WATER EFFICIENTLY 12LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES FOR FLORIDA -FRIENDLY YARDS

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "WATER EFFICIENTLY 12LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES FOR FLORIDA -FRIENDLY YARDS"

Myron Francis
5 years ago
Views:

1 WATER EFFICIENTLY 12LANDSCAPING PRINCIPLES FOR FLORIDA -FRIENDLY YARDS 39

By choosig ad operatig a waterig system correctly, you ca reduce water bills, isect ad disease problems, ad maiteace requiremets.

2 WATER EFFICIENTLY Eve though waterig restrictios are commoplace throughout Florida, may homeowers still overwater. Overwaterig does more tha deplete the water supply, it also makes plats proe to pests ad adds to stormwater ruoff, which pollutes our water systems. By choosig ad operatig a waterig system correctly, you ca reduce water bills, isect ad disease problems, ad maiteace requiremets. For example, the more you water your law, the faster it grows ad the more it eeds to be mowed. Most waterig restrictios limit irrigatio to certai days ad times. But realize that eve if it is your assiged day to irrigate, that does ot mea you must irrigate. Scheduled waterig ca waste time, moey ad resources. Do t let the caledar tell you whe to water look to your plats for telltale sigs of water eeds. Water laws whe 50 percet of the law shows sigs of wilt: leaf blades folded i half, blue-gray color ad footprits remai o the law. Water established beddig plats ad shrubs whe you see early sigs of wiltig. Photo by: Jim Phillips Micro-spray jets directly delivery small volumes of water. FYN Glossary Box Wiltig: the droopig of plat parts, especially leaves, geerally because of a lack of water Florida Irrigatio Society: 40

Waterig Tips Reduce the eed for waterig by choosig water-efficiet ad drought-tolerat plats, icludig those ative to your site, ad plat them i the right place.

If you have a automatic sprikler system, istall a rai shutoff device or sesor that will override the system whe it rais. Set this device to shut off your system whe half a ich of rai has falle.

3 Waterig Tips Reduce the eed for waterig by choosig water-efficiet ad drought-tolerat plats, icludig those ative to your site, ad plat them i the right place. If you group plats accordig to their water (ad light) eeds, you ca simplify waterig methods ad systems. For example, separate turf irrigatio zoes from tree ad shrub zoes. If you have a automatic sprikler system, istall a rai shutoff device or sesor that will override the system whe it rais. Set this device to shut off your system whe half a ich of rai has falle. Florida law requires rai Photo by: Jim Phillips Do ot water whe it is raiig use a workig rai sesor o your irrigatio system to shut it off automatically. shutoff devices o all automatic sprikler systems istalled sice Your couty's UF/IFAS Extesio office, the USDA Natural Resources Coservatio Service (NRCS) or a certified irrigatio professioal ca provide techical assistace. Water i the early morig (4 7 a.m.). This is the most efficiet time because temperature ad wid speeds are at their lowest, which reduces evaporatio. Also, grasses are less susceptible to fugus if water is applied at the time that dew ormally forms. Avoid waterig betwee 10 a.m. ad 4 p.m. Temperature ad wid speeds are at their highest durig this time so evaporative losses are more likely. Follow this simple waterig schedule for grass: Apply ½" to ¾" of water whe grass shows sigs of distress (bluish-gray color/folded leaf blades). Do ot water agai util symptoms reappear. If rai is predicted withi the ext 24 hours, do't irrigate. Use a rai gauge to measure raifall volume. 41

Experimet with gradual reductios i irrigatio to see if plats ca tolerate less water. Some people use o irrigatio, but have healthy plats. Water less i cooler moths (November March).

