SMART Irrigation – the Smart Answer for Colorado’s Unpredictable Weather
June 2024 | Native Edge Landscapes
Typically our wettest month of the year, this year May will go down as the driest in the history of Colorado’s Front Range weather with rainfall totals of less than 16% of our average 3.1 inches. That’s the thing with Colorado, you just never know what the weather is going to do in any given month or year. Combine that with an ever growing shortage of qualified irrigation technicians, and it’s quite easy for lawns and landscapes to be caught off guard and left out to dry.
While you can’t control the weather or the amount of qualified irrigation professionals, you can control one very important thing… your investment in SMART irrigation technology.
Smart irrigation management significantly helps homeowners and service providers by optimizing water usage, ensuring plants receive the right amount of water at the right times, and minimizing water waste as well as time and money spent searching for issues well after they become visible above ground.
Here are the several ways smart irrigation systems benefit homeowners and our environment…
Efficient Water Usage
- Weather-Based Adjustments: Smart irrigation controllers use local weather data to adjust watering schedules based on current and forecasted conditions. This prevents overwatering when rain is expected and reduces watering during cooler periods.
- Soil Moisture Sensors: These sensors measure the moisture level in the soil and adjust irrigation accordingly. If the soil is already moist, the system skips a scheduled watering, conserving water.
Customization and Precision
- Zoning: Smart systems allow for the creation of different zones within a landscape, each with customized watering schedules based on plant types, soil conditions, and sun exposure. This ensures that each area receives the appropriate amount of water.
- Targeted Watering: Drip irrigation systems can be integrated with smart controllers to deliver water directly to the root zones of plants, reducing evaporation and runoff.
Monitoring and Control
- Remote Access: Many smart irrigation systems can be controlled remotely via smartphone apps, allowing homeowners to adjust settings and monitor usage from anywhere. This is particularly useful for making real-time adjustments during unexpected weather changes.
- Leak Detection: Smart systems can detect leaks or broken sprinkler heads and alert homeowners to these issues, preventing water waste.
Data and Analytics
- Water Usage Reports: Smart irrigation controllers often provide detailed reports on water usage, helping homeowners track their consumption and identify areas where they can improve efficiency.
- Optimization Algorithms: Advanced systems use algorithms to optimize watering schedules based on various factors such as plant types, soil conditions, and weather patterns, ensuring efficient water use.
Cost Savings and Environmental Benefits
- Reduced Water Bills: By optimizing water usage, smart irrigation systems can significantly lower water bills, which is especially important during drought when water prices may increase.
- Environmental Conservation: Efficient water use helps conserve water resources, benefiting the environment and contributing to overall sustainability efforts.
Fire Risk Mitigation
- Maintaining Plant Health: Even during drought, it’s important to keep plants healthy to reduce fire risk. Smart irrigation ensures plants receive enough water to stay healthy without overwatering.
- Creating Defensible Space: Smart irrigation can help maintain the moisture content of plants in defensible space zones, reducing the likelihood of fire spread.
User Education and Community Impact
- Community Benefits: Widespread adoption of smart irrigation in a community can lead to significant water savings and reduced strain on local water supplies, benefiting everyone especially during drought conditions.
In summary, smart irrigation management helps homeowners by using technology to ensure efficient water use, maintain plant health, and reduce costs. It provides precise control, customization, and real-time adjustments, making it a powerful tool for conserving water and managing landscapes effectively throughout Colorado’s changing seasons and unpredictable weather.
Get In Touch
To schedule a consultation or request services please call 303-245-9166, send an email to information@nativeedgelandscapes.com or Get In Touch through our website. One of our Customer Care Representatives will be happy to help.
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