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The Dirt On Hoses, Sprinklers and Watering Accessories What You Need to Know About the Garden Hose and Its Kin From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-102

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Figure F

The Dirt On Sprinklers

If hand watering is a little too tedious, and you have a big area to cover, try hose-end sprinklers. There are options for all different size lawns.

• Impact head sprinkler. These sprinklers (figure F) are frequently used at golf courses. You've probably seen (and heard) them — they makethat "click, click, click, click" sound as they spray during one cycle, then deliver a steady stream of spray. You can actually customize how they water according to the size and dimensions of your lawn. These sprinklers will cover the greatest distance and typically provide the best water coverage.

• Fountain spray sprinkler. These small wedge- or ring-shaped sprinklers are ideal for spot watering. If you need to deep-water a newly planted tree or a patch of lawn you're re-seeding, this is a perfect choice. They spray up and out like a fountain, bringing a lot of water to a small space in a small amount of time.

• Oscillating sprinkler. This old-school classic sprinkler gives you the familiar "rainbow" of water as it slowly tilts back and forth. They'll water your entire lawn, but you'll probably have to keep moving it to get good coverage. (In the summertime it's a great choice because kids are drawn to these, and you can save money on trips to the amusement park.)

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	Figure G
	Figure H

Hose Management 101

Are you frustrated by the fact that your new hose comes from the home center in a neat, orderly coil but once you've used it getting it back to its original state — like trying to re-fold a used road map — is no easy feat.

Here are a few suggestions that may help you deal with the dreaded spaghetti-hose phenomenon.

When coiling a hose, it helps to roll the hose between your fingers as you form the coils (figure G). This helps prevent the phenomenon of the hose that seems to "fight back" as you coil it.

To help "automate" the process, you may simply want to invest in a hose roller or hose caddy (figure H). This simple hand-crank device simplifies the job of coiling up a lengthy hose, and then the whole thing can be tucked neatly out of sight. Some hose caddies are built to be more or less stationary, while other have rollers so that you can move the whole thing easily from place to place.

A pre-coiled hose such as the Garden Coil is handy for indoor or outdoor use, and obviates the need to worry about coiling the hose — since it's already coiled and made to stay that way!

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