Wobblers

Wobblers put down large, slow droplets in a low, even pattern, which is why production nurseries run them over container beds, field blocks and greenhouse benches where a fine mist would drift or crust the media. Every head on this page is rated within 10 to 25 psi, so the choice comes down to mounting (upright riser or inverted drop), flow per head and how wide a pattern you need.

ML Irrigation sells wholesale from Fountain Inn, South Carolina, and ships to growers in all 50 states.

Upright, inverted or Xcel: which wobbler fits the block?

Start with where the head will sit. The Senninger mini-Wobbler (Upright) screws onto a riser adapter or 26-inch riser stake and throws a 10-degree multi-level pattern, so it suits container beds, propagation areas and field rows. Diameter runs 26.5 to 38.5 feet at 1.5 feet of height and 31 to 43 feet at 3 feet, on 0.42 to 2.18 gpm and 15 to 25 psi.

For overhead irrigation inside a greenhouse or shade house, hang the Senninger mini-Wobbler (Inverted) on a drop adapter assembly. It throws flat (0 degrees) and covers 30 to 32 feet at 3 feet of drop height or 32 to 36 feet at 6 feet, on 20 to 25 psi and 0.75 to 2.18 gpm.

When you need more water per head, a wider pattern or a supply that only reaches 10 psi, step up to the Senninger Xcel-Wobbler. It takes 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch NPT, flows 0.78 to 6.97 gpm, and comes in mid-angle (32 to 44 feet) and high-angle (36.5 to 53.5 feet) versions, so you can keep application rate below what the media absorbs on larger overhead blocks.

What does the supply need, and where do wobbler systems go wrong?

Wobblers are low-pressure heads, and the pattern only holds if the pressure does. Above the rated range the droplets shrink and drift; below it the pattern collapses toward the head and the outer ring goes dry. Put a pressure regulator on every zone, or at each head on long or sloping laterals, and size it to the flow you actually run. Hunter, through Senninger, offers a regulator range from the 1/2-inch MPR at half a gallon a minute up to the 2-inch PRU at 100 gpm, so ask us to quote regulators alongside the heads.

Filter the supply. These nozzles have small orifices, and a pond or well line will plug them without screen or disc filtration ahead of the zone. Keep one nozzle size per lateral (mini-Wobbler nozzles are color-coded, so this is easy to check) and keep mounting height consistent; both change the diameter and the overlap you designed for. Space heads so patterns overlap; a wobbler set at its maximum diameter with no overlap leaves light spots at the edges. When you request a quote, include the block dimensions, water source and pressure at the pump so heads, spacing and regulators can be considered together.