BaseStation 3200 User Manual - Baseline Systems

I n t r o d u c t i o nHow to Irrigate EfficientlyThis section covers some key concepts essential to better and more efficient irrigation.The BaseStation 3200 is specifically designed to help you irrigate more efficiently than any othercommercial irrigation controller. The 3200 supports multiple smart watering strategies, includingHistorical ET, and smart watering with Soil Moisture Sensors.All other considerations being equal, Soil Moisture Sensors provide the best watering results ofany currently available technology. This is because the watering system can become “closedloop” – in other words, the system can directly measure and adjust for exactly what the desiredresult is: moisture in the root zone.Irrigating properly typically results in the elimination of water waste, and a subsequentimprovement in plant health.Water Deeply & Infrequently. Studies show that watering deeply and infrequentlypromotes deeper root growth and more drought tolerant plants.Watering Deeply means that the soil should be wetted down to a depth of 6”or deeper for grasses, 12” or deeper for trees and shrubs.Watering Infrequently means that the next irrigation event (or start time)should be delayed as long as possible without stressing the plants.Deeper Roots = More Efficient Plants. Plants with deeper roots are able to drawmore nutrients from a larger area of soil, making fertilizers and soil treatments moreeffective.Avoid Runoff. Matching the application rate of irrigation to the infiltration rate of thesoil is critical to avoid runoff.Only apply the amount of water needed. Optimum irrigation should account foractual effective rainfall, and avoid applying more water than required at the root zoneof the plantsIrrigation water is a supplement to natural rainfall – only the amount of waterneeded to return the soil to optimum moisture is needed.Irrigation water applied above the field capacity of the soil is wasted – waterwill gravitationally sink through the soil below the root zone of the plantsUnlike other irrigation controllers, the 3200 is specifically designed to make efficient irrigationeasy.To see how the BaseStation 3200 accomplishes this, there are several key concepts the irrigationprogrammer should understand:Soil Moisture ContentWatering StrategiesRoot Depth & Plant Water EfficiencySchedule GroupsDistribution UniformityThe remainder of this section covers these key concepts in more detail.Page 7Baseline 3200