March 5 2018
The diagram depicts how an outdoor faucet is connected to “antisyphon (sic) device,” which is connected to a “mainline water hose or half-inch diameter black plastic pipe,” which
Feb. 5 2018
Laura Allen remembers getting her first water bill. She was in her early 20s, sharing a California house with some friends, and they’d just planted a garden at their new home. When the bill came,
Jan. 15 2018
It’s a bit ironic, really; a lot of very successful landscape contractors began their careers pushing lawn mowers. But after they established their businesses, a lot of them stopped, dropping the
Dec. 15 2017
The average person doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about valves, or the solenoids that make them work. If you’re an irrigation professional, you might spend a little more time thinking
Nov. 15 2017
If you’re an experienced contractor, you could probably install an irrigation system while tapdancing with a blindfold on. But when it comes to figuring out all the tedious calculations involved
Nov. 15 2017
If you were alive in the ’60s or ’70s, you may remember the old TV remote control, the little ‘clicker’ box with four buttons. One button turned the set on or off; another made
Oct. 16 2017
The process of figuring out the cause of a problem can be more like something out of that old doctor show, ‘House.’ In any episode, there were usually three or four incorrect diagnoses until
Sept. 15 2017
The entire plumbing code is engineered to make sure that water sent to an irrigation system never gets back into the potable water system, but the code can be defeated. One of the most common problems—and
Aug. 15 2017
A landscape contractor working on the groundbreaking phase of a new retirement community in Van Nuys, California, had certain specific concerns about irrigation. “Runoff was a very big issue, because
Aug. 15 2017
It was the bottom of the 17th inning on May 21, 2016, and it was getting late. At Petco Park in San Diego, California, the Padres’ Wil Myers was at the plate; he hit a foul ball and was squaring
July 15 2017
It’s also a good time to talk about the importance of saving water. It’s the hottest month of the year, and when the most water flows out onto landscapes. That’s why the Irrigation Association
July 15 2017
The year is 1971, and Bob Dobson has just completed the installation of a $37,000 irrigation system at a condominium. The client wants to see the system run prior to handing over the check. But there’s
June 15 2017
When it comes to landscape irrigation, the future is all about efficiency. Droughts are more prevalent than ever, and the national population never stops growing. As a result, state and federal governments—as
May 15 2017
Back in the early part of the last century, an exciting invention called the ‘wireless’ was the word of the day. Radio was not only brand new, it was transformative—suddenly, the world
April 15 2017
The drive for increased irrigation efficiency has been a constant of the landscape industry for generations. This seems odd given that, compared to many countries, America is a land gifted with water abundance.
March 15 2017
Getting audited by the IRS is the financial equivalent of a root canal —without an anesthetic— so people tend to think of all audits as bad things. However, the water audit that a Certified
Feb. 15 2017
At the end of last year, I spent my New Year’s Eve where most of us do, at a party. After the year turned, one of my friends pulled out his guitar and led us all in a rendition of the classic Bob
Jan. 16 2017
Offering your clients and potential clients additional services that your competitors may not offer could tip the scales in your favor
Dec. 15 2016
In an article about weight training I recently read, the writer made the startling observation that when it comes to building muscle mass, slower is better. Doing a whole bunch of reps with a barbell really
Dec. 15 2016
THE GREEN INDUSTRY GETS BLAMED for wasting water, but most of this criticism is unfair. After all, the manufacturers within our industry invented high-efficiency sprinkler heads, smart controllers, low-volume
