I ran sprinkler programs on Saturday night, or actually 1:00 am Sunday morning. This was a lot of fun to watch, truly amazing. 5 operating zones. I took note of a few things that didn't seem quite right, so was able to report them to sprinkler guy on Monday morning, who at that time made some adjustments and promised a new head for one sprinkler. He programmed everything and explained generally how to work the system and answered some of my questions. Interesting that I am only legally allowed to operate system from 3am to 8am and from 8pm to 10pm on my allotted day, which is Thursday. I would have had him start the watering at 1am, at which time I am usually home from work, but not have to wait too long for it to start. I have one zone that waters just the trees. I had him not water the back grass as much as he wanted as it is mostly weeds anyway, but everything else is at his recommended levels.
He believes the system will be able to adequately water all my new trees. I was skeptical of that before seeing the system operate, and testing moisture levels on Sunday. Now I think, especially after he upped all the zone times, it may actually water too much and I'll have to cut it back. But I can easily do that now. He's OK with me adjusting timer panel and even sprinklers (though he said to give him a call first before adjusting sprinklers) without voiding my 5 year warranty. He was relieved to learn I am a computer programmer. He says he has the most trouble with lawyers, who can never figure the system out, and next with doctors. I told him that did not surprise me at all.
Actually, on Sunday night, I went around checking trees and watering as necessary, and now just as I have installed full automation, I have figured out the best hand method. That is go around the yard and soil test and water each tree as needed. To water properly, I adjusted spigot so that on "shower" the nozzle delivered one gallon in about 40 seconds (using a new one gallon plastic water can to test), making for about 1.5 gallons per minute. Then, each tree gets between 3-8 gallons depending on how big a tree and how much moisture it needs. That means 2-5 minutes per plant, directed at the root area. Easy. Biggest problem was carrying around chair, flashlight, soil tester, and hose all at the same time.
Using a soaker hose curled around tree--as I had been doing for a month--turns out to be a pain in the neck because you don't know how much water is being delivered. And then if you have two soaker hoses, it gets worse because it's hard to get both adjusted properly at the same time. And then after all that, with a single manifold like I have, you have to turn both adjustments back to off so you can use other hoses. So that means you have to do the adjustment every time you water, and the adjustment alone takes about 15 minutes, and then there's re-checking and re-adjusting at 30 minute intervals. It's an easy way to kill an hour and a half and likely way overwater...since you have now way of knowing how much water or even if it's the same as last time. It actually took me less time to top-up all 13 plants in back with a hose nozzle than to just water two plants with a soaker hose. And it's more rewarding as you get to sit and visit with each plant, and not keep running back and forth trying to get the flow rate right. I had purchased a couple additional flow adjusters but never got around to installing them. Even if I had, theres an issue that the water pressure isn't always the same. The sprinkler system has its own internal pressure regulator.
Even Tree-IV doesn't work quite right. As you are filling each 5 gallon Tree-IV bucket, the water is simultaneously flowing out through the ground spike nearly as fast as you are filling it. So it's not really 5 gallons, more like 20, if you can even ever get the bucket filled. Finally I found I could slow this down by putting a cap over the ground spike inside the bucket. Even that doesn't stop the water from running out, because the cap doesn't fit tightly when you use it that way (it was intended to cover spike when bucket is not on it) but it only slows it down enough so you can actually fill the bucket. I think Tree-IV sells a separate bucket cap separately, but that is for filling up the bucket elsewhere, and then moving to a tree.
****
On Saturday afternoon I picked up 10 more Xeripave permeable pavers to start on the pathways and patios I plan to build. Remember that on Thursday I borrowed two of these from the side near the power box so the planting guys could install over my gate threshold, an area that needs to stay moist to keep gate poles from shifting. So I was able to replace those two back by the power box, which is another corner of the house that badly needs to stay moist. I put two at the edge of my existing patio, and then two in front of the gate opening.
As I was installing, however, I found a problem with these that means I will probably not use them 100% (besides the high cost). They can get slippery especially if covered with mud. After that, I decided to mix paver types, keeping the existing concrete pavers on both sides of the gate, and adding more of the concrete paver extras I had. I had been thinking that the Xeri pavers had less traction when wet than concrete pebbled pavers. However, on Monday morning, this proved to be untrue--I slipped on a concrete paver that had some mud on it too. So right now, I can't say which has the more reliable traction. The Xeripave may be ever so slightly smoother, but the water flows right through so the mud likely isn't as moist. So it is, as they say, a wash.
