Think of your specific yard layout when you are selecting a sprinkler. Is it large, square-shaped or full of hard-to-reach places?

“Watering the soil is always better than watering the plant,” said Anne Streich, horticulture educator for the University of Nebraska.

Regardless of the type of sprinkler used, avoid midday watering because of evaporation; avoid windy-day watering because of pattern distortion and avoid night watering because it increases disease potential, said Streich. Water left on leaves for a long period of time makes them more susceptible to problems.

Whichever sprinkler you select, it is easy to see where and how much water is going to each area. Put tin cans around your yard and set the sprinklers for 15 minutes, then measure how much water actually gets in the cans.

Here’s a summary from the LSU AgCenter of some sprinkler types on the market:

* Oscillating sprinkler — This is still one of the most popular models, although rotary impact models are gaining ground. The rotating arms can be adjusted, but one of the complaints is the height of their spray. Another problem is delivery rate at the opposite sides of the sprinkler pattern tends to be much heavier than the rate at the center. Most have adjustments to allow one-sided operation. 

* Rotary impact sprinkler — Using a water-driven flapper that hits an anvil and then drives the nozzle in a circular pattern, this sprinkler can come with two different types of nozzles. One sprays farther out and the other covers the area close to the center. Some models can be adjusted to a partial circle.

* Traveling sprinklers, also called rain trains — Most popular in the past, these travel along a hose and are often used because they will cover a large area and don’t have to be monitored. Newer models have auto shut-off valves, so if it goes off track, it will not dig into the ground. Because they overlap the pattern, they often have a uniform overall coverage. 

* Soaker hoses — Often considered the best for hard-to-get areas, these sprinkler hoses sprinkle directly into the ground. 

* Specialized sprinklers — Rotary fan sprinklers, which work well in square patterns, are more uniform than the oscillating sprinklers. Gear-drive system sprinklers can be adjusted to fit round or square areas.