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sprinkler donuts

21K views 68 replies 18 participants last post by  Mike Leary 
#1 ·
Can anyone please suggest an on-line source for purchasing sprinkler donuts - cheap?
 
#3 ·
Oh, I have faith in pop-ups. I also have faith in my snapper to cut anything.

After all this manual labor, I do want to protect my new investment :) .

Had the zones operating with the controller for the first time yesterday.

After four months of the sprinkler system being disconnected, the grass was wondering what all the wet stuff was.

That Rainbird ESP-4MI is a pretty cool controller. I love the zone test function. Lets me stay in the backyard and check head operation without a 1000 trips to the controller location.
 
#4 ·
Ed G said:
Oh, I have faith in pop-ups. I also have faith in my snapper to cut anything.

After all this manual labor, I do want to protect my new investment :) .
Chicken!!!! :)

Had the zones operating with the controller for the first time yesterday.
Any pictures yet? How's the overall coverage look so far?

After four months of the sprinkler system being disconnected, the grass was wondering what all the wet stuff was.
What?... No dogs to pee in the back yard? :laugh:

That Rainbird ESP-4MI is a pretty cool controller. I love the zone test function. Lets me stay in the backyard and check head operation without a 1000 trips to the controller location.
Any controller with a zone test function is a joy. Any controller with a remote is ecstasy. :p
 
#5 ·
I meant to ask in another thread, but what pix would you like to see? Gimme a "shoping list".

Coverage is amazing. I can't walk anywhere in the yard without getting shot in the eye with a stream of water.


I just finished the job at about 3:00 PM (est) yesterday.
 
#6 ·
Ed G said:
I meant to ask in another thread, but what pix would you like to see? Gimme a "shoping list".
Anything you find of interest.

Coverage is amazing. I can't walk anywhere in the yard without getting shot in the eye with a stream of water.
Then it sounds like we have head-to-head coverage pretty much. THAT'S the name of the game. As more homes are built in the surrounding areas you'll need to keep an eye on things to see if the pressure goes down any more. If their radii are a little too much right now you can always knock them down a little to keep things in balance.

I just finished the job at about 3:00 PM (est) yesterday.
Now you'll be ready to tackle your neighbors' irrigation systems? :)
 
#12 ·
what if I wasn't from clermont, then lowes or home depot wouldn't sell them? :)

I hate Florida irrigation. They once told me I couldn't buy pop-up sprinkler bodies (without nozzles) and treated me like I was stupid for asking for such a thing.

I'm looking for CHEAP donuts - about a buck at most.

I have found plastic donuts for $1.29.

Anyone familiar with these:

http://www.gillroys.com/Hoses_and_s...accessories/Poly_Sprinkler_Donut-s768841.html
 
#13 ·
go concrete. you wont be dissapointed. even if you ahve to pay more, they will last longer. I don't think the plastic ones woudl hol dup very well to the UV from the sun


If the system was installed right, which I'm sure it was, you really don't need the donuts...

I'd bet even an truvalue or ace woudl have the donuts as well...
 
#18 ·
Dirty Water said:
I've never installed donuts, I think it depends on the type of turf and soil you have.

I guess with a fast growing grass and sandy soil, they could be usefull.
Imagine bentgrass on steroids Jon. Bermuda and St. Augustine grow on runners like bentgrass, but those runners are more dense than the stems of any goose grass or crabgrass you have ever seen. Warm season grasses like this can be installed in plugs or strips. Imagine six inch strips on 12 inch centers and having perfect turf in less than 4 months! Bed edging has the same challenges. Where in a climate like yours or even mine, a cultivated edge is cut once a year. Down south, they edge monthly or even more often.
 
#19 ·
bicmudpuppy said:
Imagine bentgrass on steroids Jon. Bermuda and St. Augustine grow on runners like bentgrass, but those runners are more dense than the stems of any goose grass or crabgrass you have ever seen. Warm season grasses like this can be installed in plugs or strips. Imagine six inch strips on 12 inch centers and having perfect turf in less than 4 months! Bed edging has the same challenges. Where in a climate like yours or even mine, a cultivated edge is cut once a year. Down south, they edge monthly or even more often.
Thats what I thought, I find grass that spreads by runners and rhizomes much more unattractive grass, but thats just because I'm used to looking at rye grass up here.
 
#20 ·
During the summer months, I cut my grass twice a week.

Edging and weedwacking is done every week.

Anyone have any experience with the plastic donuts?

I mostly want them to protect the heads along the fencing from mower tires running over them. A slight grade toward the fence has the back edge of the sprinkler head raised about 1/2 inch.
 
#23 ·
MarcSmith said:
the problem with roundup and st agustine is that you will get translocation down the stolon very easily and very far and end with much larger bown patches than you initially wanted.

Dont ask me how I know....:)
Ouch,, not a problem with our rye. BTW, your sig cracks me up every time I see a post from you. Friggin' hilarious. :laugh:
 
#24 ·
Hank Reardon said:
Ouch,, not a problem with our rye. BTW, your sig cracks me up every time I see a post from you. Friggin' hilarious. :laugh:
not a problem with Fescue up here either.

but if you spray some roundup on a st augustine stolon that was in your flower bed, it would translocate the roundup a good 12 inches. so 2-3" runner that you wanted to kill is now 12 inches dead....one dead runner is not a problem, but if you spray a 6" fence line, you'll end up with a 12" fench line or more...

but St Agustien is a voraciious grower and like was posed above you could plug a yard on 18" centers and have lush green lawn in several months.
 
#25 ·
MarcSmith said:
not a problem with Fescue up here either.

but if you spray some roundup on a st augustine stolon that was in your flower bed, it would translocate the roundup a good 12 inches. so 2-3" runner that you wanted to kill is now 12 inches dead....one dead runner is not a problem, but if you spray a 6" fence line, you'll end up with a 12" fench line or more...

but St Agustien is a voraciious grower and like was posed above you could plug a yard on 18" centers and have lush green lawn in several months.
Think of the time you's save with less mowing! Besides, the fence posts would last longer without being line-trimmed all the time. (I'm a, "...glass is half-full" kind of guy. Or is it half-baked...)
 
#26 ·
MarcSmith said:
the problem with roundup and st agustine is that you will get translocation down the stolon very easily and very far and end with much larger bown patches than you initially wanted.

Dont ask me how I know....:)
I have very little problem with that. just have to have a very close application and a tight spray going. I almost never edge around sprinkler heads except where people insist on keeping those Damn Donuts.

Ed
plastic donuts, buy 2 for each one you need. One slight clip with the edger and they are done.

Cement donuts, plan on excavating them out of the soil at least once a year, or they will sink in and disappear.

in my opinion, donuts are a complete waste of time and money. if the heads are installed properly don't worry about it and just let the grass grow. Once a year, or twice if your really anal, edge or line trim them out. Usually the twice weekly pop up action will train the runners around the head's path.
 
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