Irrigation repeat cycles on greens Cancel The title field is required!

1. Michael Rogers

   

   2 posts
   
   6/3/2013 4:06 AM

   I was wondering how many of you consider plant available water and percolation rate and set up repeat cycles to better utilize the water applied on greens??
   
   Thanks
   
   Michael Rogers
   Director of Golf Operations
   Marbella Golf & CC

   
   
   
   
2. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   6/3/2013 6:06 AM

   Michael,
   
   I don't think about the plant available water or really think about perc rates, but my Rain Bird programs come with a cycle and soak feature and I use it.
   
   I just remember when I first got out of school, I was at a course with manual irrigation (quick couplers) and we used to water heavy, 1 hour sets, and the water was just running off the greens. It came back to remind me of another time I was at another course and we were getting into August and the greens were getting a little crusty and I bumped the water times up and didn't seem to help, I remembered about at a certain point the water running off from my old place, so I cut the run times back and started another set later and saw some better results, I guess my own cycle and soak program. Of course both of those cases we were on native soil greens.
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
3. Jason Boyce

   

   0 posts
   
   6/3/2013 7:06 AM

   Michael,
   
   When I water greens, tees, fairways, rough etc I always cycle. I usually try not to do more then 10 minutes per head. On my greens I ran 8 cycles at 9 minutes per head with a 45 minute time in between cycles(soak time). I do have sand greens and consider this to be a heavy water (flush). You need to find out what is best for your soil type. That is about 7/10 of an inch of water.
   
   Jason Boyce
   Smuggler's Glen Golf Course
   Gananoque, Ontario
   www.smugglersglen.com

   
   
   
   
4. Michael Rogers

   

   2 posts
   
   6/3/2013 11:06 AM

   Thank you for the replies. I agree with you Mel, I just split all my green irrigation into 2 repeats, a half an hour apart so 9 minutes will be 3 3 and 3 a half an hour apart..
   
   I pretty much have all the grass irrigation in order, now it is to tackle greenside bunker irrigation or should we say excess irrigation.
   
   My irrigation water quality is perfect, it is the irrigation design that is really poor.
   
   Saludos Michael