To figure out which types of sprinkler heads will work best in your yard, take another look at your garden plan. Make copies—one for each area—so you will have plenty of space to write down the number, type, and location of each circuit’s sprinkler heads. If you’re planning a combination sprinkler and drip system, plan the sprinklers first and then the drip system.

You have plenty of options when it comes to designing your sprinkler pattern since sprinkler heads come in such a wide range of throw distances and nozzles. Begin planning out rectangular spaces, since irregular or curved areas are more of a challenge. You want to use as few sprinkler heads as possible in each area while still maintaining good coverage. More sprinkler heads mean more circuits, which will increase the overall cost of installing your system.

Sprinkler heads should always be placed so that the sprays overlap—the distance one head throws should reach the head of the next sprinkler. This is called head-to-head coverage, and sprinklers should be placed equidistantly in each zone to achieve it.

Rectangular areas
In rectangular spaces, start by placing sprinklers in the corners, adding more along the perimeter if necessary. A 30-by-60-foot lawn, for instance, can use 30-foot rotors in each corner and in the middle of each long side. For less easily divided dimensions, place a sprinkler head in the corners and work out the fewest number of heads for each long side based on how far the spray heads or rotors throw. Put a sprinkler head in the middle of the lawn if the area is wider than the sprinkler heads can throw.

Irregular areas
Odd-shaped areas require a little more fine-tuning. Use sprinkler heads that have adjustable-pattern nozzles; you may have to add a head with a different spray radius to fully cover the area. If you can’t eliminate overspray, reduce it as much as possible and make sure it won’t damage fences, your home’s siding, or other surfaces that shouldn’t be exposed to excessive moisture.

Narrow strips & spaces
Specialized nozzles that throw water in a rectangular pattern rather than in an arc can be used to water narrow strips of lawn. A side-strip nozzle is used on the long end of a strip, a center-strip nozzle is placed in the middle, and a corner-strip nozzle in the corners. For a strip such as the one between the sidewalk and the street in front of many houses would only need one side strip and two corner strips. Strip-pattern nozzles can cover areas 4 or 5 feet wide and up to 30 feet long.

Illustrations copyright Sunset Publishing Corporation