There are some incredible advancements in technology for the garden that can make life a whole lot easier, help your garden thrive, and save water and money.
Ken Lain, The Mountain Gardener, and guru of high tech gadgets, has these suggestions for helping in the garden. If anyone knows where to start with adding tech, it's him!
8 Tech Gadgets for Your Garden by Ken Lain was originally published in Talking Glass Magazine Spring 2021 Tech Edition.
Here are the links to some the companies mentioned or shown above:
GrowIt! Garden App: https://www.growitmobile.com/
Brinno Garden Cam: https://www.brinno.com/
Spruce Irrigation: https://spruceirrigation.com/
Vegibee Pollinator: https://vegibee.com/
Garden Plan Pro: http://www.gardenplanpro.com/
Netatmo Weather Station: https://www.netatmo.com/en-us/weather
Husqvarna Automower: https://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/
Happy high tech gardening!
Updated: Nov 13, 2020
Living in our beautiful state has its challenges with water. Luckily, our climate allows for a wide variety of native plants as well as plants from other similar regions. The key to thriving plants is great irrigation.
Once you know your soil is conducive to the plants your are planting, making sure your irrigation is working right and has these elements for top efficiency and thriving plants:
Good complete coverage of area
Watering at the roots
Minimum runoff
A smart controller
Existing Systems Can be updated Without Being Replaced
Automatic controllers can waste water because they always come on, despite conditions, unless managed. Switching it out for a smart one that can sense when to water can make a big difference in saving water and helping plants to thrive by not being over watered.
Sprinkler heads can also be updated to spray with less evaporation and more direct control. Rotators can help let water absorb while watering other areas. Drip systems are a great way to get to the roots with as little waste as possible.
Updating your system with these elements will make a huge difference in your water bill and your plants will thrive!
Is your landscape smart? It can be. Technology originally developed for golf courses and park departments, smart irrigation controllers and rotating sprinklers, are available for all types landscaping from commercial to residential. They do a great job keeping your landscaping healthy, and they also save money!
Smart Irrigation Controller
A smart irrigation controller automatically adjusts watering schedules in response to changing soil and weather conditions. It gathers information about temperature, rain, wind, humidity, soil moisture, and figures the right amount of water to keep your plants and landscape looking healthy.
They work a variety of ways. Some controllers are connected to sensors and measure solar radiation, temperature, humidity, rainfall or soil moisture. Some use historical weather data for your area to project the amount of water needed. Other controllers receive data by satellite or the internet from a network of weather stations.
Rotating Sprinkler Nozzles
Sprinkler technology has evolved too. The latest nozzles rotate, have greater coverage, and are more uniformed in their spray. Their spray is less likely to evaporate in the air from wind, reducing water run-off. In many cases, you can update your existing sprinkler heads with rotary nozzles without having to replace the entire sprinkler body.
New Irrigation Design and Build / Irrigation Retrofit
Pacific Vista Landscape Services can design and build and irrigation system for your commercial or residential project. We establish baseline data based on a digital base plan of existing/original irrigation and landscape in support of the planning process and ROI measurements. This provides an accurate digital record of the location of the existing irrigation equipment [valves, lines and heads] to allow the designer to accurately depict the configuration of the new more efficient system.
We then have an accurate digital record of the location of the existing plants, which allows our irrigation and landscape designers to accurately depict which plants will be retained or replaced. As cost reduction strategy, irrigation designs may include use of existing infrastructure when possible.
Call Pacific Vista Landscape Services today for smart irrigation installation or retrofit! 661-222-7525
