Keeping your lawn and garden watered is an important task, especially during the spring and hot summer months! You want the best pick of garden sprinklers to ensure everything is properly cared for-and we’re here to help.
Read on to learn our top picks for lawn and garden sprinklers, as well as information on sprinkler use and care, frequently asked questions, and more!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
The Melnor XT4200M
Budget Sprinkler:
The Aqua Joe SJI-OMS16
Best Portable Sprinkler:
The Orbit Port-A-Rain Above-Ground Sprinkler System
Best Overall
The Melnor XT4200M
Sitting at an average of 4 out of 5 stars with over 3,000 ratings, it’s clear that the Melnor XT4200M is a popular pick among garden sprinklers for a very good reason!
Not only does it come from a highly reliable brand, the Melnor XT4200M has several features going for it: it’s praised for being extremely durable, with a metal base and sturdy design ranking it above competitive plastic garden sprinklers.
It also has a fantastic range as an oscillating sprinkler, and it’s easy to use, requiring no adaptors for hooking up your garden hose.
Best of all, these features withstand the test of time, ensuring you won’t need to keep purchasing garden sprinklers year after year; when you invest in the Melnor XT4200M, you’re set for at least a few seasons, saving lots of money in the long run.
And should anything go wrong, Melnor offers a lifetime limited warranty on this garden sprinkler!
A standout among garden sprinklers for all these reasons and more, the Melnor X4200M has more than earned its place as the best overall garden and lawn sprinkler on our list!
Pros:
- This sturdy, long-lasting, far-reaching, and well-made garden and lawn sprinkler comes highly ranked among its peers.
Cons:
- Some consumers have found that the plastic parts Melnor X4200M can warp when left under the sunlight for too long, causing breakage. Others have noted that the oscillator may struggle to reach the edges of yards that are oddly shaped.
Budget Sprinkler
The Aqua Joe SJI-OMS16
If you’re searching for a garden and lawn sprinkler that works within your budget, look no further than the Aqua Joe SJI-OMS16! This is a gem among garden sprinklers, holding over 17,000 reviews, many of which are positive!
With this cost-effective garden and lawn sprinkler option, you’ll have over 3,500 square feet of coverage with a sturdy, metal-based product that resists clogs and has a customizable pattern layout.
Not only is this a great, reliable choice among garden sprinklers for those looking to save money, but the Aqua Joe SJI-OMS16 also invites folks who purchase their lawn and garden sprinklers to text directly with an Aqua Joe expert should they run into any issues with their sprinklers, making this a customer-friendly choice as well.
Pros:
- This garden and lawn sprinkler is praised for its performance and design, sacrificing none of its quality while still being affordable for most budgets.
Cons:
- Some consumers have noted a loose end piece that allows water to gush out of the sprinkler if not sealed properly. Others have seen excessive wear and tear if the Aqua Joe SJI-OMS16 is used heavily, daily.
Best Portable Sprinkler
The Orbit Port-A-Rain Above-Ground Sprinkler System
Whether you have a larger yard or garden, or a complex terrain shape that has stumped other garden sprinklers, that’s not a worry with the Orbit Port-A-Rain Above-Ground Sprinkler System!
This portable garden and lawn sprinkler includes a pair of hoses and three different attachable sprinkler heads that allow you to maneuver around easily and cover every inch of even the oddest-shaped yards.
Unique among garden sprinklers for its wide range and multiple configuration patterns, the Orbit Port-A-Rain Above-Ground Sprinkler System is a fantastic pick for folks who need a unique garden or lawn sprinkler solution!
Pros:
- This sprinkler offers a great solution for folks with unusual lawn and garden dimensions and sizes, and it’s noted for behaving just like a more expensive inground sprinkler system without the cost or commitment to install in the lawn.
Cons:
- Some customers have experienced issues with water pressure when using two or three of the sprinkler heads at once.
The Melnor MiniMax Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
Small but highly powerful, the Melnor MiniMax Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler is a tiny giant among oscillating garden sprinklers!
With its smaller and slimmer design compared to many oscillating garden sprinklers on the market today, the Melnor MiniMax is particularly useful for watering flowerbeds, gardens, narrow portions of lawns, and yard edges.
Among its high reviews, this garden and lawn sprinkler has been praised for being particularly water conservative while living up to its full-sized coverage area of up to 4,000 square feet!
Pros:
- This small but powerful standout among garden sprinklers offers succinct watering with adjustable patterns, great coverage, and a fantastic brand backing it up.
Cons:
- Some consumers have difficulty setting up and operating their Melnor MiniMax, as it does not come with an instruction manual.
The Melnor Traveling Sprinkler
If you’re on the lookout for garden sprinklers that can cover lots of areas and move around without you having to go shift the sprinklers manually every so often, look no further than the Melnor Traveling Sprinkler-a tractor-shaped garden and lawn sprinkler with a rotary sprinkler mounted on the back, which will go wherever you need your lawn and garden watered.
This is among the most efficient and cutest options for garden sprinklers! This tractor-shaped sprinkler travels where you lay out your hose line and will then shut itself off after completing the preset pattern. Not only is this one of those garden sprinklers that helps conserve water by using precisely enough to get the job done, it’s also sure to be a hit with any little ones in your family who will love watching this garden and lawn sprinkler chug along and do its work!
Pros:
- This clever and efficient garden and lawn sprinkler also serves a great cause. For every purchase of a traveling sprinkler, Melnor donates a portion of the proceeds to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
Cons:
- Some customers have noted that the Melnor Traveling Sprinkler can move slowly. Others have run into issues where their sprinkler has worn down quickly with heavy, frequent use.
