One of the ongoing problems I have in my irrigation system is that I think the zone grouping for the irrigation controller makes no sense. There are sections that need less water and other sections that need more water, but there’s no real way to decouple the total amount of flow to a specific area within a single zone without putting effort into physically changing the sprinkler heads. I also don’t have any sort of insight on what makes sense if I were to tweak sprinkler heads. My preference would be to split the zones, but apparently the trouble zone is in a “difficult” location.
I’m attempting to gain some insight on this problem by looking at how different zones register in terms of soil moisture if I change the frequency of watering or with various settings. What I know from reading various internet forums is that the root system in one area could end up stunted if I don’t allow for deep watering. I’ve planted some sensors, and I’m already noticing that I’m still in over-watering territory even after dialing back my settings. If I can find some compromise here that works, I’d consider that a win. Here’s a recent sampling of data with a new sensor — there’s not enough data yet, but it makes for some nice blog color:
Plug Progress
Oh, and here’s the plug progress. Things seem to be spreading, albeit slowly. (Some of the greenery is because I still have a Kyllinga infestation — it takes repeated application of herbicides to get rid of this damned weed.) I think the progress is quite visible relative to the photos from the first post showing the plugs being planted.
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