Smarter Irrigation Decisions

Smarter Irrigation Decisions

It’s no secret that water is an increasingly valuable resource.  Combine that with the ever-growing human population and it’s a no brainer that we will have to get smarter with our irrigation practices.  As I mentioned in my last post, water consumption has doubled in the last 50 years, and will only continue to do so.  To help combat these issues, there are ways to irrigate plants, turf, and crops while continuing to increase yields and create better playing surfaces.

Monitoring soil moisture is the first step in making smarter irrigation decisions.  There are multiple ways to measure soil moisture and better time your irrigation inputs.  Providing the proper amount of water at the correct time and place is necessary for producing quality playing conditions or increasing crop yield.  Whether with permanent in-ground soil moisture sensors or portable soil moisture meters, measuring soil moisture in real-time is an easy and quick process.  These sensors can be used almost anywhere in the field, and allow you to monitor what is going on in your soil and on your plot.  These measurement values will allow you to become a better turf or crop manager, and allow you to make use of water more efficiently.

As water restrictions continue to be implemented, and the demand for water rises, the need to measure soil moisture will also increase.  Measuring soil moisture will not only allow you to create the best playing conditions possible or increase yields; it will also allow you to do less with more.   Applying only what is needed will allow you to save time, energy, and money, all while preserving our most precious resource.

All the best,

Related Links:
FieldScout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter
WatchDog Irrigation Stations
WaterScout SM 100 Soil Moisture Sensor
WaterScout SMEC Soil Moisture/Temperature/EC Sensor

 

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