Another mark against Xeripave--I broke one somehow. I suspect these are no where near as strong as concrete. Of course, even concrete pavers can be broken, as I have done.
Part of the reason I slipped on Saturday when installing the pavers was because the little circular pavers leading up to the gate from the inside were just sitting on top of ground after being disturbed by the sprinkler installation digging..very high and very unstable. I fixed that on Sunday afternoon, digging the first paver into the ground so it is fairly stable. It is also lower now, and sits just slightly above the Xeripavers at the gate threshold (instead of way above it, as it was when I slipped).
But because of my fear of Xeripave slipperiness, I decided not to put one immediately on the outside of the gate as I had planned. Instead I used two 6x18" cement pavers staggered slightly to match the desired path. That spot doesn't need xeripave so much because it is shielded by the house (immediately to the south) from excess sunlight.
Anyway, right now i can walk from the west side of the patio to the front of the house and only on pavers (however some of the old ones near the A/C are almost covered by grass and ground and need to be replaced with bigger ones anyway). So this should help keeping my shoes from getting 1" of mud buildup...now that I'm turning my yard into a swamp.
*****
Speaking of which, I discovered a pencil-thin dark nearly black colored snake in my hallway on Sunday afternoon. I almost killed it, but was too paranoid to get close because I didn't have any clothes on. Fortunately I didn't touch it at all, but at least scared it away from going into master bedroom. After some later reading, I believe it is nothing to worry about. It can't really live inside the house. It's not interesting in biting me--even if it was the biting kind. It's interested in avoiding me, and finding the way back outside (which I hope by now it already has). It probably slipped in when I was testing the sprinklers and left the garage door open. Actually, I left the garage door open most of Saturday after I got home around 7pm. So I should remember not to do that.
A reptile expert at works says it is likely a Rat Snake, and possibly a Corn Snake. These are not venemous, they kill rodents by constriction. They are essential to the ecosystem or we would be overrun by rats. The Corn Snake in particular is the most popular snake species for pets, also most recommended for snake newbies, though it is recommended to buy young snakes from stores.
He believes the system will be able to adequately water all my new trees. I was skeptical of that before seeing the system operate, and testing moisture levels on Sunday. Now I think, especially after he upped all the zone times, it may actually water too much and I'll have to cut it back. But I can easily do that now. He's OK with me adjusting timer panel and even sprinklers (though he said to give him a call first before adjusting sprinklers) without voiding my 5 year warranty. He was relieved to learn I am a computer programmer. He says he has the most trouble with lawyers, who can never figure the system out, and next with doctors. I told him that did not surprise me at all.
Actually, on Sunday night, I went around checking trees and watering as necessary, and now just as I have installed full automation, I have figured out the best hand method. That is go around the yard and soil test and water each tree as needed. To water properly, I adjusted spigot so that on "shower" the nozzle delivered one gallon in about 40 seconds (using a new one gallon plastic water can to test), making for about 1.5 gallons per minute. Then, each tree gets between 3-8 gallons depending on how big a tree and how much moisture it needs. That means 2-5 minutes per plant, directed at the root area. Easy. Biggest problem was carrying around chair, flashlight, soil tester, and hose all at the same time.
Using a soaker hose curled around tree--as I had been doing for a month--turns out to be a pain in the neck because you don't know how much water is being delivered. And then if you have two soaker hoses, it gets worse because it's hard to get both adjusted properly at the same time. And then after all that, with a single manifold like I have, you have to turn both adjustments back to off so you can use other hoses. So that means you have to do the adjustment every time you water, and the adjustment alone takes about 15 minutes, and then there's re-checking and re-adjusting at 30 minute intervals. It's an easy way to kill an hour and a half and likely way overwater...since you have now way of knowing how much water or even if it's the same as last time. It actually took me less time to top-up all 13 plants in back with a hose nozzle than to just water two plants with a soaker hose. And it's more rewarding as you get to sit and visit with each plant, and not keep running back and forth trying to get the flow rate right. I had purchased a couple additional flow adjusters but never got around to installing them. Even if I had, theres an issue that the water pressure isn't always the same. The sprinkler system has its own internal pressure regulator.
