What do you do when visiting your local big box and you discover that they don’t carry any varieties of pole sprinkler? You make one, of course.
In fact, when you see how simple and cheap this was to make you want even consider looking for a manufactured version.
But, first things first – why would you want a pole sprinkler? For me the answer is because I’ve been using a generic lawn sprinkler, one that sits flat on the ground, to water my veggie patch. When the veggies were small seedlings this worked brilliantly and provided enough irrigation for the whole six beds. However, vegetables have a habit of growing and it wasn’t long before the veggies closest to the sprinkler had increased enough to prohibit any water escaping past their enormous leaves. Therefore, the only easy way to fix the problem was to provide a pole sprinkler with enough height to actually transcend this problem and provide a quick solution.
How To Make a Pole Sprinkler
First, you need to purchase these items or have them sitting in your garden shed already;
- Butterfly Sprinkler on a Spike (~$6)
- 1m of 15mm PVC Pipe (~$2.30)
- 1 x 15mm Female to Screwed Male Adapter(~$1.85)
- 1 x 15mm Male to Screwed Female Adapter (~$1.30)
- PVC Glue (already had this from previous retic jobs)
- Hacksaw
Putting the Pole Sprinkler Together
Separate the Sprinkler on a Spike and check that each adapter fits properly. Then, cut your length of PVC pipe to the desired height (I left mine at a metre but realised that when it was finished it was probably about 20cm too high and going over the neighbours fence).
Next, glue the adaptors on to each end and set aside to dry for a few hours. The glue will take at least 24 hours to cure properly but if you’re as impatient as I am then you should have no problems with it after two.
Then, when the glue is dried, screw one end into the separated spike and other into the butterfly sprinkler. Finally, position the pole sprinkler in the middle of your veggie patch, or lawn, or garden bed, or wherever you need the extra height and connect the hose. Cross you fingers and Voila! you have your very own pole sprinkler.
Final Notes
This is not the most efficient way to use water but if it can get you out of a pickle for one growing season then it’s worth the effort. Lifting it higher increases the radius of watering but also makes it more susceptible to wind carry and evaporation.
Still, it will save your vegetables until harvest when you can start introducing a more efficient micro-spray system.
