coming doesn’t mean that you have to go inside. However, you want to make sure that you have some landscape lighting both so that you can create a mood and for safety. Below we have highlighted some of the most common places that you want to light up in your landscape around your home and some tips on how to do it the best way possible. Path A path that is well lit is welcoming and provides light that extends hospitality to...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

How Many Lumens for Landscape Lighting?

Lumens measure the amount of light that a fixture produces. The more lumens, the brighter a light will appear. In your home, a 40-watt bulb gives off about 450 lumens. But in your yards, things are a little more complicated. You might want security lights to be that bright, but what about pathway or feature lighting? The amount of lumens you need depends on the type of lights, your goals with the lighting, and a bit of personal preference. Still, we can offer this guide to give you a good...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

How to Cap Off a Sprinkler Head

Capping sprinkler heads is a wise idea when you need to winterize your sprinkler system, or if you need to shut it down for a period of time. You may also want to cap a head when it is no longer being used because you’ve redesigned the system or made changes in your landscape. How Does a Sprinkler Cap Work? Before you install a cap you need to understand how it works. If you don’t have to worry about frozen pipes, then water can still run through the lines connected to the sprinkler head...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

How to Tell if a Sprinkler Valve Solenoid is Bad

A sprinkler valve solenoid is the part of the sprinkler that controls water pressure in the system. Sprinkler controllers send out electrical systems to the valve solenoid,which then allows only enough water through the valve to create the right pressure. Pressure determines how much water comes out of the sprinkler head and how far it goes. So, the sprinkler valve solenoid is a critical part of the sprinkler system. Unfortunately, they go bad frequently, often due to debris. Here’s how to...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

What to Do If Your Sprinkler Coverage is too High

What happens if your sprinkler coverage is too high? Does it seem like your sprinklers overlap too much, covering too much of your lawn and therefore applying too much water? Here’s how you can troubleshoot your spray patterns and get just the right coverage for your lawn to ensure it stays healthy and not waterlogged. How Much Coverage is Too Much? First things first, you should determine if your sprinkler coverage actually is too high. The spray of each sprinkler head is actually intended...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

Brown Spots on Lawn After Fertilizing: What It Means and What You Should Do

You’re a dedicated homeowner who care about your lawn; that’s why you’ve fertilized it. If you’ve found brown spots after doing so, you’re probably feeling a little discouraged. Why has your lawn’s quality degraded since you tried to care for it, and what can you do about it? Here’s what you need to know if your lawn has developed brown spots after being fertilized. Over-Fertilization If these brown spots have popped up on your lawn just after you’ve put fertilizer on, it’s most likely that...

Wix Mentor Dec 21, 20252 min read

Does Sand Help Lawn Drainage?

Is your lawn having trouble absorbing and draining water? If you start to learn about the basics of soil to fix this problem, you might be led astray. There are two very general kinds of soil that might be beneath your grass: clay and sandy. Sand drains water very well, while clay does not. However, that does not mean that adding sand will help your lawn drainage. Let us explain why that doesn’t work and what you should be doing instead. Why Sand Doesn’t Help Lawn Drainage Yes, sandy soils...