Table of Contents. Course Description...1. Presentation Slides...2. Field Worksheet - Blank Field Worksheet - Blank Weekly Scheduler...

Transcription

1 California Friendly Landscape Training Irrigation Course Irrigation Scheduling Course originally developed by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Irrigation Training & Research Center (ITRC)

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3 Table of Contents I. Class 4 - Irrigation Scheduling Course Description...1 Presentation...2 Field Worksheet Example...35 Scheduling Worksheet Example...36 Field Worksheet - Kid s Park...37 Field Worksheet - Blank...38 Field Worksheet - Blank...39 Scheduling Worksheet - Blank...40 Scheduling Worksheet - Blank...41 Weekly Scheduler...42 Weekly Scheduler...43 Frequency of Irrigation - Sandy Soil...44 Frequency of Irrigation- Silt Loam Soil...45 Frequency of irrigation- Clay Loam Soil...46 Frequency of irrigation- Loam Soil...47 iii

4 Course Description California Friendly Landscape Training Program Course Description The course consists of six (4) consecutive classes in landscape water management, each building upon principles presented in the preceding class. The California Friendly Landscape Training Program begins with basic irrigation principles of soil-plant-water relationships, and concludes with irrigation scheduling. Every participant will receive a course handbook. The following is a synopsis of each class. 1. Irrigation Principles, System Adjustment & Repair: A comprehensive workshop addressing the principle factors in landscape irrigation. Concepts presented here are the foundation to sound landscape water management. Topics include plant water needs, soil characteristics, and types of irrigation. Demonstrations illustrate how to determine plant water needs, how to manage irrigation in various types of soil, and also provide a graphic understanding of precipitation rates and how they affect irrigation system uniformity. Participants will learn the importance of regularly adjusting irrigation systems and the value of the early detection and repair of irrigation system problems. Principles shared also emphasize the negative impact of poorly adjusted irrigation systems on water use, plant health, irrigation uniformity, and damage to surrounding property. Hands-on demonstrations enable participants to practice these principles by making adjustments and repairs to a portable irrigation system. 2. Irrigation System Troubleshooting: This session focuses on the analytical approach to solving irrigation system failures. Three areas of potential problems are examined: mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical. Workshop participants will receive practical training in the use of electrical troubleshooting equipment, as well as an opportunity to demonstrate these skills during the hands-on portion of the session. 3. Controller Programming: A fully hands-on workshop in which an Irritrol MC Plus irrigation controller will be provided per two class participants. They will learn basic controller features while programming sample cases in the class. Also, participants will be exposed to advanced controller features as they implement schedules which take into consideration temperature/seasonal changes, rain, and landscape activities or demands which limit irrigation times. 4. Irrigation Scheduling: This session focuses on two critical questions: When to irrigate? and How much water to apply? A variety of field techniques and methods are presented as well as technical aspects to be considered while scheduling irrigation. Each class participant will be furnished with tools to use while scheduling landscapes for which they may be responsible. Participants will receive a certificate denoting the classes they attended upon completion of the course. The California Friendly Landscape Training Program course was developed by the Irrigation Training and Research Center at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, and is funded and presented by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 1

5 California Friendly Landscape Training Irrigation Scheduling California Friendly Landscape Training Workshop 1: Irrigation Principles & System Adjustment and Repair Workshop 2: Irrigation System Troubleshooting Workshop 3: Controller Programming Workshop 4: Irrigation Scheduling Today s Workshop Irrigation Scheduling Basics Concepts Skills Soils Scheduling Exercises Observation 2

6 Water Need vs. Water Use Jan Jan Feb Feb Mar Mar Apr Apr May May Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct Nov Nov Dec Dec Landscape Water Need Actual Water Use Water Waste! Irrigation Scheduling Is... How often to irrigated the landscape (days)? How long to irrigate (minutes of irrigation)? What factors determine how often & how long to irrigate? Scheduling Factors Weather Conditions Type of Plants Type of Soil Type of Irrigation 3

7 The Weather Scheduling Factor Weather Sunlight Wind Temperature Humidity Microclimates Seasons Sunlight Sunlight is the largest factor in water loss from the plant Sun intensity Consider fog & cloud cover 4

8 Wind Wind Speed Wind Duration Canyon Winds Air Temperature How hot Duration Humidity Measure of moisture in air Expressed as a Percentage % Relative to 100% (rainfall) 5

9 Weather The Seasons Winter Spring Autumn Summer C.I.M.I.S. California Irrigation Management Information System Maintained by the California Department of Water Resources Provides ETo data for irrigation managers in agriculture and landscape ETo Evapotranspiration Data provided by a weather station Measurement of water loss in inches Higher ETo in summer CIMIS Weather Station 6

