Studies show that landscapes are over-watered by 30% to
50%. Hard to believe, but it’s true. How can we conserve
water and maintain a healthy, green landscape? What tricks
do the pros use to fine tune controller programs?
Try the Triple-A approach. Anticipate-Adjust-Achieve
ANTICIPATE.
Forecast seasonal weather changes. Obtain historical ET (evapotransporation)
data for your area and mark your calendar. Almanacs, local
agricultural resources, even tourist information can provide
weather estimation on a weekly or monthly basis. This is your
early warning system. Examine the data and set a scheduling
interval. The greatest water savings occur from monthly
programming adjustments.
Know when to "PEAK UP".
Don’t play catch-up with hot weather. Prevention of
dry spots conserves more water than reacting too late, attempting
to make up for turf stress.
Know when to "DIP DOWN".
Likewise, anticipate cooler weather.
Establish schedules. Create
Winter and Summer schedules. Set start(s) and run times
with future water budget (%) tuning in mind. Generate the
schedule during the off-season. Keep notes from the previous
season and revise the schedule as needed.
Label each zone. Note the
station, or zone information on a programming worksheet
or card. Most manufacturers supply these with the controller.
Give a copy to the end user. Example:
Program "A"
Program "B"
Program "C"
Schedule
Winter: M, TH
Summer: Mon-Sat
Drip: M, W, F
Start 1
6:00 AM**
4:00 AM
11:00 AM
Start 2
6:30 AM
Description
Front turf / sprays
Station 1
10 min
7 min
Left front turf / rotors
Station 2
20 min
15 min
Right front turf / rotors
Station 3
20 min
15 min
Back roses / drip
**Cancel Winter start if program "B"
is active
60 min
Notes: 31st is set as an
"off" day. Connected to a rain sensor. MV enabled
on all stations except "Drip".
ADJUST.
Modify the irrigation schedule, adding watering days or station
run time prior to known peaks in temperature. Use "Water
Budget" to make quick, global adjustments to your schedules.
This is a fast, effective way to fine-tune the system, without
the hassle of reprogramming every station. Water Budget increases
or decreases the run times of all stations on a program by
a selected percentage, say 0% to 200%. For example, the base
schedule during Summer may call for a 15 minute run time,
twice a day, in July. Set the water budget to 80% on September
1st. The cumulative run time will decrease to 24 minutes total.
The time spent to reprogram the controller takes about 1 minute.
Let’s say the zone demands 15 gallons per minute. You
save 90 gallons a day on just that zone, not to mention the
other stations on that program.
Tip! Turfgrass under stress
will have a flat, non-shiny appearance. It won’t rebound
after stepping on it, and may appear a little bluish in color.
Schedule similar turf zones (full to partial sun) on the same
program. In this way, your water budget adjustment will have
a positive effect on all turf areas without over-watering
shrub and flower zones.
ACHIEVE.
The benefits of fine-tuning are wide-ranging. Water conservation
is the most important advantage to fine-tuning. Saving water
has become a way of life for many Western states. Customers
appreciate detailed scheduling. It shows competence and consideration
on the part of the contractor or landscape architect. Over-watering
can produce huge amounts of grass clippings. Ease off a little
on the water and maintenance will become easier. Plants grow
to be healthier too.
Water is our most precious resource. Fine tuning your controller
helps to use this resource wisely.
