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.
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www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation March 2016 29 Reduced labor and maintenance. Dripline installations have lower average material costs when compared to sprinklers. And, conventional sprinklers often require maintenance to adjust spray patterns and nozzles, and have moving parts that require repair. Dripline maintenance is minimal and limited to periodic flushing and system evaluation. Ease of installation. Dripline irrigation installs easily in tight, awkwardly shaped areas that are hard to water with standard sprinkler systems. Driplines are typically very flexible and can adapt to any planting shape. TYPES OF DRIP IRRIGATION Drip irrigation products can be broken into five categories. These five options can be combined in any application, but keep in mind that each method may have different watering cycles. Hence, it is generally recommended that the different methods be put on separate circuits and operated independently, either manually or through a multi-station timer. 1. Point source drip: The most precise option, drip emitters deliver water directly to the soil at the root zone at very slow application rates. Drip emitters are best suited to shrubs, trees, hanging baskets, etc. Because of the low discharge rate, the watering cycle is usually longer. 2. Bubbler: Used most often for shrubs and trees, bubblers have higher discharge rates and shorter watering cycles. Because bubblers can operate at high pressures, they are particularly useful for conversion from conventional sprinkler to low-volume systems. 3. Micro-spray: When low-volume overhead irrigation is desired, micro-spray is best for ground covers, and plants such as ferns, which prefer some humidity. 4. Dripperline: Dripperline is the fastest growing and easiest to install type of drip irrigation. For watering closely spaced plants, hedges, vegetable gardens, etc., dripperline is best. Other applications include planter boxes and rings for large pots, as well as containers and loops around large trees. 5. Mister: Ideal for watering hanging baskets and for creating humidity, misters are normally used in the inverted position and spray downwards. A growing application of misters is for outdoor cooling, where the immediate evaporation of mist can dramatically reduce the air temperature. SOIL CONSIDERATIONS Subsurface irrigation works better in heavy clay or sand conditions than overhead sprinkler systems. Loam, which contains equal proportions of sand, silt and clay, is ideal. However, plants can thrive in a very broad spectrum of soil textures when subsurface watering is applied at the proper rate, with appropriate spacing. CASE STUDIES A newly built home in Jacksonville, Fla., was using a non- pressure-regulated overhead sprinkler irrigation system to water both plant and turf areas. Using a single system for both plant and turf areas resulted in excessive overspray and very long run times. NDS irrigation experts reviewed the existing system, and the total system flow (flows from all spray and rotor nozzles and their respective run times) was using 110 gallons per minute. A better, more efficient irrigation was needed. NDS technicians designed a new system to convert the turf areas to subsurface dripperline irrigation system, and the landscaped areas to on-surface drip irrigation. The result: water use dropped from 110 gallons per minute to 68 — a 62 percent reduction — and the average monthly water bill dropped from $105 to just $40 with the modifications. In another example, this time in a commercial setting, the owners of the Market Place Shopping Center in Tustin, Calif., had been utilizing spray irrigation to water their landscaping, but their results were mixed. On the plus side, the plants were watered regularly. The downside: the grounds beyond the landscaped areas were also getting soaked, which meant water runoff onto sidewalks and parking areas. To conserve water and prevent customers' cars from being sprayed, a drip irrigation system was recommended. An NDS Dura Flo Check Valve Dripline was determined to be the ideal solution. The result was straightforward installation and a more efficient, water-saving system than what the company had previously been using. LI Ryan Larsen is a civil engineer and technical services manager at NDS, Inc., which manufactures efficient irrigation products for residential and commercial markets. He has nearly a decade of experience in civil engineering, land development, and the building materials and construction industry. For more information about NDS, Inc. and its irrigation products, visit NDSpro.com. PHOTO PROVIDED BY NDS, INC. 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.