Not only can landscapers transform your property into a beautiful and functional site, but they also hold the keys to your outdoor water use. We asked expert landscapers what they look for in an irrigation system and they shared some of their favorite features.
- Smart irrigation system technology.
Technology has advanced to the point where there’s no need to manage irrigation manually. Smart irrigation controllers use external information like weather data and/or soil moisture to determine frequency and length of watering cycles. Controllers receive frequent updates on weather or soil moisture and adjust watering schedules, accordingly. This means less manual intervention for rainy days which translates into better, more efficient water management.
- Central management across sites.
Being tasked with managing multiple sites can be overwhelming. Cloud-based software provides real-time visibility and control of irrigation systems in the field through the Internet to a computer, iPad or cellphone. With the right software, you can generate reports for multiple sites and drill down for more information about a particular site or controller. Information like date and description of repairs made to a specific controller can be shared with all landscape personnel when sites are maintained by different teams.
- Irrigation management from a cellphone.
Landscape contractors are often in the field, traveling from site to site. It would be handy to receive irrigation management information or alerts of a water leak on a mobile device. Mobile app versions of cloud-based software simplify access to real-time information out in the field.
- Ease-of-use, adequate training and bilingual support.
An ideal irrigation system has a clean, easy-to-use interface and includes training and bilingual support to streamline operations. HydroPoint offers bilingual training and phone support for its smart irrigation controllers.
- Extensive reporting.
Getting comparisons of actual water use against budgets can help you manage use and compliance with local water use restrictions. Through dashboards and reports, landscape contractors and property managers can quickly view actual and estimated water usage by site, controller and station. They can also see a site’s total usage across each water meter and controller. Nothing gives better feedback than current, actionable site data.