Baseline Systems BaseStation 3200 V12 - Manual (Page 14)

BaseStation 3200 Advanced Irrigation Controller Manual
Installing biSensors with New Trees
In the case of new landscape with newly installed trees that are watered separately from turf
zones, it is important to make sure that the sensor is located as close to the root ball in the top 1/3
of the root ball as possible. Watering new trees with a sensor based watering strategy is a good
way to avoid inadvertently “drowning” new trees and shrubs due to overwatering.
Shrubs and Other Ornamental Plants
Many landscapes feature shrub zones that are separately watered from turf zones. Shrubs
generally have very different water needs from turf, so having separate zones is a good thing!
For shrub zones, choose a representative plant, and then install the in or close to the top 1/3 of the
root zone for the plant, without damaging the root structure of the plant.
If drip emitters or bubblers are used, install the sensor in a location that is not directly under the
emitter or bubbler to avoid partial watering of the whole root zone of the plant.
Gardens and Crop Plants
Sensors are excellent tools for maximizing crop results. They have been used for decades in
irrigated agriculture.
Garden and crop plant watering depends greatly on the type of plants being grown, and a
discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this manual.
To plan a watering strategy for larger gardens or crops, Baseline recommends that you contact your
local Cooperative Extension Office. You can find a national register of the extension offices at:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
Watering Strategies
Each property is unique and has unique watering requirements. In order to support a broad range
of climate zones, plant types, landscape designs, and landscape usage requirements, the
BaseStation 3200 provides a variety of watering strategies.
The basic watering strategies supported by the 3200 are shown in the following table.
Timed Like all irrigation controllers, you can program the 3200 to run zones on specific
times and dates. Timed irrigation is the default setting for any zone that has not
been associated with a moisture sensor. Refer to Setting Up a Timed Zone on page
39.
Historical
Calendar
The BaseStation 3200 allows you to set the days between irrigation according to a
Historical ET calendar. This watering strategy, unlike typical seasonal adjustments,
will promote deeper root growth and healthier plants throughout the season.
However, Historical ET based watering will not protect your landscape from
unusual weather patterns in any given season. Read the topic on setting up
program start days based on a historical calendar on page 48.
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