Lawn & Garden Sprinklers

Match the sprinkler to the shape of the area, not to the size of the lawn. Oscillating sprinklers throw a rectangle and suit typical back gardens; impact and rotor sprinklers cover large circles and handle wind better; stationary and turret heads are for small or awkward corners.

Everything depends on the flow you actually have. Time how long your spigot takes to fill a five-gallon bucket, convert to gallons per minute, and check that against the sprinkler's rating before running two off one splitter and wondering why neither reaches.

Put an empty tuna can in the zone and run it until there is an inch in the tin — that is roughly a week's water for an established lawn, and it is usually far longer than people assume.