How do we get more from less? II
As July approaches, our landscapes throughout the West are beginning to show typical signs of drought, such as brown spots and increased water usage and runoff. This month, it seems we are looking to "smart-everything" for relief. However, aside from convenience, it’s important to remember that today’s controllers do not provide much more benefit than older models—when properly scheduled, of course. In short, we know that controllers, sprinkler heads, and drip systems do not directly produce greener grass or make plants happier. While they can improve efficiency, they do not guarantee vibrant, healthy growth.
The brilliance of color and plant health truly comes from water—specifically, the quality of that water. Soil health is another crucial factor directly linked to plant vitality and water consumption. Poor water quality, including hard water, can negatively impact soil. As soil health declines, water usage tends to increase, compaction becomes an issue, and site runoff worsens over time. This leads to an important question: how well do we really understand water? When was the last time you sat through a class focused on water biology? In the horticultural industry, we often treat water as merely "just water." But is that accurate? Are there variations? Is it consistently the same liquid, always wet?
Is all water H2O? Does it have social characteristics? Do performance and behavior change under different conditions, and how do these changes affect our irrigation systems, soil, and plant health? How often do we contemplate the science of water?
Some of us recognize that water arrives at our sites in an "unordered" physical structure. This structural disorganization can lead to various issues, which we often accept as the norm. Large, unexpected water windows, compaction, runoff, summer stress, and brown spots in our turf are all symptoms of unstructured water. How frequently have you had to upsize a main line or nozzle for a new project for any reason? Many of our pumps operate at higher hertz than they were designed for, wasting considerable energy and costing owners significant money. Unordered water is generally neutral in charge and does not effectively bond with the negatively charged ground. As a result, permeation and infiltration may be slow or even nonexistent. We lose more water to surface evaporation than we realize.
Unordered water is not particularly desirable for plants, leading to early stress and wilting, as plants only take in what they need to survive. They convert the water into a more structured form, H3O2. With this structured order, irrigation efficiency improves, infiltration and nutrient mobilization increase, resulting in healthier plants due to better hydration. Water application can be significantly reduced, fertilizer usage can be minimized, and energy can be saved by improving our understanding of water.
Our industry needs to deepen its knowledge about the advantages of "ordered" and structured water. The closer the physical structure of water matches the needs of plants (H3O2), the better the results and reduction in waste that can be achieved—naturally. (More to come.) #waterconservation #smartwatermanagement #saveenergy
