Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/637026
28 March 2016 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT Automation. Drip systems can easily be automated by hooking the system into conventional electric valves and timers. Optimal fertilization. Water-soluble plant food can easily be applied through the filter, to the drip system, directly to the plant root zone. Use on slopes. Traditional sprinklers often create wasteful run-off when used to water upper slopes of hills. Drip irrigation applies the water slowly enough to allow all the moisture to soak directly into the soil. ■ BY RYAN LARSEN The theory of drip irrigation, also known as low-volume or micro irrigation, is simple. Through a network of plastic tubing and low-volume drippers and sprinklers that reach every part of your target area, water is delivered on a slow, frequent and accurate basis directly to the root zone of the plant. It causes water to radiate outward from its source point, creating an overlapping wetting pattern beneath the ground. The root zone is kept moist but never saturated with water. The end result is that the plant always maintains the ideal balance between water and air. Due to the increased focus on water conservation in state regulations, homeowners and commercial property managers are using drip irrigation more and more every day to save water while also improving efficiency and reducing maintenance. In fact, many drip irrigation products are granted exemptions from their water management district restrictions due to their high level of efficiency. This means homeowners and property managers can water their landscapes while other forms of irrigation, such as the common sprinkler systems or hand watering, are being restricted or banned (check with your local water management agency for qualifying products.) BENEFITS OF DRIP IRRIGATION Drip irrigation is ideal for a variety of applications, including watering larger trees, foundation planting and raised planters, landscapes and shrubs, medians and roadways, and subsurface turfs and sports fields. Its many benefits include: Water savings. Drip irrigation can reduce water use by 30 to 70 percent compared to conventional sprinkler irrigation. Sprinklers can waste water due to scattered spray from winds, evaporation, run-off or deep leaching. Healthier plants. Shrubs, plants and turfgrass thrive with a slow, steady application of water and nutrients directly to the plant's roots. The ideal soil moisture level also minimizes plant stress, which spurs faster growth. Drip irrigation also prevents unsightly brown spots on flowers because spray never touches the plants, and it reduces fungal diseases by keeping the soil surface and foliage dry. Aesthetics. There are no unobtrusive risers or sprinkler heads to lessen the aesthetic value of a landscape. Drip irrigation can be hidden under mulch or beneath the soil, which also eliminates spray on buildings, windows, fencing or pedestrians in high- traffic areas. Reduced weed growth. Because drip irrigation only covers a relatively small part of the soil's surface around the plant, weeds receive less water and subsequently have less opportunity to grow. NDS's new Dura Flo CV Dripline is an all-in-one high performing drip line solution for all applications. It prohibits root intrusion and provides landscape architects, civil engineers and environmental engineers with a higher level of water conservation for any irrigation project. How Drip Irrigation Helps Conserve Water