Baseline Systems BaseStation 1000 - Manual (Page 15)

BaseStation 1000 Irrigation Controller Manual
Smart
Interval
The BaseStation 1000 allows you to set the days between irrigation according to
a historical ET calendar for your area. 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 about Setting a Start Condition for a Program on page 40.
Start When
Less Than
Limit
In this soil moisture based, smart watering strategy, irrigation is suspended or
skipped until the soil dries below the lower limit, which is set manually or
automatically through calibration. This watering strategy naturally waters deeply
and infrequently and promotes deeper root growth in plants. The controller will
water for a specified run time each time it is allowed to water. When you are
using this watering strategy, remember to ensure that ½ inch or more of water is
applied frequently enough to water sufficiently during the hottest period of the
season. Refer to the topic on Setting a Moisture Start Condition on page 42.
Stop When
Greater
Than Limit
In this soil moisture based, smart watering strategy, irrigation events are
scheduled for specific times and dates, but the total run time is adjusted by the
controller to bring soil moisture up and very slightly over field capacity. This
watering strategy is particularly useful for landscapes that need to be at a
desired moisture level on a regular schedule, such as sports fields or heavy use
parks. On these types of properties, damage to turf takes place when the soil is
either too wet or too dry. Refer to the topic on Setting a Stop Condition for a
Program on page 52.
One of the most common irrigation programming mistakes is to apply too little water during the
hottest days of the season. Baseline recommends that, regardless of watering strategy, you
program each zone to water long enough to put down at least ½ inch of water each time the
controller is allowed to water.
For suggestions on programming your controller for these moisture sensor based watering
strategies, refer to Tips for Setting Up Common Configurations on page 106.
Other Uses for Moisture Sensors
In addition to using moisture sensors to monitor the amount of moisture in the soil, you can also
use moisture sensors to monitor the level of water in a pond or cistern and then automatically start
or stop a program based on the water level.
When you are using the moisture sensor to start/stop a program based on the amount of water in
a pond or cistern, you will typically set the following start/stop conditions for the program:
Start When
Greater
Than Limit
The program will start when the pond/cistern fills to a certain level and the
moisture sensor detects that the water level is greater than the specified limit.
Refer to the topic on Setting a Moisture Start Condition on page 42.
Stop When
Less Than
Limit
The program will stop when the pond/cistern is drained to a certain level and
the moisture sensor detects that the water level is less than the specified limit.
Refer to the topic on Setting a Stop Condition for a Program on page 52.
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