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

2. 877.396.1956 danv@springbrooksupply.com
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

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

4. Integrated Water Management Presented by Kurt K. Thompson
Sponsored by the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society
The Fundamentals
November, 2003 G.I.E Expo - St. Louis, MO

5. Irrigation Management
Integrated Water Management Presented by Kurt K. Thompson
Sponsored by the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society
Irrigation Management
Irrigation supplements rainfall
Irrigate when needed, NOT when scheduled
Install a rain switch or soil moisture sensor
Adjust the irrigation schedule every month of the growing season
November, 2003 G.I.E Expo - St. Louis, MO

6. Goals of an Irrigation Schedule
Healthy Plants
Minimal inputs
Fertilizer
Herbicides
Pesticides
Water
Acceptable Appearance
Lush
Lean

7. Elements of an Irrigation Schedule
Quantity
How Much?
Frequency
How Often?
What factors affect each?

8. Elements of an Irrigation Schedule
How Much?
The amount of water to replace what was removed from the soil
Evaporation
Transpiration
The rate the sprinklers apply the water
The uniformity of the sprinklers
Inches converted to Minutes
Evapotranspiration (ETO)

9. Elements of an Irrigation Schedule
How Often?
Days available
Hours per day
Cycles to avoid runoff/puddling

10. Integrated Water Management Presented by Kurt K. Thompson
Sponsored by the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society
Creating
the Schedule
November, 2003 G.I.E Expo - St. Louis, MO

11. Example Use the Scheduling Practice Problem in the handouts Zone 2

12. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line A
Determine the amount of water (inches) to be applied for the period (week, month)
Using average historic seasonal ETO for Florida
Spring = 1.00 in./week
Summer = 1.40 in./week
Fall = 1.00 in./week
Winter = 0.50 in./week
Calculate using historic ETO and actual KL
Water to Apply = ETO x KL
KL for Cool Season Turf = 0.65
KL for Warm Season Turf = 0.75
KL for Mix Shrubs & Trees = 0.50
Example
(7 x .18”/day) x 0.75 = 0.945
Water to Apply = 0.95 in./week
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

13. Florida Historic ET Rates
Season
Month
North Region ETP
South Region ETP
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
5.89
0.20
6.20
Jun
Jul
0.18
5.58
Aug
5.27
Fall
Sep
4.50
0.16
4.80
Oct
3.72
0.14
4.34
Nov
2.70
0.11
3.30
Dec
0.06
1.86
Year
49.32
54.79

14. Florida Historic ET RatesN S

15. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line B
Establish the precipitation rate for the zone
Calculate the zone flow and square feet of zone S2 S1
GPM in Spacing
Total GPM r S
GPM in adjusted spacing
(0.8 x r)
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

16. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line C Establish the uniformity for the zone
Uniformity
Class
Description
Rotors
Sprays
Drip
Poor
Improper PSI
Missing Sprinklers
Same Nozzles
0.45
0.40
.90
Better
Sprinklers in Corners
OK Spacing
OK Pressure
0.60
0.50
Best
Consistent Spacing
Proper PSI
Matched Precip. Rate
0.70
0.65
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

17. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line D
Establish the Scheduling Multiplier for the zone
Use the DU in Line C to determine the SM using the Scheduling Multiplier table or formula
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

18. Scheduling Multiplier Lookup Table
Uniformity
Scheduling Multiplier
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

19. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line E
Establish the lower boundary run time
where:
RTlower = lower boundary run time - LEAN
Inches of water = target amount to apply
PR = precipitation rate {in/hr}
RTlower = x 60
Inches of Water PR
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

20. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line F
Establish the upper boundary run time
where:
RTupper = upper boundary run time - LUSH
RTlower = lower boundary run time - LEAN
SM = scheduling multiplier
RTupper = RTlower x SM
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

21. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line G
Determining the Recommended Run Time
The run time between the upper and lower boundaries based on how the plant material is expected to look
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

22. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line H
Determining the number of days available to irrigate
State or local regulations
Manager’s choice
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

23. Landscape Irrigation Auditor Training Presentation
Creating the Schedule
Line I
Establish 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
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates, LLC All rights reserved.

24. Integrated Water Management Presented by Kurt K. Thompson
Sponsored by the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society
Managing
the Schedule
November, 2003 G.I.E Expo - St. Louis, MO

25. High Efficiency Management
Smart Irrigation Technologies Presented by Kurt K. Thompson
Copyright K. Thompson & Associates
High Efficiency Management
Adjust the schedules to deliver only the water needed to keep the plants healthy
Trim back runtimes until equipment weaknesses are revealed
Adjust the equipment on a micro-level to correct
Continue until equipment cannot be corrected
FNGLA Short Course - September 23, 2010

26. High Efficiency Management
Adjust the schedule monthly
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
Neglected
Managed

27. High Efficiency Management
Trim Back Schedule
& Adjust Timing
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
After
Before

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

29. experience AND implementationSM
OHBA Meeting
August 9, 2012
experience AND implementationSM
Thank you!
Copyright K. Thompson & associates. All rights reserved.