Example of Schedule with Seasonal Programs

[Jim]

Although it's possible with LawnCheck to setup one program for use year around, you could set up seasonal programs that would provide the benefit more optimal watering.  This is particulary useful when using temperature information to control irrigation.

For example, for spring and fall define a program called "Spring/Fall" and set the monthly scale factors to 100% for the spring and fall months and 0% for the winter and summer months.  Set the watering days to Monday and Thursday, and then click the deactivate on cool temperature box and click the deactivate on precipitation box.  Set the cool temperature to something like 65 degrees.  This program will take over irrigation in spring and fall.  In addition you can scale the months so that early spring, for example, gets 60% of the minutes, while late spring gets 100%.  If the forecast high temperature for the day is below 65 the irrigation will not turn on.  

You can now set up an entirely different program for use in the Summer.  Call this program "Summer" and set the summer months to 100% and all the other months to zero or off.  You can set this progam to irrigate 3 times a week, and set the minutes appropriately.  You can also check the deactivate on precipitation box to reduce the possibility of irrigation during rain.

You can optimize irrigation by setting your Summer watering minutes to provide just enough water for average temperatures.  You can define a program called "Summer Hot" that would provide extra cycles if the forecast temperature was greater than the "Hot Temperature" that you specify.

With 5 separate programs at your command, you can even set up programs to optimize watering for 1 or more specific zones.

[ByrdHouse]

Jim, I really like the "high temperature" option. Above you wrote:
> You can define a program called "Summer Hot" that would provide extra cycles if the forecast temperature was greater than the "Hot Temperature" that you specify.

Question: Would it be better for my lawn to schedule the "Summer Hot" cycle to run early in the morning of the hot day, or in the evening, after the hot day is over?

Thanks!

[Jim]

Hi ByrdHouse,

It's a good question and the answer probably depends on tolerence for microbial build up.  The reason that morning irrigation is generally preferred is that mold/fungus are less likely to build up because the sun drys up the surface wetness.  In the case of a hot spell, the conditions likely to be extra dry and the chance of mold build up would generally be much less, so watering in the evening would provide more time for the water to soak in.  

In the natural course of events, it rains both in the morning and the evening, and lawns and gardens continue to grow.  So, in the case of a cycle that was programmed to only run on hot days it seems that there would be greater benefit to running it in the evening and giving the irrigation the chance to soak in all night.   You  could probably run it either way though.

Another point to consider is that, depending on where you live, the Yahoo high temp forecast might change during the day.  The forecast temperature either might not be reached or the high temperature might exceed the forecast high.  So depending on how your weather changes, you might get slightly better irrigation information by waiting until the evening of the hot day.

Jim

[ByrdHouse]

Great -- thanks for the reply. I'll run them in the evening.