Why Water Conservation Is Important
Every gardener and lawn-conscious homeowner is invested in having terrain that’s well-watered and healthy from the soil up! But regular watering can consume quite a bit of water, which raises your water bill and strains the environment in certain drought-prone areas.
Making the best choice of lawn and garden sprinklers for your specific situation will help maintain tenable water usage.
Many garden sprinklers boast features such as scheduled watering through apps, auto-shutoff, flow timers, and even remote-controlled Wi-Fi-all, which will help ensure healthy water conservation while still keeping your lawn and garden pristine.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Lawn Sprinkler
When choosing among all the lawn and garden sprinklers out there, you want to be sure to choose one that best fits your needs. Here are a few things to consider!
Type
There are several varieties of lawn and garden sprinklers to choose from.
Immobile
Immobile garden sprinklers, which connect directly to a garden hose, may be the best garden sprinklers if you’re looking to cover a small yard or garden with a radius of up to 15 feet. Be mindful of how much you use these at a time since water from an immobile garden and lawn sprinkler will fall on the same patch until manually moved.
Sprinkler Hoses
Sprinkler hoses are somewhat similar to immobile garden sprinklers in that the delicate spray they emit will fall over the same areas until the sprinkler hose is adjusted. However, sprinkler hoses can reach far more area than immobile garden sprinklers, which makes them ideal for watering long and narrow stretches of garden or grass.
Rotating Sprinklers
Rotating garden sprinklers come in two subvarieties-rotary and impact. These garden sprinklers rotate 360 degrees while releasing water, allowing for much more coverage than most other garden sprinklers.
The distinction among rotating garden sprinklers lies in that the rotary variety has a minimum of two spinning arms, while the impact variety has a single jet that sprays as it turns a full rotation (and typically has farther reach).
Traveling Sprinklers
Traveling garden sprinklers, sometimes called “lawn tractors”, attach to a hose and move along a preprogrammed pattern to water their assigned area.
Because of the motion involved with traveling garden sprinklers, these are generally not the best fit for small gardens unless you can keep an eye on them and ensure their movement does not damage anything growing in the garden patch.
Oscillating Sprinklers
Oscillating garden sprinklers are some of the most well-known and popular on the market. These bridge the gap between immobile and rotating or traveling garden sprinklers. Their sprinkler heads fan from side to side, spraying a wider radius and offering greater coverage than an immobile garden sprinkler.
Inground Sprinklers
Finally, inground garden sprinklers are the most technologically savvy of all garden sprinklers. These take a lot of up-front work to install, as they need to be mapped to your specific needs; these garden sprinklers also require laying down water trenches and lines and installing the system itself, hooked up to the water main.
However, once you’ve taken the time to set up this sprinkler system, watering your terrain is as easy as pressing a button on your smartphone or setting a schedule. These are particularly attractive to folks who travel frequently and will not be able to water their lawn or garden manually during the summer months.
Coverage Area
When considering the coverage area of lawn and garden sprinklers, you should also bear in mind that the adjustable patterns and distance sprays advertised on most garden sprinklers depend greatly on the water pressure of your hose.
Be sure to assess the pounds of water per square inch (PSI) that your hose is capable of to ensure you aren’t paying more for a sprinkler to maximize your coverage area than your hose can support.
Material
Typically, most lawn and garden sprinklers are made of either plastic or metal, though manufacturers occasionally use rubber or silicone. Each of these has its own pros and cons, based on performance, durability, fading, thinning, rusting, and more.
When choosing the best lawn and garden sprinklers for your needs, it’s important to be mindful of the quality and durability of any of these materials to ensure you get the most out of your purchase.
How to Use Your Sprinkler Efficiently
While watering with lawn and garden sprinklers can be a very straightforward task, it’s important to be mindful of how to maximize the use of these tools!
Because sprinklers spray water into the air rather than drenching the ground, it can be difficult for the water actually to reach the roots of grass and plants; worse still, if water from the sprinkler sits too long on the leaves, it can lead to fungal growth and blights on your plants.
To make the best use of your sprinkler, it’s recommended to water around dawn, when the air is cool and the sun is rising.
This cooler time of day will reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation, while the rising sun will evaporate the water off the leaves to minimize the risk of fungal growth and blight. Turn off your sprinkler as the day rolls on, or set it to an automatic timer to ensure you don’t overwater your lawn or garden.
Lastly, the type of soil in your lawn and garden will affect how much water is needed to properly water your plants. Take time to learn the soil type on your property and research its watering needs to ensure you’re using your sprinkler optimally.
How to Care for Your Sprinkler
Like any lawn and garden tool, you’ll get out of your sprinkler the care you put into it! For this reason, it’s important not to expose your sprinkler excessively to the elements.
For sprinkler units or hose nozzles, be sure to let all water drain from the interior and let the sprinkler dry out; then store these in a garage, shed, or basement. It’s also important to avoid running over sprinklers and hoses with a lawnmower, as this will rapidly deteriorate their integrity.
If you care for your lawn and garden sprinklers well, keep them clear of the elements as much as possible, and clean them as needed, they’ll be great tools that serve your home care needs for a long time!
Which is the Right Sprinkler for Your Garden?
Feeling excited about choosing the best of these great lawn and garden sprinklers for your lawn care needs?
Of course, sprinklers are just one way of meeting your garden’s watering needs. Visit our Garden Watering page and learn more about the best practices and products for all types of garden watering methods and systems.