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My apologies if this is a silly question. While we own a home, we have no property at present and have never had to take care of outdoor landscaping aside from our flowers. We haven't any idea about lawn care, but someone here on CD responded about using rain barrels since we will be laying sod in our new home in July/August. Is there a certain setup recommended? How many rain barrels are usually suggested? Can you suggest a reputable place to purchase from, or is this something available at home depot? We have approximately a .35 acre lot. Thanks so much for your advice :-)
Rain barrels are not going to provide adequate water for new sod in July & August.
Rain barrels are typically placed at the bottom of downspouts to collect water that flows off a roof, so you can have as many as you have downspouts, subject to any HOA restrictions on placing them visibly at the front of your house.
Rain barrels are not going to provide adequate water for new sod in July & August.
Yeah, assuming half the .35 acres was grass, putting down the recommended one inch of water per week just one time would require somewhere on the order of 50 90-gallon rain barrels!
Is it even recommended to lay sod in July/August? I would probably wait until at least mid-September. It's very expensive to buy sod so I would want to give it the best chance possible at surviving.
Is it even recommended to lay sod in July/August? I would probably wait until at least mid-September. It's very expensive to buy sod so I would want to give it the best chance possible at surviving.
As other said, I don't think they will help with the new lawn. An irrigation system of some sort is probably the best way to go.
That said, I'd still get a few rain barrels. You can get different sizes & types. Compared to what they used to be now you can get diffeent colors, styles like 'fake terra cotta' and even the fake rock look (yes - I have one of those & it looks just like a fake rock ).
Home Depot or Lowes would have some in stock, probably more on the website. I bet a garden shop like Durham Garden Center or Stone Brothers would have/could order one for you. Or you can go with a web site like Gardeners Supply or Plow & Hearth. Shop around & see what size/style you like and how prices compare.
Even if it won't water your yard, just a small 30 or 40 gallon one is that much water you can use for hand watering that you won't have to pay the city for.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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If you've never taken care of a landscape before, the first thing I would suggest is that you keep your turfgrass to an absolute minimum or none at all. Grass is not essential to home ownership. It only adds hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year to the your expenses.
Whether you can plant in the summer depends on what type of grass it is and your location.
I see now that you are in Raleigh Durham. Being the "transition zone, that is a very difficult climate to grow grass in as no one type of grass does especially well and it will require tons of maintenance to look good.
With rain barrels or any type of cistern, conservation is the ticket and wasting water irrigating lawn is going to blow through your water in a heartbeat. Remember, summertime is the dry season so chances are you're not going to be able to refill the barrels very quickly (or at all) once they run out of water.
How do they work? Normally they are placed where they are connected to your rain gutters. If you get no rain, you get no water. You can dispense water from it directly. Most people use hoses or fill up water cans. If you want to run an irrigation system from it however you will need a pump as there isn't enough pressure coming out to power a sprinkler.
Reconsider the grass. Plant trees. Lots and lots of them. Unlike grass, trees and shade adds value to your property and it lowers your expenses. You'll thank me later.
The concept of the lawn comes from a country that never gets above 75 degrees and rains almost daily. But in NC, it will only cost money and it will never look steller as nearly all types of grasses are not optimal for your climate.
If you've never taken care of a landscape before, the first thing I would suggest is that you keep your turfgrass to an absolute minimum or none at all. Grass is not essential to home ownership. It only adds hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year to the your expenses.
Whether you can plant in the summer depends on what type of grass it is and your location.
I see now that you are in Raleigh Durham. Being the "transition zone, that is a very difficult climate to grow grass in as no one type of grass does especially well and it will require tons of maintenance to look good.
With rain barrels or any type of cistern, conservation is the ticket and wasting water irrigating lawn is going to blow through your water in a heartbeat. Remember, summertime is the dry season so chances are you're not going to be able to refill the barrels very quickly (or at all) once they run out of water.
How do they work? Normally they are placed where they are connected to your rain gutters. If you get no rain, you get no water. You can dispense water from it directly. Most people use hoses or fill up water cans. If you want to run an irrigation system from it however you will need a pump as there isn't enough pressure coming out to power a sprinkler.
Reconsider the grass. Plant trees. Lots and lots of them. Unlike grass, trees and shade adds value to your property and it lowers your expenses. You'll thank me later.
The concept of the lawn comes from a country that never gets above 75 degrees and rains almost daily. But in NC, it will only cost money and it will never look steller as nearly all types of grasses are not optimal for your climate.
Consider planting edible landscaping! May as well get something back for all your effort.
Rain barrels are good but understand that with extremely heavy downpours that they will fill to overflowing. You can set up a "buddy" barrel to collect twice as much or just landscape accordingly.
When you are installing rain barrels think about how you will be using them and think about placing them up on a stand so not only do you have to bend over as far but also to make it easier to attach a hose for your watering. You will not have enough pressure to run a sprinkler so no, it will not work for watering sod.
As to where to buy, it depends upon what look you want. They can be as fancy or as plain as you like depending on your neighborhood aethitic expectations and your budget. The cheapest way is to buy used food grade 55 gal. barrels off craigslist or use a 55 gallon plastic trash can and to make your own (or find someone who is making and selling them). Hardware stores sell them and some of the online gardening/outdoor sell even more fancy ones.
Hint: for mosquito control consider adding a few goldfish to the rain barrel.
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