10 Weather Summary Plant water use/need increases With increase in solar radiation, temperature, and wind Plant water use/need decreases With increase in humidity Microclimates Microclimates: Areas with different weather patterns Canyon wind Coastal influence Not fixed seasonal General Locations Coastal Coastal Valley Inland Valley Desert 7

11 Coastal Typical locations: Santa Monica Oceanside Santa Barbara Coastal Valley Typical location: Los Angeles Anaheim Pomona Inland Valley Typical location: Riverside San Fernando San Bernardino 8

12 Desert Typical location: Palm Springs Blythe Lancaster The Plant Type Scheduling Factor Concepts - Plants Plant water use determined by: Plant type Weather conditions Note that plants are capable of using more water if available 9

13 Plant Factor (Determined by Water Use) ETo High Medium Low Reference Plant Other Landscape Plants High Low Water Use Medium Very Low Transpiration Water loss in the form of vapor Water loss through pores found on leaves (stomata) 10

14 Plant Types Different plants transpire at different rates Transpiration changes with the seasons and the plant s growth stage Benefits of Native Plants Reduced water use Drought tolerant Durable Low maintenance Attract pollinators and wildlife Produce less green waste Reestablishes native habitats Less need for pesticides and chemicals Little or no runoff High Water Use Plants Cool Season Lawn Tall fescue Ryegrass Bluegrass Ferns Azalea, Camellias 11

15 Cool Season Lawn High Water Use Cool Season & Plantings High Water Use Medium Water Use Warm Season Lawn Bermuda Type San Augustine Daylilies Gazania 12

16 Warm Season Lawn dormant in winter Medium Water Use Daylilies Medium Water Use Gazania Groundcover Medium Water Use 13

17 Low Water Use Ice plant Lantana Bougainvillea Eucalyptus Lantana species Low Water Use Bougainvillea Low Water Use 14

18 Very Low Water Use Native Plants Toyon (Heteromeles) Acacias Pepper Tree Laurel Sumac Toyon (Heteromeles) Very Low Water Use Acacias Very Low Water Use 15

19 Review Up to Now... To determine how much water a plant needs: Weather Type of Plant The Irrigation System Scheduling Factor Irrigation System Concepts Precipitation Rate How fast the water is applied Distribution Uniformity (DU) How even the water is applied 16

20 System Precipitation Rate How fast irrigation water is applied Measured in inches per hour (in/hr) Based on system flow rate & area Data from manufacturer (catalog) System test (catch-can test) Precipitation Rate (PR) High Precipitation Rate High flow and/or small area Low Precipitation Rate Low flow and/or large area System Types Select system type to schedule irrigation: Sprayhead Stream Spray Gear Rotor or Impact Rotor Micro or Drip Bubbler 17

21 Sprayheads High PR Stream Sprays Med/Low PR Gear Rotor Low PR 18

22 Impact Rotor Low PR Micro/Drip Very Low PR Bubbler Very High PR 19

23 Irrigation Efficiency Affects the irrigation schedule What percent of water applied is used by the landscape Depends on uniformity & scheduling Distribution Uniformity (DU) Good DU: system applies water evenly Too much water here Dry Spot Poor DU: system has problems! Irrigation Efficiency Uniform irrigation, but not efficient Efficient Irrigation: good DU & good timing Watering too long! Proper watering depth 20

24 Good Distribution Uniformity Common Irrigation System Problems: Improper sprinkler nozzles Mixed sprinkler types Incorrect pressure Improper sprinkler spacing Sunken sprinklers Tilted sprinklers Poor sprinkler alignment/pattern Sprinkler radius too long System Condition Based on observation... Select the system condition: Excellent Very Good Good Acceptable Marginal Poor Make an Estimate If unsure of system condition... Select Acceptable Better to under-estimate To avoid dry spots later on Adjust later by observation 21

25 The Irrigation Scheduler Provides minutes of irrigation per week Information needed: Location and weather (season) Plant water use Irrigation system condition And type of irrigation system The Irrigation Scheduler The Next Step At this point... We know the minutes of irrigation per week But we don t know the days of irrigation per week Let s talk about soils... 22

26 MWD California Friendly Landscape Training The Soil Scheduling Factor Sand Silt Clay Soil Concepts Texture soil particles Root zone depth Water holding capacity Soil Triangle (To determine soil texture) Example: 30% Clay 20% Silt 50% Sand 23

27 Common Soil Textures Sandy soils Silty soils Loamy soils (preferred by most plants) Clay soils Feel and appearance test Sandy Soils Will not make a ribbon Difficult to form a ball Feels very gritty Well drained high infiltration Not able to retain moisture Need to water frequently Silty Soils Will make a short ribbon Able to form a ball Very little grit 24

