Optimizing Smart Irrigation Systems for Texas Summers
How Smart Irrigation Systems and Knowledgeable Water Management Can Save Your Summer Landscape
Irrigation systems may be mostly out of sight, but in these scorching summer months, they are definitely not out of mind. After the searing sun retreats, these stealthy sprinklers rear their refreshing heads, giving a much-needed drink to our plants, trees, and grasses. As one of the most critical areas to manage for overall garden health, these valiant rescuers need a little TLC themselves to effectively provide the proper amount of water to every area. That’s where we step in. Amid the flooding that often accompanies spring rains and the stark contrast of dreadful drought that follows, it can be quite challenging to strike the delicate balance of water essential to our landscapes. However, between the implementation of smart sprinkler systems and the proficiency of our teams who monitor them, we can mitigate the majority of mid-summer mayhem. Keep the knowledge flowing as our garden managers spill their insight on smart irrigation systems and responsible water management.
The Importance of Proper Irrigation
Just like all living creatures, plants require water to survive. Self-proclaimed science nerd and freshest Gen-Z garden manager, Carlos Chaves sums it up by the principle of water pressure. Plants stay upright due to their internal water pressure and fight against gravity to present themselves beautifully green. All of our garden managers agree that both under watering or over watering have equally detrimental effects—plants will wilt either way due to incorrect water pressure inside the plant. So, in order for the cycle of life to continue, it is crucial to provide plants with the proper water pressure.
To accomplish this, we regularly inspect and maintain our clients’ irrigation systems. These routine checks are offered as part of our estate garden care services and can prevent issues down the road.
“Sprinkler system was only bubbling. Juan arrived promptly, found the broken pipe, communicated the problem/fix, and repaired promptly. Thank you Team Bonick for your super efficient service!” – David G.
Combatting the Challenges of Flooding & Drought
Despite our best efforts, nature has a mind of its own and our garden managers are often kept on their toes. Some of the challenges we’ve encountered from excessive spring rains and summer droughts include:
- Over watering/under watering
- Drainage issues
- Micronutrients received from rain are different than tap water
- Irrigation zone overlap of plants with varying needs
- Planting and maintenance schedules impacted from extended bouts of rain
- Fungus after extended rainy periods
Luckily, our clients on our regular garden maintenance schedule can rest assured that these issues will be spotted early and addressed promptly. From plant health care and fertilization to proactive water management and system repairs, our team is on top of it.
Although spring rains and summer drought can be extreme, here at Bonick we use a system that allows us to monitor and control all aspects of irrigation remotely and receive real time alerts. This allows us to pivot and adjust for extreme conditions.
Employing Water Management
Developing responsible water conservation practices now helps to minimize the damaging effects on our environment. Turning the water off while we brush our teeth, shortening our showers, and watering on city-mandated days are little changes each of us can enact that make a big impact. On a broader scale, developing a drought-tolerant landscape, maintaining our sprinkler systems, and automating our watering processes are major keys to responsible water management. However, like any other artificial intelligence application, smart sprinkler controllers are only as adept as their operators.
SmartLink by Weathermatic®
Weathermatic‘s unique smart system automates watering and helps save our clients up to 25% in monthly water usage. When properly set up, this SmartLink sprinkler control system helps calculate the amount of water necessary for all areas of the landscape to save water.
However, one thing that this automated system brings to light is imperfections in the physical sprinkler system itself. No sprinkler system is perfect—water delivery overlaps spray heads as required and occasionally plant material, wind, and other things can obstruct the flow, creating dry areas. This tool helps us to spot more of these issues and identify where improvements can be made.
Why Smart Irrigation Systems Aren’t Enough
While SmartLink is an excellent tool we employ to help improve water management for the landscape, it still requires human management. With over forty years of expertise, our busy clients entrust our team at Bonick to concierge every aspect of garden care—including smart irrigation systems.
Water management can be quite complex—especially during summer droughts. Our clay soil compacts and it becomes tougher to get water to plant roots to absorb needed oxygen. It’s a delicate balance, but we understand the soil we are working with and how it interacts with water.
A natural response when the average person see something browning is too add a bunch of water. However, too much too fast won’t be absorbed and watering during the daytime in this heat can cause severe damage. Many issues, particularly in turf, are a result of overwatering. Luckily, Bonick’s garden managers’ trained eyes and knowledge help them determine whether plants are being overwatered or under watered and make adjustments accordingly.
When our teams are on site regularly, they develop a working understanding of our client’s properties and their specific intricacies. We can utilize this information along with the real-time smart controller logs to monitor irrigation systems and make corrections. In the event of an urgent situation, we can remote into the system to perform an emergency shut off and prevent many major catastrophes. We can even turn the system on if a client forgets and goes on vacation.
Entrust Our Experts
To keep your property at its peak year-round, consider enlisting in our estate garden care services for your landscape. Your dedicated garden manager will take pride in cultivating your gardens and keep you informed every step of the way. From irrigation systems and water management to regular lawn care and seasonal color installations, we’ll assemble a plan tailored to your specific needs. Contact us today to maintain your landscape before the heat manages it for you.
— by Tammara Dalke
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