Solve your water coverage automatically

w « superintendents in southern Florida have been slow to realize the importance of irrigation in our area because we have what appears to be abundant rainfall. Although southern Florida receives approximately 60 inches of rainfall a year, they are unevenly spaced. We have, in reality, two arid periods: one during July and August, and the other running from November to May, when our courses receive most play. Also, the sandy conditions of the majority of Florida soil change the water requirement of the turf on the same course many times. This requires a complex watering program which can only be achieved through an automatic irrigation system—which was recently installed here at the Diplomat. One major problem that I, and others have had here, has been determining water requirements. The golf architects and the irrigation engineers employed on most installations were from northern states and were unfamiliar with the requirements of turf in south Florida. Thus, it has become up to the superintendent to evaluate just what is needed. Water needs are based on a combination of factors: 1. Size of the area to be irrigated. 2. The weekly requirements of each area of the course. 3. The amount of time to be allocated to program precipitation. 4. Water supply needs for other than golf-course irrigation. These are the bases on which the engineer must figure pumping capacity, line sizes, sprinkler nozzle sizes, and the other technical aspects of an installation. A rule of thumb for electric pumping requirements is one hp per acre using the most efficient (86 per cent) pumps with shallow well or lake inverts. (Remember, lake, pond or fresh stream water is far superior to well water because it acts as a clearing pool.) Superintendents must consider the location of the timing devices used to control the valves of their systems. The trend has been to put all or as many by John Hutton