28 Loamy Soils Will make a ribbon of one inch or more Will make a hard ball May feel some grit Preferred by most plants Drains well & able to hold water Clay Soils Will make a long ribbon Will form a very strong ball Ball will deform without cracking Poor infiltration and drainage Water infrequently Additional Soils Information Inspect your soil field observation NRCS County extension offices 25

29 Soils Identification Exercise Feel and Appearance Test Procedure: Get soil sample Wet soil Attempt to form a ribbon Attempt to form a ball Test for grit (sand particles) Plant Root Zone (RZ) What determines the root zone? Type of plant (tree, shrub, lawn) Type of soil (clay, loamy, sandy) Irrigation history Using a Soil Probe 26

30 Type of soil Amount of moisture in the soil Root zone depth Soil Probe Sample RZ and Water Availability Deeper roots will have more water available Shallow roots have a limited water reservoir Irrigation Days Per Week 27

31 How Often to Irrigate Depends On... How much water is available? Type of soil Depth of the root zone How fast is the water used? Type of plant Climate conditions Let s start using the scheduler... To get minutes of irrigation per week Days of irrigation per week Use as a guideline May also use the online watering calculator at: Data Needed for Scheduling Location (Coastal, Inland, etc.) Season (Spring, summer, etc.) Plant water use (High, medium, etc.) Irrigation system condition (Excellent, Good, etc.) Type of irrigation system (Rotors, sprayheads, etc.) Soil Type (Clay, Loam, Sandy, etc.) Depth of root zone (in inches) 28

32 Scheduling Example Coastal Valley location Summer Medium plant water use Sprayhead type Acceptable condition of the sprinkler system Clay soil Six inch root zone Field Worksheet (example) Field Work Sheet Example Project: Mountain View School District Date: 10/4/2004 Location: Sunshine Valley, California Name: E.A.K. Coastal, Coastal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Summer Spring, Summer, Fall Station Plant Irrigation System Root Zone Runoff Soil Type Number Water Use Condition Type Precip. Rate Depth Time Excellent, Very good, Micro/Drip, Rotor/Impact Sandy, Silty High, Med, Low, Acceptable, Marginal, Stream Rotor, Spray, IN/HR Loam, Clay (Inches) (minutes) Very Low Poor Bubblers Loam Scheduling Worksheet (example) Scheduling Worksheet Project Mountain View School Dist. Date 7 / 21 / 06 _ Location Sun Shine Valley, CA Name ADL _ Season Summer Station number Run times Minutes/Week Days per Irrigation Starts per Minutes Week Day Modifications 29

33 Schedule Modification On-site observation Too wet, too dry? Runoff? Soil Probe How deep is the irrigation water? Deeper than the roots? If yes, then cut back Scheduling Adjustments Over-irrigated: Reduce irrigation by 10% Excessively over-irrigated: Reduce irrigation by 20% Under-irrigated Increase irrigation by 10% Excessively under-irrigated Increase irrigation by 20% Scheduling Adjustments (cont.) Irrigation Runoff? If so... Use less minutes per start time, but more start times per day Or, use more days per week But keep the same number of minutes per week 30

34 Modified Scheduling Worksheet Scheduling Worksheet Project Mountain View School Dist. _ Date 7 / 21 / 06 _ Location Sun Shine Valley, CA _ Name ADL _ Season Summer Station number Run times Minutes/Week Days/Week Irrigation Starts/Day Minutes min Modifications Kid s Park Exercise For each season: 1. Minutes per week for each station - Using the Weekly Scheduler 2. Days per week for each station - Using the soil graphs Kid s Park Planting Plan 31

35 Kid s Park Irrigation Plan Kid s Park Field Data Sheet Scheduling Worksheet Project Kid s Park Date 7 / 21 / 06 _ Location Pasadena, CA Name ADL _ Season Summer Station Number Plant Water Use Irrigation Soil Type Root Zone Condition Type Precip. Depth Rate Runoff 1 Low Good Drip Sand 24 none 2 High Acceptable Stream Rotor Loam 8 none 3 Low Good Bubbler Loam 46 none 4 Low Very Good Sprayhead Loam 60 none 5 Medium Acceptable Micro Spray Loam 16 none 6 High Poor Gear Rotor Sandy Loam 8 none 7 High Poor Gear Rotor Sandy Loam 8 none 8 High Poor Gear Rotor Sandy Loam 8 none Time Density & Water Use Full cover planting (no bare ground) Will use the most water Sparse plantings (a portion of ground is bare) Will use less water 32

