Irrigation Geeks: Information Requested

[Laker14]

I am, relatively, a newbie with lawn irrigation. We bought our place 2 years ago.

When we got back in October (yes, sigh...we are "cloggers" or "snowbirds" or "snowflakes"- I get confused with all of these terms) our lawn looked pretty good except in the most sunbaked areas. There it was bare, or infested with weeds.

Here's the scenario: corner lot, with the larger expanse on the western side. Half of that expanse is shaded with a big oak. The grass in the front yard, and the grass under the oak looks good, but about 50% of the expanse on the western side, unshaded, is parched. Unfortunately, this expanse is irrigated by two zones, but each zone waters half of the shaded area and half of the desert. So I can't just alter the programmed times. So, I'm experimenting with different flow-rate nozzles for the unshaded areas.

St. Augustine grass.
My question for those who enjoy trying to finesse this sort of thing, is what flow rates do you use with your nozzles? Do you use different flow rates in sun, in shade, and/or change with the season?

You don't have to tell me I'm overthinking this. I already know that. But it's what I do, and I enjoy it, so I'm unlikely to change.

Thanks in advance...

[D&BSmith]

I just drop in a 0 to 360 head, 15' diameter, and adjust to desired coverage. Seems to work for me.

[Michigan Farmer]

Good Morning, I do a lot of irrigation maintenance and programming here in TV and in the process, especially on larger lawns I find that larger gear driven rotors, Rainbird 32SA, are much more adjustable and easy to work with. They have an easily replaceable nozzle from .75 to 4 gallons per minute which may work well for you. I live here in TV, PM me if I can help.

[NoMo50]

To start with, you need to know how much water is being delivered to your area in question. The goal, in a sun-drenched area as you describe should be about 1 1/2" per week. Place several rain gauges (or in the alternative, tuna cans) in the area, and run your system for its programmed time. Check to see how much water is applied during the cycle, and multiply by the number of watering days each week. This will also show you if there are gaps in coverage. You can adjust run times to increase the amount of water applied.

If you are using the Hunter MP heads, those are designed to deliver a lower overall volume in order to conserve water. You could try the MP3000 360° head, and adjust the "throw," but if that still isn't sufficient you may need to change out the whole sprinkler body with a model designed for higher volume. Of course, you can always hire a pro to inspect and analyze your system, and make recommendations.

[jeraldinemarie]

maybe you can answer my question, do I need a plumber or irrigation tech to investigate if I have a leak? Thanks for the reply

[Maker]

There are heads with a higher flow rate. That would help. Also, changing to heads that throw a larger radius. Overlap coverage in the sunny area with several heads to get more water there.

[retiredguy123]

maybe you can answer my question, do I need a plumber or irrigation tech to investigate if I have a leak? Thanks for the reply
Irrigation tech

[retiredguy123]

I am, relatively, a newbie with lawn irrigation. We bought our place 2 years ago.

When we got back in October (yes, sigh...we are "cloggers" or "snowbirds" or "snowflakes"- I get confused with all of these terms) our lawn looked pretty good except in the most sunbaked areas. There it was bare, or infested with weeds.

Here's the scenario: corner lot, with the larger expanse on the western side. Half of that expanse is shaded with a big oak. The grass in the front yard, and the grass under the oak looks good, but about 50% of the expanse on the western side, unshaded, is parched. Unfortunately, this expanse is irrigated by two zones, but each zone waters half of the shaded area and half of the desert. So I can't just alter the programmed times. So, I'm experimenting with different flow-rate nozzles for the unshaded areas.

St. Augustine grass.
My question for those who enjoy trying to finesse this sort of thing, is what flow rates do you use with your nozzles? Do you use different flow rates in sun, in shade, and/or change with the season?

You don't have to tell me I'm overthinking this. I already know that. But it's what I do, and I enjoy it, so I'm unlikely to change.

Thanks in advance...
You can buy blank Hunter nozzles on Amazon that just screw into the pop-up pipe and don't spray any water. Maybe you could use a few of those in the shaded area to reduce the water flow.

You can also get a nozzle that sprays in 2 directions, 180 degrees apart