Even Tree-IV doesn't work quite right. As you are filling each 5 gallon Tree-IV bucket, the water is simultaneously flowing out through the ground spike nearly as fast as you are filling it. So it's not really 5 gallons, more like 20, if you can even ever get the bucket filled. Finally I found I could slow this down by putting a cap over the ground spike inside the bucket. Even that doesn't stop the water from running out, because the cap doesn't fit tightly when you use it that way (it was intended to cover spike when bucket is not on it) but it only slows it down enough so you can actually fill the bucket. I think Tree-IV sells a separate bucket cap separately, but that is for filling up the bucket elsewhere, and then moving to a tree.
****
On Saturday afternoon I picked up 10 more Xeripave permeable pavers to start on the pathways and patios I plan to build. Remember that on Thursday I borrowed two of these from the side near the power box so the planting guys could install over my gate threshold, an area that needs to stay moist to keep gate poles from shifting. So I was able to replace those two back by the power box, which is another corner of the house that badly needs to stay moist. I put two at the edge of my existing patio, and then two in front of the gate opening.
As I was installing, however, I found a problem with these that means I will probably not use them 100% (besides the high cost). They can get slippery especially if covered with mud. After that, I decided to mix paver types, keeping the existing concrete pavers on both sides of the gate, and adding more of the concrete paver extras I had. I had been thinking that the Xeri pavers had less traction when wet than concrete pebbled pavers. However, on Monday morning, this proved to be untrue--I slipped on a concrete paver that had some mud on it too. So right now, I can't say which has the more reliable traction. The Xeripave may be ever so slightly smoother, but the water flows right through so the mud likely isn't as moist. So it is, as they say, a wash.
Another mark against Xeripave--I broke one somehow. I suspect these are no where near as strong as concrete. Of course, even concrete pavers can be broken, as I have done.
Part of the reason I slipped on Saturday when installing the pavers was because the little circular pavers leading up to the gate from the inside were just sitting on top of ground after being disturbed by the sprinkler installation digging..very high and very unstable. I fixed that on Sunday afternoon, digging the first paver into the ground so it is fairly stable. It is also lower now, and sits just slightly above the Xeripavers at the gate threshold (instead of way above it, as it was when I slipped).
But because of my fear of Xeripave slipperiness, I decided not to put one immediately on the outside of the gate as I had planned. Instead I used two 6x18" cement pavers staggered slightly to match the desired path. That spot doesn't need xeripave so much because it is shielded by the house (immediately to the south) from excess sunlight.
Anyway, right now i can walk from the west side of the patio to the front of the house and only on pavers (however some of the old ones near the A/C are almost covered by grass and ground and need to be replaced with bigger ones anyway). So this should help keeping my shoes from getting 1" of mud buildup...now that I'm turning my yard into a swamp.
*****
Speaking of which, I discovered a pencil-thin dark nearly black colored snake in my hallway on Sunday afternoon. I almost killed it, but was too paranoid to get close because I didn't have any clothes on. Fortunately I didn't touch it at all, but at least scared it away from going into master bedroom. After some later reading, I believe it is nothing to worry about. It can't really live inside the house. It's not interesting in biting me--even if it was the biting kind. It's interested in avoiding me, and finding the way back outside (which I hope by now it already has). It probably slipped in when I was testing the sprinklers and left the garage door open. Actually, I left the garage door open most of Saturday after I got home around 7pm. So I should remember not to do that.
A reptile expert at works says it is likely a Rat Snake, and possibly a Corn Snake. These are not venemous, they kill rodents by constriction. They are essential to the ecosystem or we would be overrun by rats. The Corn Snake in particular is the most popular snake species for pets, also most recommended for snake newbies, though it is recommended to buy young snakes from stores.
Charles, I am so eager to see all these changes in your yard! I want to look at those pavers too. It looks like they come in various styles; maybe some are less slippery.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the snake. I hope he can find the out-of-doors.
I have spent a lot of money in my yard with not much to show for it. Maybe I'll try again soon.