 | Rotors:
About 30 minutes per start time.
Spray heads: About 10
minutes per start time. |
ASPEN
DESIGN BUILD ASSOCIATES
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION
The initial program schedule for your landscape is for
establishment purposes & is quite opposite of what is actually appropriate
in the long run. Initially
landscapes need frequent light watering right through the heat of the day to
keep the minimal root systems from drying out & dying. In the long run, most plants require longer watering, less
frequently, early in the morning. It
is therefore pertinent that clocks are adjusted as landscapes become
established. 99 % of plant death is
because of water. If a plant dies
the first month it is almost always because it didn't get enough water.
In warm weather, even with a sprinkler system, plants often need
individual hand watering the first few days because sprinkling the surface just
isn't adequate for plants that haven't established a root system in the native
soil. After the first month
(provided there is an operational sprinkler system) if plants die it is almost
always because of too much water. This is why plants are generally planted high (for better
drainage away from root ball), & why it is imperative that water schedules
be reduced as landscape becomes established.
Upon
installation clocks are usually programmed per the following scheduling.
These schedules are only initial guestimates of the actual water needs.
Actual water needs & schedules have to be determined & adjusted
for based on actual onsite observations of performance based on slopes, soils,
sun, shade, wind, plants, season, landscape maturity, etc.
The rate of water delivery (precipitation rate) is the most significant
factor to be considered. Depending
on nozzle sizes, rotor heads are generally operating at about the same rate of
flow as spray heads, while throwing about twice the distance, which amounts to
four times the square footage of coverage, so they may need to run about four
times as long as spray heads (depending on spacing & nozzle selection &
all the other factors).
Initially
we usually program the controllers based on an average summer day as follows:
| Program:
A
Schedule type: Custom
Days on: Daily |
| Start
times: 3 starts per day:
First: 10:00 AM Second:
2:00 PM
Third: 6:00 PM |
| Run
times (this may vary greatly depending on spacing & nozzle sizes): |
| Rotors:
About 30 minutes per start time.
Spray heads: About 10
minutes per start time. |
| Water
budget: 100 % |
Three
subsequent adjustments are necessary as follows:
·
Relative:
Based on actual onsite observations adjust the time of each zone so it is
getting the right amount of water relative to each of the other zones.
If within a zone there are any wet or dry spots call for adjustment.
| Establishment: |
| After
about one week: You can
usually eliminate the morning start time. |
| After
another week: You can usually
eliminate the evening start time. |
| After
another week: You can usually
move the last start time to the early morning. |
| After
about six months: You can
usually go to an every other day schedule. |
| Average
summer weather: If all else
is set appropriately leave water budget @ 100% |
| Heat
of the summer: You may need
to increase water budget to about 150% |
| Spring
& fall: When it's cool
you may be best to reduce the water budget to about 50% |
o
Winter
(early spring/late fall?): When
cool & moist turn system off.
| For
further Rain Bird operating & adjustment guidelines go to RainBird.com |
anemone
design
503
851-5151; 5543 54th Ct SE, Salem, OR 97301; RLA#328, LCB#6800