Landscape Management, April 2018

profit centers Changing perceptions A lot has changed since Kurt Thompson entered the landscape and irrigation industry in the early 1980s One thing that hasnt changed is Thompsons passion for proper irrigation and sustainable water use If youre going to irrigate he says then do it with skill and knowledge of the systems design maintenance and management A self proclaimed irrigation geek Thompson was recently named a National Association of Landscape Professionals NALP Trailblazer an expert group of industry leaders nominated by their peers for making significant long term contributions to the industry We talked to Thompson about the state of the irrigation industry and the part contractors need to play to keep it moving in the right direction Q How did you get into irrigation A With irrigation it seems people are either born into the industry or like me they accidentally find their way into it After playing sports in college I thought I would stay in a sports related field But in 1981 I started working for a landscape and irrigation contractor in Northern California I have since worked in landscape and irrigation wholesale distribution in irrigation manufacturing and in water use consulting and training Today my business has two parts I am owner of K Thompson Associates an outdoor water use training evaluation planning and consultation company The other focuses on professional industry development and training A partner and I started the online training platform Irri Tech Training thats launching this spring Q wHats cHanged about tHe landscape irrigation field during your time in tHe industry A The cultural acceptance of irrigation grew with the boom of construction in commercial and residential settings and the demand has gone up with the expanding economy That manifests itself into both good and not so good things There is a false perception that irrigation is really simple that its just connecting pipes together and if water is coming out its good enough So as the demand for irrigation goes up so does the opportunity for water misuse and mismanagement The good thing is that if the professionals and the consumers are more educated there are huge environmental and societal benefits of properly irrigated turf and landscapes And the resource stewardship goes along with that Q wHat still needs to cHange A I think the education of the ultimate end user needs to continue to improve There is a gap between what a true irrigation professional knows about the product and application and what the property owner knows about it which means the majority of sprinkler systems dont operate as well as they could to provide stewardship of resources I use the analogy that most of the consumer public views an irrigation system like a concrete driveway once its installed unless its physically broken there is no reason to do anything to it Its just there I know there are systems that go years without ever being looked at while it continues to run But an irrigation system is in a dynamic environment with an ever changing landscape There are misconceptions of the systems components and how they work together in terms of creating healthy plants and being responsible with the resources Besides the cost of water there are other factors labor pesticides herbicides etc that are affected by water use but there has to be an awareness and a desire to know We are irrigation geeks but IrrIgatIon Water ManageMent Self proclaimed irrigation geek Kurt thompson answers questions about the role contractors must play in getting the irrigation profession the respect it deserves By eMIly Schappacher Hunters MP800 series Hunter Industries added the new MP815 to its MP800 series It features a 08 inchper hour matched precipitation rate and an expanded radius range of 8 to 16 feet in two models an adjustable arc range from 90 210 degrees and full circle 360 degrees Hydro rain dasHboard Hydro Rain launched the B hyve Pro Dashboard an online tool that gives contractors control of their B hyve Pro smart timers in one location Through the EPA WaterSensecertified dashboard contractors can easily manage and view the status of all B hyve Pro Smart Wi Fi Sprinklers under their care Features include scalable management CRM tools multiuser support one click control and day planning newsfeed LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET APRIl 2018 24