Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J - PowerPoint Presentation

Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J J A S O N D Months of the Year THE Nuts AND Bolts OF Irrigation Scheduling Going Beyond 15 Minutes for Sprays and 45 Minutes for Turf Presented by: Daniel R. Veltema Irrigation Association Regional Instructor

Landscape and Irrigation Industry since 1984 Contracting Distribution Instructor Certifications Irrigation Designer Residential Commercial Landscape Irr. Auditor Sprinkler Water Sense  Irrigation Professional Daniel R. Veltema Owner Spring Brook Supply Irrigation Distributor 877.396.1956 danv@springbrooksupply.com

Question Who here is responsible for adjusting the controller programming? Where did the 15 minutes for sprays/45minutes for rotors runtime “rule” originate?

The Fundamentals

Irrigation supplements rainfall Irrigate when needed, NOT when scheduledInstall a rain switch or soil moisture sensorAdjust the irrigation schedule every month of the growing seasonIrrigation Management

Goals of an Irrigation ScheduleHealthy PlantsMinimal inputsFertilizerHerbicidesPesticidesWaterAcceptable AppearanceLushLean

Elements of an Irrigation ScheduleQuantityHow Much? FrequencyHow Often?What factors affect each?

Elements of an Irrigation ScheduleHow Much?The amount of water to replace what was removed from the soilEvaporationTranspirationThe rate the sprinklers apply the waterThe uniformity of the sprinklersInches converted to Minutes Evapotranspiration (ETO)

Elements of an Irrigation ScheduleHow Often?Days availableHours per dayCycles to avoid runoff/puddling

Creating the Schedule

Use the Scheduling Practice Problem in the handoutsExample Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 8

Creating the Schedule Line ADetermine the amount of water (inches) to be applied for the period (week, month) Using average historic seasonal ET O for FloridaSpring = 1.00 in./weekSummer = 1.40 in./weekFall = 1.00 in./weekWinter = 0.50 in./week Calculate using historic ET O and actual K L Water to Apply = ET O x K LKL for Cool Season Turf = 0.65KL for Warm Season Turf = 0.75 KL for Mix Shrubs & Trees = 0.50Example (7 x .18”/day) x 0.75 = 0.945Water to Apply = 0.95 in./week

Florida Historic ET Rates Season Month North Region ET P South Region ET P in/day in/month in/day in/month Winter Jan 0.07 2.17 0.09 2.79 Spring Feb 0.10 2.80 0.12 3.36 Mar 0.13 4.03 0.15 4.65 Summer Apr 0.17 5.10 0.19 5.70 May 0.19 5.89 0.20 6.20 Jun 0.19 5.70 0.19 5.70 Jul 0.18 5.58 0.19 5.89 Aug 0.17 5.27 0.17 5.27 Fall Sep 0.15 4.50 0.16 4.80 Oct 0.12 3.72 0.14 4.34 Nov 0.09 2.70 0.11 3.30 Winter Dec 0.06 1.86 0.09 2.79 Year 49.32 54.79

Florida Historic ET Rates N S

Creating the Schedule Line BEstablish the precipitation rate for the zoneCalculate the zone flow and square feet of zone Total GPM S 2 S 1 GPM in Spacing r S GPM in adjusted spacing (0.8 x r)

Creating the Schedule Line CEstablish the uniformity for the zone Uniformity ClassDescription RotorsSpraysDrip Poor Improper PSI Missing Sprinklers Same Nozzles 0.45 0.40 .90 Better Sprinklers in Corners OK Spacing OK Pressure 0.600.50 Best Consistent Spacing Proper PSIMatched Precip. Rate 0.700.65

Creating the Schedule Line DEstablish the Scheduling Multiplier for the zoneUse the DU in Line C to determine the SM using the Scheduling Multiplier table or formula

Scheduling Multiplier Lookup Table Uniformity Scheduling Multiplier Uniformity Scheduling Multiplier Uniformity Scheduling Multiplier 1.00 1.00 0.78 1.15 0.58 1.34 0.98 1.01 0.76 1.17 0.56 1.36 0.96 1.02 0.74 1.18 0.54 1.38 0.94 1.04 0.72 1.20 0.52 1.40 0.92 1.05 0.70 1.22 0.50 1.43 0.90 1.06 0.68 1.24 0.48 1.45 0.88 1.08 0.66 1.26 0.46 1.48 0.86 1.09 0.64 1.28 0.44 1.51 0.84 1.11 0.62 1.30 0.42 1.53 0.82 1.12 0.60 1.32 0.40 1.56 0.80 1.14 Fix sprinkler problems if below 0.40

Creating the Schedule Line EEstablish the lower boundary run timewhere: RTlower = lower boundary run time - LEANInches of water = target amount to applyPR = precipitation rate {in/hr} RTlower = x 60Inches of WaterPR

Creating the Schedule Line FEstablish the upper boundary run timewhere: RTupper = upper boundary run time - LUSHRTlower = lower boundary run time - LEANSM = scheduling multiplier RTupper = RTlower x SM

Creating the Schedule Line GDetermining the Recommended Run TimeThe run time between the upper and lower boundaries based on how the plant material is expected to look

Creating the Schedule Line HDetermining the number of days available to irrigateState or local regulationsManager’s choice

Creating the Schedule Line IEstablish the run time per day using the number of days available Don’t forget to establish the maximum amount of time the sprinklers can run before runoff occurs Run Time per Day =Run Time per Week Days Available

Managing the Schedule

Adjust the schedules to deliver only the water needed to keep the plants healthy Trim back runtimes until equipment weaknesses are revealedAdjust the equipment on a micro-level to correctContinue until equipment cannot be correctedHigh Efficiency Management

High Efficiency Management Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J J A S O N D Months of the Year Reduction in Water Use Water Applied by Schedule Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J J A S O N D Months of the Year Neglected Managed Adjust the schedule monthly

High Efficiency Management Reduction in Water Use Water Applied by Schedule Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J J A S O N D Months of the Year Plant Water Requirement J F M A M J J A S O N D Months of the Year After Before Trim Back Schedule & Adjust Timing

Scheduling Realities No amount of good scheduling will compensate for a poor irrigation system

Thank you! experience AND implementationSM kurt@kthompsonassociates.com 850.637.6650