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 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.