Phoenix AZ Use Suggestions?

[emil]

@crashtkd

My plants are all showing signs of stress, although the overall schedule looks close enough I hope I can get the variables fine tuned.

@crashtkd, I think we might want to double check your nozzle settings. When you’re ready to give Flex schedules another try, let us know and we can fine tune your zone settings.

@crashtkd

One question- when figuring out the nozzle output, do I need to add up the total number of emitters for the zone? Or just per-plant (e.g. if I average 2 per shrub I add them together), or single emitter flow?

Sorry I didn’t see this question sooner. When calculating your nozzle output (precipitation rate, or “PR”), you’ll need to factor ALL heads/emitters. Here’s the equation:

PR = (96.25(A*B))/(C)

96.25 = constant that converts gallons per minute (GPM) to inches per hour. It is derived from 60 minutes per hour divided by 7.48 gallons per cubic foot. times 12 inches per foot.
A = #heads -or- #emitters
B = flow rate (GPM) per head -or- emitter
C = zone square footage

@crashtkd

Then, do I need to adjust the area or anything so the total gallons used is accurate?

Yep, see variable “C” above.

@garmanmd

I found that it seemed to think the plants had more water than they seemed to by observation (at least when I tried it during the summer).

@garmanmd, just curious, did you review your nozzle settings to ensure they match the PR on a per zone basis?

@garmanmd

I also used some Desert Botanical Garden info and also from Arizona Municipal Water users. These resources suggest how often you should be watering certain types of plants in the Phx area and I could never get the flex schedule to come very close to replicating that.

Could you post these recommendations here for us (and other users) to review? I’m curious what scheduling interval they are recommending.

Thanks for your support and willingness to test and provide feedback on Flex schedules.