Wes Dyer, Ph.D. and Manoj Chhetri, Ph.D. both finished their doctoral degrees at K-State in 2021; each had focus on water savings as part of their research. Wes is employed with Irrometer Company, Inc. in Riverside, CA and Manoj is a horticulture extension agent for the University of Missouri. Dr. Cathie Lavis joins them to present strategies for saving irrigation water on this video recorded at the 2021 Kansas Turfgrass Field Day. Hear about the effectiveness of soil moisture sensors in contributing to water savings, and how irrigation heads differ in water delivery. To view, click HERE (about 15 min.).
Category: Irrigation
K-State’s Sodcast: Interview with Holly Dickman, Water Conservation Specialist, Hays, KS
Holly Dickman is a K-State Horticulture alumnus who currently serves as the Water Conservation Specialist in Hays, KS. Holly provides an overview of water-saving strategies, and how they have impacted water use in Hays. Watch it HERE! (about 18 minutes)
Watering Landscape Ornamentals
By Dr. Cheryl Boyer
It’s that time of the year when it’s both very hot and, likely, very dry. While it’s important to water landscape ornamentals all year long, now is a critical time to make sure plants have all the resources they need.
We have several publications about best practices for watering:
- Watering Newly Planted and Young Trees and Shrubs
- Watering Established Trees and Shrubs
- Watering Raised Beds, Berms, Containers, and Houseplants
Newly planted trees (within their first year) should be watered at least weekly but check the soil to make sure it’s draining well. Slow-release watering methods like micro-pore bags and 5-gallon buckets with small (1/8-inch) drainage holes are a good way to apply irrigation to trees and some shrubs. However, remember to remove the bags when they are empty to ensure good airflow around plant stems and reduce pests and diseases. Removing turfgrass and other ornamental plants to at least the tree dripline (or beyond) will help trees access more water and grow more quickly—make sure to mulch the turfgrass-free zone to help retain applied water.
Established trees will benefit from a thorough soaking (to a depth of 12 inches out to and beyond the drip line) every 3 to 4 weeks. Established shrubs need water every 2 to 3 weeks during this drought- and heat-prone time of year. Plants growing in raised beds and berms may need to be watered every 1 to 2 weeks. Soaker hoses work well for watering established trees and shrubs.
You may want to consider taking advantage of a light rainfall (if you get one in July and August) by watering immediately afterward to help moisture move deeper into the root zone.
Any way you slice it, watering is a good thing. There are many other factors to consider for successful planting, but right now watering is top of the list. Keep it up—plants are thirsty just like you!
It is time to…..WATER, WATER, WATER!
By Brooke Garcia
The temperatures are reaching summer high’s this week, and it is more important than ever to be monitoring and increasing watering schedules. Adjusting irrigation settings to accomodate for extreme temperatures will be vital for the health and survival of new plantings, as well as established plantings.
Featured in the Horticulture e-Newsletter, Ward Upham discussed the importance of watering for trees and shurbs. The article is featured in the link here.
Here are some other timely blog posts about watering as well:
- Watering Newly Planted Trees and Shurbs
- Watering Fruit Plants During the Summer
- Turfgrass Irrigation
- Watering Your Lawn
Drive Your Car Without a Fuel Gauge?
By Wes Dyer (Ph.D. student)
The dreaded check engine light popped on this past month. Bound to happen to a 15-year-old vehicle, pushing a quarter of a million miles. I immediately stopped by a local auto parts store and connected a diagnostic scanner to find a faulty fuel level sensor. Not the worst diagnostic error, but I knew I had to be more aware of the miles I drive between refueling. It reminded me of a quote by Dr. Dana Lonn, former managing director for technology at Toro Company, in which he states, “controlling an irrigation system without soil moisture data, is like driving a car without a gas gauge.” I realized more than ever what he meant as I found myself making more frequent stops at the gas station to refuel this past month, just to be sure.
The rootzone profile is much like a fuel tank, where adequate water, or “fuel”, is needed in the profile to maintain a healthy turfgrass stand. How do you know when to refill your soil profile? Setting irrigation clocks to specific days of the week to water is prone to lead to overwatering, like myself now, making more stops than necessary to refuel the vehicle. Even calculating daily evapotranspiration rates (which are estimates of the water used by turfgrass) fail to accurately account for moisture in the soil profile. Utilizing technology and devices to determine soil moisture is much like a fuel level sensor that can aid in determining when the plant needs water. This is where implementing technology in the landscape has advantages. The greater period you can stretch between irrigation applications, the greater chance a rainfall event will occur which will serve as “free water”, though I do not anticipate free gas events.
For the past three years, I have been working to determine how to best employ technology in the turf landscape. Soil moisture sensors are one of many tools we can use to precisely determine when irrigation is needed to maximize water savings, increase turfgrass quality, provide consistent playing conditions, and minimize overwatering. Research results from 2020 indicated soil moisture sensor-based irrigation yielded 84% water savings compared to frequency-based irrigation (2x week-1) and 72% savings compared to deficit evapotranspiration (60% ET) irrigation. These significant water savings were achieved by simply monitoring soil moisture and watering only when necessary to “refuel the tank.” For more information as reference to this project, see this past article (Development of Irrigation Scheduling Techniques that Conserve Water in Turfgrass Landscapes using Soil Moisture Sensors and Weather Data. Kansas Turfgrass Foundation Newsletter, September 2019).
Throughout my turfgrass management career, I have had the opportunity to work with many great golf course and athletic field facilities across the United States. Many of those managers took on the philosophy to be data-driven because it removes the guesswork. The more data available at one’s fingertips the better decisions one can make. The key is not to become overwhelmed with the data, however, but to use the data to aid in improving your decisions or as a “tool in the toolbox”. Regarding irrigation, automated systems may become more widespread in the future and use sophisticated technology to control irrigation. Until then, we can use the current technology to establish our own automated irrigation decisions. I often like to think about two or three simple questions before I choose to irrigate. Specific questions and thresholds center around soil moisture data, turf canopy conditions, and future precipitation forecasts. Certain criteria must be met before the irrigation is turned on which has achieved significant water savings while maintaining turfgrass quality. As my research nears an end, I think it is time to schedule that service on my fuel level sensor.
