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What are the Different Types of Watering Equipment?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

The most basic piece of watering equipment is the watering can. This is a simple bucket with a spout on one side and, most often, a handle at the top. The spout is used to direct the water on to specific plants and areas of earth. For some delicate work, watering cans are still the most useful tool. It is easier and neater to use a watering can to care for indoor plants than to bring a hose into the house. Also, watering cans are often ideal for plants that require a specific or measured amount of water. It is difficult to be precise while using larger, more powerful watering equipment.

Hoses are very common pieces of watering equipment. Not only can they be used on their own to water entire gardens and lawns, but they are often used with attachments that alter or improve their functions. Hoses can be fitted with heads that can alter the stream of water creating a powerful and direct stream, numerous gentler streams, or a fine mist. Some hose heads have up to half a dozen different settings for different watering techniques.

An automatic sprinkler.
An automatic sprinkler.

Sprinklers are also common pieces of watering equipment. They can be attached to hoses or can be set up using another water supply system. They direct water in a fan or circular motion and can water plants and land up to dozens of feet away from the base. Sprinklers are useful pieces of watering equipment because, once they are set up, they can cover a large area on their own. Furthermore, they can be set on a timer so as to supply water at regular intervals.

A boy using a plastic watering can.
A boy using a plastic watering can.

Many farms are outfitted with very advanced watering equipment. Watering equipment used on farms is often mobile and set up on a track or wheels so that it can cover an entire field on its own. This type of equipment can save many hours of work for farmers. Furthermore, it can help to save crops during unusually hot and dry seasons.

Just as there is unique watering equipment for farms, there is also unique watering equipment for greenhouses. While some greenhouse plants simply require regular watering, others require humid air conditions. For these types of plants, there is watering equipment that delivers regular mists of water that, when coupled with the use of heaters, can create the perfect humid conditions that the plants need to thrive.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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    • An automatic sprinkler.
      By: Jose Manuel Gelpi
      An automatic sprinkler.
    • A boy using a plastic watering can.
      By: Yuriy Poznukhov
      A boy using a plastic watering can.