4 Experimet with gradual reductios i irrigatio to see if plats ca tolerate less water. Some people use o irrigatio, but have healthy plats. Water less i cooler moths (November March). Tur off automatic waterig systems i summer if raifall is cosistet ad i witer moths whe little water evaporates. Make sure your sprikler system is applyig uiform coverage ad operatig properly. This sigle actio proves to be oe of the best ways to coserve water. Check your system periodically for broke heads or leaks. To Sprikle or Not to Sprikle You are probably familiar with spriklers that are part of a automated system. I some ladscapes, such as a law or aual flower bed, those kids of spriklers ca be the best waterig method. For other ladscape areas, lear about water-coservig micro-irrigatio systems. Micro-irrigatio systems deliver small volumes of water directly to the root zoe through low-flow-rate emitters, such as micro-spray jets, bubblers or drip tubes. Florida Yard Tip: Soil Moisture If the soil i your yard appears dry, that does ot mea the root zoe is dry. A soil-corig tool like the oe show pulls up a soil sample that allows you to see ad feel the moisture i a plat s root zoe. A soil core also reveals whether you are waterig so much that water is wasted below the root zoe. Usig a soil corer ca help you judge whe to tur off a automatic waterig system. Look for corig tools at most irrigatio ad some garde supply stores. Photo by: Da Culbert, Okeechobee Ext. SJRWMD WaterWise Florida Ladscapes: 42

Although micro-irrigatio equipmet releases small amouts of water, it does ot prevet overwaterig. Nutriet leachig ca occur if the system rus for excessively log time periods ad waterlogs soil.

5 Although micro-irrigatio equipmet releases small amouts of water, it does ot prevet overwaterig. Nutriet leachig ca occur if the system rus for excessively log time periods ad waterlogs soil. Sady soils permit water to distribute laterally to a limited degree oly; this ca also cause overwaterig by microirrigatio systems. Drip or micro-spray fittigs ca clog ad may require that you filter the water source. Ispect fittigs regularly ad possibly clea them. Isects ad rodets ca damage drip tape or tubig. Photo by: UF/IFAS Sprikler water misdirected toward the pavemet is more likely to ru off the impervious surface ad be wasted. If you already have a irrigatio system, your optios for retrofittig to micro-irrigatio may be limited. Sometimes low-pressure emitters, such as bubblers, ca be adapted to existig sprikler heads. This may require a attachmet at the source to reduce water pressure. FYN Glossary Box Leachig: the dowward movemet of water (ad ay particles dissolved i it, such as utriets or pollutats) through soil 43

Water-Wise Advice Get practical advice o state-of-the-art irrigatio systems from several sources: The water maagemet districts (http://www.dep.state.fl.

If you are chagig areas of your ladscape from turf to trees or plated beds, cosult with your couty s UF/IFAS Extesio office or with the Natural Resources Coservatio Service regardig waterig optios.

6 Water-Wise Advice Get practical advice o state-of-the-art irrigatio systems from several sources: The water maagemet districts ( watma/) ad Florida Irrigatio Society ( provide iformatio o irrigatio system selectio, maiteace ad appropriate waterig practices. If you are chagig areas of your ladscape from turf to trees or plated beds, cosult with your couty s UF/IFAS Extesio office or with the Natural Resources Coservatio Service regardig waterig optios. If you are i the market for a ew irrigatio system, fid a reputable certified irrigatio cotractor who has experiece with these systems. A free ispectio of irrigatio system efficiecy is available i some areas through the Natural Resources Coservatio Service ad water maagemet districts' Mobile Irrigatio Labs. For cotact iformatio i the south Florida area, please visit: Tampa Bay Water Outdoor Coservatio: 44

Florida Yard Tip: Calibratig Irrigatio Systems Follow these steps to determie how much water your irrigatio system is applyig: Set several similar, flat-bottomed,

Pour the water from all cotaiers ito oe cotaier. Measure the depth of the water to the earest 1/8".

7 Florida Yard Tip: Calibratig Irrigatio Systems Follow these steps to determie how much water your irrigatio system is applyig: Set several similar, flat-bottomed, straightsided cas (all must be of equal size) i various places withi oe waterig zoe. Tua cas work well for this. Tur o spriklers for 15 miutes. Pour the water from all cotaiers ito oe cotaier. Measure the depth of the water to the earest 1/8". Divide the measuremet by the umber of cotaiers to determie the average amout of water applied i that zoe i 15 miutes. I the future, water the area oly as log as it takes to apply ½" to ¾" of water. 45

TRAINING OBJECTIVES. Irrigation may not be your job but it can have a big effect on it!

TRAINING OBJECTIVES. Irrigation may not be your job but it can have a big effect on it! FLORIDA-FRIENDLY BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR PROTECTION OF WATER RESOURCES BY THE GREEN INDUSTRIES GREEN INDUSTRIES BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (GI-BMP) MODULE 4: IRRIGATION 6/2016 TRAINING OBJECTIVES