There are a number of reasons why irrigation is extremely important for properties on the East End of Long Island. For example, the spate of hurricanes the past few years have decimated plants that have become soaked with salt water and covered with sea spray, while landscape professionals advise cleaning and soaking plants with fresh water as the most effective means of counteracting this problem. The LSU Ag Center advises, “Where saltwater flooding has occurred, irrigate the plants generously with fresh water to dilute the salt and leach it deeper into the soil away from the root zone.” The following is a list of reasons why an irrigation system is valuable on the East End of Long Island.

Wrong Irrigation

1. Spraying and watering plants with fresh water helps counteract salt water damage from storms and rising sea levels.

2. Reliable irrigation helps mitigate unpredictable weather problems and drought damage.

3. Irrigating landscapes at night is more environmentally effective than hand-watering by day.

4. A good irrigation system adds to property value.

Explanations of Points

1. As mentioned, storms and hurricanes have been increasing. A chart, attached, shows how the rise in sea levels is linked to a rise in storm surge levels, all exacerbated by an increase of severe storms and hurricanes. What this means for landscapes on the East End, which is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, is that landscapes are more likely to become drenched and doused with salt water and sea spray salt reside. As a first response to salt damage, landscapers recommend washing off and flooding out the salt with fresh water and adding some gypsum to the soil as well.

The chart pertains specifically to New York City, but has ramifications for all of Long Island as well (Credit: Kemp and Horton, J. Quaternary Science, 2013.).

2. Reliable irrigation helps mitigate unpredictable weather problems and drought damage. While California is presently suffering the worst drought conditions, New York may be due its share of drought at any time. During the 1960’s, the Northeastern United States, including New York, suffered  a devastating drought that lasted up to five years. A drought may be declared in as few as 15 days, according to one source. And a valuable landscape could be ruined in a fairly short amount of time without adequate hydration. A built-in irrigation system is a good precaution for a worst-case scenario.

Automatic Rain Sensor

3. Irrigating landscapes at night is more environmentally effective than hand-watering by day. The wonders of modern technology allow for entire landscapes to be watered at night when the sun does not dry up the residual water. Irrigation timers allow for the exact timing of watering periods and rain sensors allow for watering times to be cancelled if there has recently been a rain shower. These technologies allow for the most effective use of natural resources and conserves energy with regard to the energy it takes to supply the water to the property.

4. A good irrigation system adds greatly to property value. The value of a good irrigation system is tied into the value of the landscapes they supply and protect. It was pointed out that, “…landscaping could increase the resale price of a home by as much as 10 percent, depending on its quality.” This comment referred to a Clemson University study that concluded, “homeowners selling to increase the value of their property will do well to consider the cost-effective, high return potential of quality landscaping, and to safeguard their investments by hiring licensed, professional landscape contractors to perform the work.”

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