Landscape Management, July 2011

IRRIGATION PHOTO COURTESY RAIN BIRD CORP ing the micro irrigation system according to UFIFAS Retrofi tting a Traditional In ground Sprinkler Irrigation System for Micro irrigation of Landscape Plants research paper A new fi tting on the old system should lead to an in line pressure regulator to reduce the water pressure before sending the water along drip tubing to the plants in the zone The length of the tubing and the number of emitters depends on the rate of fl ow The ease of retrofi tting depends on the previous system For example according to Rain Bird Corp s Landscape Drip Conversion Guide its 1800 series spray body can accept a retrofi t kit in the existing housing The kit also provides 30 psi pressure regulation for a fl ow rate of 05 to 4 gallons per minute A fi lter Drip tubing allows landscapers to irrigate rows of beds where sprays are not a practical option can also be installed to protect downstream components According to the company retrofi tting a spray zone for drip irrigation can result in water savings up to 60 LM Gooch is a freelance writer based in Northeast Ohio Well Stake Our Signature On It LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET JULY 2011 32 Set the highest standard for your turf Use Penningtons Signature Series Tall Fescue Blends or Mixtures t WBJMBCMF XJUI 0 EWBOUBHF 4FFE 5SFBUNFOU 5FDIOPMPHZ t 1SPEVDFT UIJDL HSFFO TUBOE UIBU SFRVJSFT MFTT XBUFS t SPXT B EFOTFS EFFQFS SPPU TZTUFN t BYJNJ FT GFSUJMJ FS QFSGPSNBODF National Distribution to Better Serve our Customers 1 800 286 6100 ext 301 proturfsolutions@ penningtonseed com A LOW TECH OPTION As technology has grown by leaps and bounds enabling us to summon water at the turn of a tap its easy to forget that wasnt always the case It was once common to harvest rainwater often using barrels under a downspout to collect and save water for later use As homeowners become more aware of the importance of water conservation interest in rainwater harvesting has received renewed interest Using gravity fl ow and a valve attached to the bottom of an elevated rain barrel collected rainwater can be used to irrigate plants via drip tubing Without electric actuated valves watering will not be uniform along the line Its a manual process compared to a modern irrigation system and may require some trial and error to set up However rain barrel installation is a service landscapers can market to homeowners who want to reduce their water bills and usage but who dont want to invest in a full irrigation system