36 Scheduling Worksheet Scheduling Worksheet Project _ Date _ Location _ Name _ Season Station number Run times Minutes/Week Irrigation Days/Week Starts/Day Minutes Modifications Sample Schedule Watering Schedule Program Days Cycle Start Times Stations 1 4 1:00 AM 2 2 5:00 AM Water Time Duration 63 min. 61 min. 61 min. 61 min. 113 min. 3 min. 14 min. 113 min.?questions? 33

37 California Friendly Landscape Training Your hosting water agency would like to thank you for being water conscious and attending this Workshop 34

38 Field Work Sheet Example Field Work Sheet Example Project: Mountain View School District Date: 10/4/00 Location: Sunshine Valley, California Name E.A.K. Costal, Costal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Summer Spring, Summer, Fall Station Plant Irrigation System Soil Type Root Zone Runoff Number Water Use Condition Type Precip. Rate Depth Time Micro/Drip, Rotor/Impact, High, Medium, Excelent, Very Good, Sandy, Silty, Stream Rotor, Spray, IN/HR Low, Very Low Aceptable, Marginal, Poor Loam, Clay, Loam bubblers (Inches) (Minutes) 1 Medium Acceptable Spray Clay Loam 6 inches none

39 Scheduling Work Sheet Example Scheduling Work Sheet Example Project: Mountain View School District Date: 10/4/00 Location: Sunshine Valley, California Name: E.A.K Costal, Coastal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Summer Spring, Summer, Fall Station Run Times Irrigation Modification Number Minutes/Week Days/Week Start/Day Minutes/Irrigation Date Date Date or

40 Field Work Sheet Kid s Park Field Work Sheet Example Project: Kid s Park Date: 6/4/00 Location: Griffith Park, California Name: P.J.R. Costero, Valle Costero, Valle Interior, Desierto Season: Verano Spring, Summer, Fall Station Plant Irrigation System Soil Type Root Zone Runoff Number Water Use Condition Type Precip.Rate Depth Time High, Médium, low, Very Low Excellent, Very Good, Aceptable, Marginal, Poor Micro/Drip, Rotor/Impact, Stream Rotor, Spray, Bubblers IN/HR. Sandy, Silty, Loam, Clay Loam (Inches) (Minutes) 1 Low Good Drip Sand 24 inches None 2 High Acceptable Stream Loam 8 inches None 3 Low Good Bubbler Loam 48 inches None 4 Low Very Good Spray Loam 60 inches None 5 Low Acceptable Micro Spray Loam 18 inches None 6 High Poor Stream Sandy Loam 8 inches None 7 High Poor Stream Sandy Loam 8 inches None 8 High Poor Stream Sandy Loam 8 inches None 37

41 Field Work Sheet Field Work Sheet Example Project: Date: Location: Name Costal, Costal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Station Plant Irrigation System Soil Type Root Zone Runoff Number Water Use Condition Type Precip. Rate Number Water Use High, Micro/Drip, Rotor/Impact, Sandy, Silty, High, Medium, Excelent, Very Good, Medium, Stream Rotor, Spray, IN/HR Loam, Clay, Low, Very Low Aceptable, Marginal, Poor Low, Very bubblers Loam Low

42 Field Work Sheet Field Work Sheet Example Project: Date: Location: Name Costal, Costal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Station Plant Irrigation System Soil Type Root Zone Runoff Number Water Use Condition Type Precip. Rate Number Water Use High, Micro/Drip, Rotor/Impact, Sandy, Silty, High, Medium, Excelent, Very Good, Medium, Stream Rotor, Spray, IN/HR Loam, Clay, Low, Very Low Aceptable, Marginal, Poor Low, Very bubblers Loam Low

43 Scheduling Work Sheet Scheduling Work Sheet Example Project: Date: Location: Name: Costal, Coastal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Station Run Times Irrigation Modification Number Minutes/Week Days/Week Start/Day Minutes/Irrigation Date Date Date

44 Scheduling Work Sheet Scheduling Work Sheet Example Project: Date: Location: Name: Costal, Coastal Valley, Inland Valley, Desert Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Station Run Times Irrigation Modification Number Minutes/Week Days/Week Start/Day Minutes/Irrigation Date Date Date

45 MWD California Friendly Landscape Training Weekly Scheduler 42

46 MWD California Friendly Landscape Training Weekly Scheduler 43

47 Frequency of Irrigation Frequency of Irrigation Sandy Soil Texture Days per week 1 Index Root Zone (in feet) 44

48 Frequency of Irrigation Frequency of Irrigation Silt Loam Soil Texture Days per week Index Root Zone (in inches) 45

49 Frequency of Irrigation Frequency of Irrigation Clay Loam Soil Texture Days per week Index Root Zone (in inches) 46

50 Frequency of Irrigation Frequency of Irrigation Loam Soil Texture Days per week 2.0 Index Root Zone (in inches) 47