Your Questions

I’ve heard of a “rain switch”, do they work and where can I get one if they are effective?

I don’t have a lot of time to fiddle with my irrigation system.  It seems to work ok, but I need to save money where I can on my utilities.  Is there something quick and easy I can do?

Every time the sprinklers come on water runs down the gutter at the bottom of the hill. Our neighbors said we should rip out the sprinklers and put in drip irrigation, do we have to do that?

I want to plant some spreading groundcovers on the slope behind my house, what is the best way to irrigate them?

We moved into a house with a Toro ECx timer. The book that comes with it is confusing… can you help me set it up?

I have an automatic irrigation system and the irrigation is coming on every day.  Is this right, how do I know how often to irrigate?

Our gardener “fixed” our irrigation system last week, and now there is a different kind of pop-up sprayer in the lawn.  Is this right; does this make a difference?

How do I know when I have the right amount of sprinklers?

John's Answers

D’Arcy J., from Memphis Tennessee writes, 

“…the house we moved into has an irrigation system.  It has a Toro EC x timer, and I got to say the book that comes with it is confusing.  Can you give me the basics on how to set this thing?  We have two lawn zones, one shrub zone, and a flower zone in front.  The whole yard gets water every time it comes on.”

Irrigation Essential's Response:

D’Arcy,
You’re not alone!  You hit on what 9 out of 10 people I talk to say is totally frustrating about setting controllers (not just Toro’s)! 

I’m going to start with the plants first.  Lets divide your plants into three groups, high water use, medium water use and low water use.  I’m going to make those groups by the depth of their roots.  For example, if they have shallow roots—they are in the high water use group because they will need their water supply frequently, if they have medium depth roots, less often, and if they have deep roots – they have a lot of soil area to draw from, and by definition, are “well established”.  So, based on what you said – high use equals lawn and flowers, medium use is shrubs, and low is trees.  Note:  Your trees may in fact use a lot of water, but they don’t rely on you supplementing the water they need.

Watering Programs

This controller gives you the chance to separate these different water needs, by using different “watering programs.”  That means is there is a different set of instructions (a different program) for each plant group.  For peak summer, the lawn and flowers should come on 4 – 5 days a week (program A).  For peak summer, the shrubs should come on no more than 3 – 4 days a week (program B).  As far as how long they run each time, that you need to inspect – stick a trowel, shovel, or best yet a soil probe (mail order for a soil probe: http://www.gemplers.com or http://www.benmeadows.com) in the ground and see how far the water is filling the area the roots occupy -- the “root zone”.

Start Times

A couple of key things, the different programs can come on the same days, but make sure they don’t overlap when they are supposed to run.  Start with A, set a start time, and total the minutes for the lawn and flowers – then…make sure program B starts after that.

Also, irrigate early in the morning, starting say at 4 am.  When they say “zones”, that refers to an individual set of sprinklers that run at the same time.  No system is designed to run all systems (zones) at the same time; you simply don’t have enough water or pressure to do that.  So the zones will run one after another, in sequence on the days you choose.

This is critical!

I highly recommend that you adjust your controller once a month.  Add start times and “days on” until mid summer, and then start subtracting them (once a month) after peak summer.  By doing this you will save money on water, and your landscape should look better!

Inspect!

Periodically INSPECT the system to make sure nothing is dysfunctional or broken.  See our “InspectTestAdjust” article for more on this topic.
eMail us back with more specific information, and I can “fine tune” an answer that will further save you money next year on your water bill, without any sacrifice in the look of your landscape.

1. What type of hardware:  spray pop-ups, or rotors?  Manufacturer?  Their programmed run times?
2. Controller:  Manufacturer & model and is it mounted indoors or outdoors?
3. Do you see any “runoff” or puddles after normal irrigation?
4. Your zip code (I can obtain your weather and soil data)?
5. Do you fertilize your landscape?  How often, with what?
6. Who do you buy water from—the name of your local water utility?

Where To Buy

We recommend buying from irrigation supply stores.  You will get a wider range of better quality products than are available at the big box hardware stores.

In your area we recommend Ewing Irrigation on 5520 Pleasant View Road.  Their phone is 901.373.9530.

Soil Biology and Horticultural Practices–Easy Steps to a Beautiful Landscape!

You can use less water, and have a healthier landscape by building your soil.  Please see our article “Stop Chemicals” for more detail on soil building.  Also, key horticulture basics:

• Use mulch over bare soil areas
• Cutting your lawn -- shorter in Spring & Fall, longer in the Summer
• Use a mulching mower, or simply make two passes and leave the clippings on the lawn (mow when the turf is dry) – this builds nitrogen in the soil!
• Use organic fertilizers, and eliminate the use of pesticides!  The water that migrates off your landscape takes elements of whatever you have applied with it!

System Management • Posted on 02/23/2009 •   Permalink

Many times, seemingly simple questions have answers that span several disciplines (design theory, installation practices, horticulture and soil science issues), and can become burdensome for someone to try to take in all at once.

To facilitate understanding, we group our information in three broad categories: 

System Management — Irrigation scheduling.  Hitting the “moving target” of plant water need as it changes throughout the growing season.

Delivery System — Spray heads, rotors, emitters, etc.  We try to explain the principles behind how they function, and make sense out of the many look-alike products on the market.

Soil Biology — Living soils and horticultural practices play a very significant role in how effective irrigation can be, and the viability of the landscape.  Think of growing roots, not plants!  Healthy roots will ensure a beautiful garden!